Cellulosic Ethanol in an Oil and Carbon Constrained World

The US has a unique window of opportunity. Three dollar a gallon gasoline prices experienced in the late summer and fall of 2005, our Middle East wars, and the probable imminent action of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to ban exports of subsidized corn have made the public and the Congress acutely aware of the politics of oil and its effects on our national security and economy. Global climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions has been getting more public attention to the point of President Bush advocating voluntary efforts to curb carbon-dioxide emissions. When the US becomes serious about addressing energy security, greenhouse gas emissions, and the sustainability of our transportation infrastructure, petroleum use will need to be cut substantially. Since we are a nation wedded to motor vehicles, we will need an alternative to gasoline, and attention is increasingly focusing on ethanol.