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Politics

Crist wants $50M for biofuels

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published February 1, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Alternative energy blog Gov. Crist chips in another $50-million

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Charlie Crist is asking the Legislature to greatly expand funding for alternative energy, proposing $50-million in new spending and tax incentives for ethanol and biodiesel projects.

Crist's proposed budget suggests the state spend $68-million on alternative energy funding. The proposal extends $17.5-million in grant programs from the current fiscal year, and offers nearly $1-million for a public education campaign on energy efficiency.

"Florida can become a leader in the production of alternative fuels," said Crist spokeswoman Vivian Myrtetus. "We must empower industry to make Florida the center of biofuel production. Increased ethanol production will further stimulate Florida's economy and create additional jobs."

Ethanol is unlikely to be the silver bullet of the nation's energy dependence problem, however, as it cannot fully replace gasoline. And cars now running on an ethanol blend get poorer gas mileage. Experts say ethanol can be beneficial when combined with other efficiency measures like higher fuel economy standards in car.

Going beyond Crist's proposal, the House is looking at $100-million in alternative energy funding - with $60-million of that going toward ethanol, said Rep. Bob Allen, R-Merritt Island, chairman of the House Committee on Energy.

"We really want to get Florida up and running as an ethanol-producing state so that it has its mark on energy independence," Allen said.

Many experts say Florida is well positioned to become a leader in converting biomass materials - including sugarcane, citrus waste and even yard waste - into ethanol.

There has been a growing call to find ways to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil, much of which comes from unstable or hostile places like the Middle East, Nigeria and Venezuela.

Ethanol, alone, is unlikely to solve that problem. A recent University of Minnesota study, for example, found that if all the corn grown in the country were turned into fuel, it would offset just 12 percent of the gasoline used in the nation.

[Last modified February 1, 2007, 00:42:00]