Biofuels hit the rocks of evolution

THE travails of Washington's fledgling biofuels industry provides an important reminder as our region and the rest of the world reach for answers to climate change.

Solutions are rarely simple or elegant. Weaning ourselves off carbon-emitting petroleum is an evolution.As Seattle Times reporter Ángel González reported, demand for biodiesel has fallen off dramatically because of price increases — to as high as $6 a gallon locally. The price of regular diesel, which is also escalating, was still a budget-stretching $4.80.

The calculus of biofuel's challenges are complicated. A food shortage in some parts of the world has increased the price of commodities that can used for fuel production or prompted farmers to plant higher-valued crops. Also, there are concerns that carbon emitted while growing a biodiesel crop, such as canola, means the net reduction in carbon emissions is not as great as previously thought.

Biodiesel was the darling of the 2006 Legislature, which goosed the industry by imposing a mandate that all diesel sold in Washington would contain at least 2 percent biodiesel. The effort was hailed as a win-win for two groups sometimes at odds: Urban environmentalists would have some progress toward lower carbon emissions and rural farmers would have a new cash crop.

Though the biofuels industry is having a rocky start, it is not dead. As petroleum prices continue to rise, the equation might work out to favor biodiesel. The Seattle-based Imperium Renewables is now exporting most of its production to Europe, where petroleum fuel prices are higher.

No one hopes for higher fuel prices, but there is some promise in research increasing the viability of the industry by boosting biofuel crop yields.

The new Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory — a partnership between Washington State University and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory — was dedicated last month in Richland and will continue work both institutions have been doing on the potential for biofuels, not only from crops, but also agricultural waste and municipal waste.

Though the promise of biofuels has not materialized, efforts to develop the industry remain an important part of a broader search for climate-change solutions.