Idaho touted as possible player in biofuels industry

Idaho and the Northwest have strong potential in the biofuels industry, eastern Washington farmer J. Read Smith said.

Smith was a presenter at the Harvesting Clean Energy Conference in Boise Jan. 29. He is also the co-chair of the national Ag Energy Work Group. The group promotes the “25x’25” campaign (www.25x25.org) advocating that the U.S. derive a quarter of its energy from homegrown sources by 2025.

Agriculture and forestry interests started 25x’25.

“This opportunity is going to redefine agriculture and forestry,” he said.

Like all new industries, bioenergy will require some government financial support in the early stages, Smith said.

“But all of us believe this industry needs to stand on its own two feet economically, environmentally and socially,” he said.
California is catching up with the Midwest in the biofuels industry, Smith said. The Northwest states lag behind the Midwest and still must identify the best feedstock, he said.  
“Our biggest potential advantage in Idaho and the Northwest is biomass,” he said.
Biomass includes crop residue, forest products and dedicated energy crops. Its cellulose – the complex carbohydrate present in plant cell walls – can be converted for use in ethanol production.
“The technology is here. What isn’t here is the economic efficiency to commercialize the industry,” Smith said.
Feedstock production could take on a regional flavor, with some areas emphasizing forest products and others crop residue, he said. Crops or forests dedicated to energy production are also possible, he said.
Anticipated benefits for rural and urban communities partly explain why the growing 25x’25 coalition includes more than 400 organizations, including major U.S. automakers and agriculture equipment manufacturers, Smith said.
Smith said 25x’25 – which has started an Idaho alliance – looks at infrastructure, resources, feedstocks, laws and regulations, venture-capital opportunities, and challenges to the industry as states develop energy plans.
Idaho farmers, ranchers and wood-products producers can help state leaders determine future energy policy, he said. He spoke to Idaho House and Senate agriculture committees Jan. 30.
Corn ethanol yields 1.67 units of energy for every unit expended to produce that energy, he said. Biomass has a significantly higher ratio of energy units gained per unit expended, he said.
Messages like that one are resonating in Idaho. Last week’s Boise Harvesting Clean Energy Conference drew more than 600 people, the largest turnout in the event’s seven years, Climate Solutions spokesman Peter Moulton said.
The event attracted many rural landowners particularly interested in biodiesel and wind power, he said. They aim to reduce their own energy bills and help to ensure that rural areas have secure sources of energy, he said.
“There is a very strong undercurrent of interest in community energy security,” Moulton said.
Moulton, based in Olympia, likes Idaho’s prospects in the clean-energy industry.
“I think Idaho is poised to realize a great deal of economic opportunity, especially in its diversity of clean-energy technologies – in particular, wind, geothermal and biofuels,” he said.
The University of Idaho’s biodiesel research program is one of the best in the U.S., Moulton said.
Idaho Gov. Jim Risch last year signed an executive order to establish the Idaho 25x’25 Renewable Energy Council, which new Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter supports continuing, an Idaho Department of Agriculture spokesman said.
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To contact the author of this story, send e-mail to:  brad.carlson@idahobusiness.net.