The Nation's energy security will be significantly enhanced. With sustainable agricultural practices, biomass fuels could replace half or more of the Nation's entire current level of gasoline consumption. Perennial energy crops are the same kinds of crops that we now plant to protect fragile land under the Conservation Reserve Program. They can be harvested without damage to the root structure and thus continue to serve as a soil stabilizer and stream buffer and habitat for wildlife. The use of biomass will greatly reduce the Nation's greenhouse gas emissions.
Fossil fuels remove carbon that is stored underground and transfer it to the atmosphere.
In a gasifier-fuel cell combination, there is a net reduction of CO2. In addition, substantial quantities of carbon can be captured in the soil through biomass root structures, creating a net carbon sink. The next steps needed New technology developed by the U.S. Department of Energy and others has brought biomass energy very close to being economically competitive with conventional alternatives. But the pace of change has been limited by the relatively small Federal investment in biomass research and development. The critically needed next steps are continued technical progress in conversion efficiency and construction of a series of integrated demonstration facilities that will give farmers and investors the confidence to build this new American industry.