America’s dependence on oil jeopardizes its national security, drains billions of dollars from the U.S. economy, and contributes to global warming. The economic benefits of breaking this addiction to oil would be immense and widespread. Fortunately, the commodities best positioned to help end that dependence and enable a transition to a low-oil, high-growth economy are already growing in the fields and forests of rural America. Plants and trees, known collectively as biomass, can be converted into transportation fuel – chiefly ethanol and biodiesel. Renewable fuels from biomass are called biofuels.


The U.S. economy depends on transportation, and transportation depends almost entirely on oil. This dependence on oil as the nation’s only significant transportation fuel creates risk – of economic shock, should supplies be disrupted; of terrorist acts financed by oil-producing nations; and of military engagement to protect access to oil. The increased production and use of biofuels could significantly reduce the amount of oil needed to fuel U.S. cars and trucks.

Creating an abundant supply of biofuels – and the accompanying national production and distribution network – would ensure a more prosperous and secure future for America. It would mean higher incomes for farmers and an increase in skilled jobs in rural areas. Tens of billions of dollars would be invested in the U.S. economy rather than sent overseas. The transition to biofuels would also result in a more vital U.S. manufacturing sector, creating cutting-edge technologies and “flexible-fuel” cars that could be marketed to consumers around the world.

Moving to biofuels will also mean cleaner air and less global warming. Fuels made from plant material generate fewer of the pollutants that cause smog and acid rain, and they can displace toxic compounds found in gasoline that are known as “aromatics.” Their use reduces emissions of the most important greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide (CO2), into the atmosphere. These emissions are causing global warming and harming the Earth’s environment in ways that may prove irreversible.

The principal objections about biofuels concern the effects of production at very large scale. Like anything else, such a task can be managed badly or well, and it is important to understand the potential impacts of poor decisions and the benefits of good ones.

“The 20th century has been the age of the hydrocarbon. The 21st century should witness a rebirth of a carbohydrate economy. Living plants are again becoming attractive raw materials for manufacturers. The signs may be modest, but the conclusion is unmistakable. The pendulum is swinging back to a biological economy.” – David Morris, The Carbohydrate Economy