BioFuels and Energy

Congress Asks for Utah Mine Inquiry

editor — Fri, 9 May 2008 06:39:54 -0700

Last August the Crandall Canyon Mine in Utah collapsed, killing six coal miners. Ten days later, three men sent to rescue the trapped miners died in a second cave-in. A Congressman has asked the U.S.

iPods in Washington Destroy West Virginia Mountains

editor — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:34:49 -0700

The Washington Post reminds its urban readers that "Washington's air conditioners and iPods have helped drive" a particularly destructi

Has Ethanol Led to Food Riots? No, Says A&M Report

editor — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:59:00 -0700

The high cost of rice and beans has led to food riots in Haiti.
Photo: Nashgirl

With Haiti torn by riots over the price of rice and beans and food shortages in India, Egypt and the Philippines (where the Wall Street Journal reported that rice shortages have become "acute"), the common cauase of the world-wide food crisis has been assumed to be biofuels.

India's finance minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram said, "When millions of people are going hungry, it's a crime against humanity that food should be diverted to biofuels." An official from Turkey said the use of food for fuel was "appalling," according to the Wall Street Journal.

In this morning's New York Times, reporter Andrew Martin reports that "reaction is building against policies in the United States and Europe to promote ethanol and similar fuels, with political leaders from poor countries contending that these fuels are driving up food prices and starving poor people. Biofuels are fast becoming a new flash point in global diplomacy, putting pressure on Western politicians to reconsider their policies, even as they argue that biofuels are only one factor in the seemingly inexorable rise in food prices."

Exactly how much of the undeniable rise in food prices is caused by the use of food crops for biofuel? A little, but not nearly as much as the "crime against humanity" outcry would imply. And, according to a recent report from Texas A&M University, the use of corn to make biofuels has had very little impact on food prices at all.

Coal Plants Meet Rural Protests

editor — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:28:21 -0700

The Los Angeles Times noted Monday morning that fighting the construction of new coal-fired power plants has become a popular activity across rural America.

The $1 Burger

editor — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:50:58 -0700

Our fast-food nation is driven by corn. A couple of recent college graduates decide to learn more about the commodity by growing an acre in Greene, Iowa and shooting a television program. "King Corn" airs this week on public television's Independent Lens.