Oklahoma Bioenergy To Plant Switchgrass

[jpak]

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52318

The State of Oklahoma has secured land for one of the world's largest stands of switchgrass that will be devoted to cellulosic ethanol production. Planting will take place within the next 45 days.

The Oklahoma Bioenergy Center (OBC), a state-initiative championed by Gov. Brad Henry, secured land to enable the planting of more than 1,100 acres of production-scale demonstration fields for cellulosic energy crops, such as switchgrass and sorghum to contribute to the United States' bioenergy effort.

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[grannylib]

1. Wish the government would wake up and allow the planting of industrial

hemp; that can be used as biofuel, both the seeds and the stalks. Not to mention all the other uses to which it can be put: paper, fabrics, food, oil, and grows well without pesticides/herbicides.

It's great to hear more people talking about sources OTHER than corn for ethanol; any idea how much water is used producing ethanol from switchgrass?

[Zachstar]

3. Industrial hemp needs to be made legal again and that is somthing Congress needs to talk about.

Perhaps after Bush is kicked out of the white house can we start getting serious about the future here (Hemp being part of that)

As for water needed

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switchgrass
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallgrass_prairie

[Zachstar]

2. A really good idea!

Ethanol from Switchgrass is perfect for E-10 all over the nation. With E85 in areas that have a good collection of cars that can use it.

This is research and development that are going to start actually creating jobs for once.

[losthills]

4. It's a fraud.

There is not enough land in the world to grow fuel and food-- no matter what kind of crops you make the fuel from. The math doesn't work, and the environmental destruction will be irreversible.

[Zachstar]

5. What are you going on about?

Out west there is massive amounts of land not being used because you cant make a profit on anything you manage to grow out there.

Those are the lands that switchgrass will take up NOT the grain heartland.

There is plenty of land to grow fuel and fuel to replace a percentage of oil imports.

And take a dump elseware about your "environmental destruction" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallgrass_prairie As you can see there is nothing destructive about growing switchgrass.

[NickB79]

7. That unused land is called "prairie"

And it is vital habitat for a wide range of wildlife.

As for the lack of environmental destruction related to switchgrass, your link discussed a varied ecosystem with a wide variety of plant species which compose the tallgrass ecosystem. Farming switchgrass creates a monoculture, much like a cornfield, that is almost worthless to wildlife.

Even for nesting and shelter, I fear that switchgrass fields will become nesting sinks. This is a term for an area of land that appears like perfect nesting ground to wildlife early on in spring, but in actuality is poor nesting land. On our farm, alfalfa fields are the nesting sinks. Every year, numerous pheasants, quail, ducks, rabbits, etc, all nest in the hayfields. Unfortunately, the first cutting of hay usually takes place in June, well before the young are old enough to survive on their own. The young that aren't killed or maimed by the razor-sharp cutting heads die of predation and exposure. I have a feeling that the same will happen with switchgrass, with multiple harvests per year to maximize biomass production.

[Zachstar]

8. Oh well

Because people are dying because we cant afford to ship cheap food to them and kids are in deep poverty while the economy is collapsing.

So forget the nesting sinks. If people get desperate due to a failing economy they will start cutting down trees and burning crap for energy so the environmental destruction from not taking action is much worse than taking action.

I hate ethanol. I hate how it is moved food away from people and animals into the fat tanks of SUVs of people who think they filling up with E85 is good enough to excuse the fact that they are driving a tank on wheels. Tho the more I look at it the more it becomes a needed evil to get us through till a better plan comes along.

Yes I think that plan is fusion but other alternatives are also gaining steam.

However, Overall it will take decades to completely move to electric and in the meantime oil is not getting cheaper. So we MUST do something and ethanol is the only way as I see it for a transition period.

[Nihil]

9. If you hate that behaviour, why encourage it?

> I hate ethanol. I hate how it is moved food away from people and animals
> into the fat tanks of SUVs of people who think they filling up with E85
> is good enough to excuse the fact that they are driving a tank on wheels.

So don't provide the E85 and make the bastards own up to the destruction
that they are committing rather than hide behind a greenwashed facade.

> Tho the more I look at it the more it becomes a needed evil to get us
> through till a better plan comes along.

A better plan has come along: "Don't f*ck the environment up even more in
the vain hope of allowing ignorant people to carry on in their same old
wasteful lifestyles."


FWIW, to say "people are dying because we cant afford to ship cheap food
to them" is putting the cart before the horse: they used to grow their
own food before the Western nations decided that dumping surplus food
on other nations (to depress food prices below that sustaining local
producers) was not only a good way of continuing the agricultural
subsidy industry but also a foot-hold to breaking yet another country
into serfdom.

[JohnWxy]

6. recommended!