REPORT DETAILS IMPACT BIOFUELS PRODUCTION COULD HAVE ON CHESAPEAKE BAY
News Date January 26, 2010
A report issued last week by the Chesapeake Bay Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture detailed the impact increased farming of feedstocks for biofuels could have on water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.
The report states that harvesting winter cover crops and perennial grasses like barley, rye, and switchgrass on unused fields can absorb excess fertilizer and carbon dioxide. These crops, along with fast-growing trees, such as poplar and willow, can control erosion and potentially supply 18,000 jobs and 500 million gallons of biofuel.
The report recommends “setting regional and state production goals, developing harvest guidelines, avoiding the introduction of invasive species and creating a regional council for bioenergy development” to aid in developing the new sector.
However, according to authors of the report, the new biofuel industry would not be cost-competitive at first, so processors would need to be enticed by the government before farmers would be willing to supply biofuel feedstock.
The Chesapeake Bay Commission is a tri-state legislative commission created to advise the members of the General Assemblies of Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania on matters of Bay-wide concern. (By: Julie Adams; Contact: Nathan Bowen)