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| NCGA Ethanol Committee Chair Duane Adams discussed
rising energy costs and international competition for fossil
fuels at last week’s American Coalition for Ethanol meeting. |
NCGA’s
Adams Addresses World Energy Crisis at ACE Meeting (8-16-04)
Duane Adams, chair of
the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Ethanol Committee,
discussed the mounting world energy crisis and restated the importance
of a national energy policy that promotes the use of renewable energy
sources last week at the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) annual
meeting in Duluth, Minn.
During an AgriTalk radio
panel discussion, Adams also detailed NCGA’s ethanol strategic
plan. He said the rising cost of energy and limited supply of fossil
fuels is cause for concern.
“This isn’t
just a problem in the United States,” said Adams, who was
joined at the meeting by several other NCGA members and staff. “There’s
a world energy shortage developing. Countries like India and China
are becoming big users of crude oil and they’re competing
with the United States for those limited resources. We’re
not the only country willing to pay $40-$50 for a barrel of crude
anymore. It’s time for us to do something proactive about
this issue.”
Discussions on improving the ethanol production process, dried distillers
grains with solubles (DDGS), E-85 market development and Brazilian
ethanol production also highlighted the ACE conference.
In the meeting’s
keynote address, Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) challenged U.S. ethanol
producers to create technologies that will improve cost efficiencies
in the ethanol production process. He said Brazilian ethanol production
costs 40 percent less than U.S. production.
Ron Lamberty, ACE vice
president of market development, also addressed recent developments
in Brazil’s ethanol industry. He said if the U.S. ethanol
industry continues to grow at its current rate, the United States
will soon surpass Brazil as the world’s top producer of ethanol.
“It was a dynamic
conference,” Adams said. “There is a lot of enthusiasm
about ethanol. We heard about a number of new plants that are coming
on line and the general attitude within the industry is very upbeat.”
For more information
on ACE, click here.