TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -
Suppliers should provide Michigan
motorists with fuels that produce less of the gases that cause
global warming, advocates and a state legislator said Tuesday.
Rep. Lee Gonzales, D-Flint, said he was introducing a bill to
establish a "low-carbon fuel standard." It would require oil
refineries and fuel blenders to reduce greenhouse gases generated
from fuel sales and production by 10 percent over the next decade.
Suppliers could meet the requirement by changing their fuel
mixes to boost content of alternative ingredients such as
cellulosic ethanol, which comes from wood and other plant matter.
They also could reduce emissions given off as fuels are
produced, or buy credits from utilities that supply electricity for
low-carbon, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
Gonzales announced his legislation during a phone conference
with representatives of The Ecology Center and Environment
Michigan. The advocacy groups released a report that said the
low-carbon fuel standard would help the state economy by promoting
use of waste material from Michigan forests and farms.
"Michigan is uniquely qualified to contribute to and benefit
from the emerging bioeconomy," said Steve Pueppke, director of
Michigan State University's Office of Bio-Based Economy.
About 70 cents of every dollar that Michigan motorists spend on
transportation fuel -- about $14 billion annually -- leaves the state
because most of the fuel comes from elsewhere, the report said.
Using fuel with less carbon and more homegrown ingredients
"will reduce Michigan's vulnerability to oil price shocks by
encouraging the production of more of our own fuel," the report
said.
Electricity is the most fuel-efficient means of powering
vehicles, the report said, followed by biofuels made from corn
stalks, switchgrass, logging debris and similar material. It
advised against biofuels that use the edible parts of corn plants,
soybeans or other foods.
With Michigan's vast woodlands and diverse agriculture, Pueppke
said, "We can produce lots of biomass in ways that don't interfere
with the food system."
