Madison— A report outlining ways to reduce the State’s gasoline needs by 40% and coal use by 50% was presented today to the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming. The report, titled “Cellulose Prairie: Biomass Fuel Potential in Wisconsin and the Midwest” was written by Better Environmental Solutions and funded by the Governor’s Ethanol Coalition. The report outlines the possibilities of converting common Wisconsin biomass materials such as wood waste, corn stover, manure and prairie grass to energy and biofuels.

“Excess biomass fuels like switchgrass, corn stover, wood waste, and manure are the convenient solutions to the ‘Inconvenient Truth’ of global warming,” said Brett Hulsey, president Better Environmental Solutions, report author. “Investing in more biofuel use, pilot plants, business startups, and research could produce electricity and fuel and reduce the largest sources of greenhouse air pollutants in Wisconsin and America,” Fuels and coal are the largest sources of greenhouse gases in Wisconsin, according the DNR.

Wisconsin alone has almost 15 million tons of potential excess biomass reserves, which could produce 1.3 billion gallons of ethanol per year displacing 40% of current gasoline use, in addition to Wisconsin’s 252 million gallons of current corn ethanol production. This excess biomass could also be burned to replace 15 million tons of coal, equivalent to 56% of Wisconsin’s total coal use. Notably, these biomass materials are excess or surplus and can be harvested to restore forests, fields, and soil health.

“With more government investment, Wisconsin can be a cellulose prairie and forest for bioenergy like Silicon Valley is for high technology,” said Hulsey. “We are well positioned because Wisconsin leads the nation now in converting wood to electricity. This is just one step away from cleaner biofuels like cellulosic ethanol.”

This report highlights promising Wisconsin projects from the Flambeau Paper Mill in the north to advanced technology firms like C5-6 Technologies in Middleton to biomass energy projects across the state.

“Biotechnology firms like C5-6 Technologies show we can increase the yield of corn ethanol, develop new soy and cellulosic ethanol processes, and create more high-paying jobs right here in Wisconsin,” said John Biondi, President of C5-6. “The recent U.S. Department of Energy grant to UW and C5-6 shows we are leading the nation to develop these cleaner energy sources that reduce global warming.”

Governor Jim Doyle has made promoting the bioeconomy a major part of his energy-independence agenda with budget proposals of $30 million for bioproject loans and grants, $5 million for cellulosic research, $4 million for venture capital, and $1 million for new E 85 and biodiesel pumps. These important steps are now in the hands of the legislature’s budget conference committee.

Additional federal government investments and actions are needed to realize the full potential of biomass:

1. Fund 10 pilot cellulosic plant projects to develop and refine technologies for full-scale application;
2. Expand grant and loan programs to promote cellulosic ethanol and advanced biopower projects;
3. Enact policies to promote 25% biofuel use by 2025 (25 by 25);
4. Create an Energy Reserve Program of 10-20 million acres to help farmers and landowners produce more biomass such as switchgrass, wood fuel and other biopower feedstocks; and
5. Develop a $100 million biofuel venture capital fund to spur new business startups.

“We applaud Governor Doyle’s 25×25 renewable fuel goal to increase energy independence,” said Jeff Pieterick, President of the Wisconsin Biodiesel Association. “Making and using 25% renewable fuel means using 650 million gallons of ethanol and 200 million gallons of biodiesel. This would significantly reduce global warming pollution from transportation, the fastest growing source, according to the EPA.”

Biodiesel reduces CO2 emissions 78% from petroleum diesel. Renewable fuels also reduce smog and soot that have blanketed Wisconsin with air pollution warnings this summer.

“Using biofuels like ethanol or biodiesel can significantly reduce fuel lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions and other harmful pollutants like soot,” said Dona Wininsky of the American Lung Association of Wisconsin. “They represent one step Wisconsin can take to reduce its carbon footprint and to offset the impact of motorized vehicles on air quality and human health.”

Better Environmental Solutions is a Madison based environmental consulting firm dedicated to practical solutions today for a better tomorrow. A summary of the report is below.

Report Summary
It’s well established that cellulosic biomass, including switchgrass, wood and crop residues, as well as manure, are great potential biofuels and biopower sources.

More surprising is that 12 Midwestern states — the Cellulose Prairie — already generate up to 231 million tons of potential excess biomass each year. If converted to ethanol, this could yield 13.9 billion gallons of fuel, more than doubling current ethanol production … or enough energy to replace 154 million tons of coal, equivalent to one-third (37%) of the coal burned in the 12 states each year.

In fact, these 12 states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin), are home to half of the nation’s 466 million tons of excess biomass and three-quarters of the nation’s switchgrass and crop residue reserves, making the Midwest the potential “Biofuel Saudi Arabia of America.”

Wisconsin alone has almost 15 million tons of potential excess biomass, which could produce 1.3 billion gallons of ethanol per year and displace half of the 2.6 billion gallons of gasoline Wisconsin consumed last year. This is in addition to Wisconsin’s 252 million gallons of current corn ethanol production. This excess biomass could be burned to replace 15 million tons of coal, equivalent to 56% of Wisconsin’s total coal use. Notably, these biomass materials are excess or surplus and can be harvested sustainably to maintain forest and soil health.

This report highlights promising projects in Wisconsin, from the Flambeau Paper Mill in the north to advanced ethanol projects in the south. Several Wisconsin ethanol plants are now employing advanced biofuel processes like fractionation or are studying advanced biopower projects.
Governor Jim Doyle has made promoting the bioeconomy a major part of his energy-independence agenda with a goal of 25% biofuels and renewable energy by 2025 (“25 by 25”), and appointing a Global Warming Taskforce and BioIndustry Consortium. His budget proposal includes $30 million for bioproject loans and grants, $5 million for cellulosic research, $4 million for venture capital, and $1 million for new E 85 and biodiesel pumps. These are important steps.

But additional federal government investments and actions are needed to realize the full potential of biomass fuel, including the goals of President Bush, U.S. governors and the Energy Foundation’s “New Harvest” report. Specifically, the federal government should:

1. Fund 10 pilot cellulosic plant projects to develop and refine technologies for full-scale application;
2. Expand grant and loan programs to promote cellulosic ethanol and advanced biopower projects;
3. Enact policies to promote 25% biofuels use by 2025 (25 by 25);
4. Create an Energy Reserve Program of 10-20 million acres to help farmers and landowners produce more biomass such as switchgrass, wood fuel and other biopower feedstocks; and
5. Develop at least a $100 million per state biofuel venture capital fund using government investments to spur new business startups.

If we take these steps, America will accelerate its efforts to reduce dependence on foreign oil and on coal, and save money while creating jobs and helping family farmers.

More about Wisconsin
Wisconsin has major untapped biomass reserves. The state’s great natural resources are its forests, wood products, corn production and corn stover (a major biomass source); dairy and beef cattle (a manure source); and prairie grasslands in the Conservation Reserve Program and other conservation programs. The state also has the largest papermakers in the country, with many mills using wood for energy and looking for new sources of energy and revenue to compete with stiff international competition.

This is important because Wisconsin is also almost totally energy dependent, importing $18.5 billion of energy. Two-thirds of this money leaves the state, resulting in a loss of $12 billion and 300,000 jobs. Expanding biofuel production will reduce this job and income drain, and create better markets for Wisconsin’s agricultural and forest productions.

These biofuel sources reduce the carbon footprint from gasoline and coal, the largest CO2 sources in Wisconsin. They can also reduce CO2 by sequestering carbon. Conservation tillage, grasslands and forest conservation can store 0.5-6 tons or more of carbon per acre per year. Creating more demand for these conservation practices will likely expand them. The Farmers’ Union is now recruiting farmers for carbon sequestration contracts with the Chicago Climate Exchange.

About this Report
This report is funded by the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Energy Foundation. For more information, contact the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition at www.ethanol-gec.org or the report’s author, Brett Hulsey, at Brett@BetterEnvironmentalSolutions.com, 608-238-6070.
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