The Biofuels Law: Ethical Aspects

I just saw another interesting article from GMANews.TV. It’s actually the conclusion of a two-part special. The first one focused on “Arroyo brother-in-law to use biofuels law to evade CARP?” Now, this one, focusing on "Ethical lapses mark passage of Biofuels Law, says report," is just as interesting as the first. And I kid you not! Read on, friends!

There is perhaps no lawmaker as enthusiastic about biofuels as Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri. Zubiri was still congressman for the third district of Bukidnon when he became principal author of the House bill that eventually became Republic Act 9367 or the Biofuels Act. He campaigned hard to get other lawmakers to support the measure that he earned himself the nickname “Mr. Biofuel." His official page in the Senate website describes him as the “father of the Biofuels Act of 2006."

A-KiD: I believe I made a post on this sometime ago. Link is here.

Zubiri’s campaign for biofuels appears to be in keeping with his pro-environment image. Biofuels, made from such sources as sugarcane, coconut and jatropha, are after all supposed to be a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. But Zubiri and his family—long-time sugar planters—also stand to gain from the budding biofuel industry that will depend mostly on sugarland for raw material.

Like Zubiri, 10 other authors of the Biofuels Act in the House of Representatives and the Senate and their families own agricultural lands that can or will provide feedstock for biofuel production. They include former congressman Herminio Teves and presidential brother-in-law Ignacio “Iggy" Arroyo.

A-KiD: Now, are you saying that there is conflict of interest here? Wait, let me read more.

Ethical lapses like these marked the passage of the Biofuels Act of 2006. Some of the lawmakers' vested interests prevented thorough discussions of the conversion of agricultural land to biofuel purposes, a move which will not only deprive farmers of land, but also cause more environmental damage in the long run.

A-KiD: “Ethical lapses” has become a favorite term to describe recent development.

Zubiri belongs to a family with a long-running history in the sugar business. His uncle George and father Jose Maria, the current governor of Bukidnon, hail from Negros Occidental, part of the country’s “Sugar Bowl." The Zubiris are credited for bringing sugarcane to Bukidnon in the 1970s. The two were holding top positions at the Confederation of Sugar Producers Association (CSPA) at the time the younger Zubiri drafted the biofuels law.

Fernando Corpuz, manager of the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s research development and extension for Luzon and Mindanao, said Zubiri’s father “still has a lot of clout in it (sugar industry) being a political icon" even after he has sold their sugar mill to five Chinese traders.

A-KiD: Now, this is becoming more interesting than all alternative sources of energy combined! No kidding!

Zubiri denied allegations of conflict of interest in the passage of the Biofuels Act. “I'm fighting for my district and for the constituency of all the sugar-producing areas," said the 38-year-old senator. “I’m fighting for the interests of the farmers: They are five million Filipinos. That's my job." These farmers have suffered from the lag in the sugar industry, which posted the largest decline among the agricultural industries at the end of 2007, partly due to low world prices for table sugar. The SRA then looked to bioethanol as an alternative market to revive the industry.

A-KiD: I remember Tagpi barking, “I wish the politicians would look after the welfare of the people more than their share of the pie.”

It was Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, former Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), who raised the issue of conflict of interest in the passage of the Biofuels Act when she alleged in press releases that landlords had strongly lobbied for biofuels.

Santiago, head of the Senate Committee on Energy, said in a speech she delivered at the Energy Summit last January that legislators must immediately inform Congress of possible conflict of interest that may occur because of their proposed legislations. She cited the Anti-Graft Law that bans any lawmaker from authoring bills that may grant benefits to his or her business interests.

A-KiD: One thing I like about Senator Miriam is her way of saying things that will hit one hard like an irresistible force.

Feeling alluded to, Zubiri clarified that his family—the ruling political clan in Bukidnon that owns vast landholdings—has shifted from sugar to bananas. "I'm not producing sugar anymore. It's all bananas now," he said.

A-KiD: See what I mean!

Eil Branzuela, provincial agrarian reform officer for South Bukidnon, said, however, the senator’s father still has a connection with the Bukidnon Sugar Milling Co. (BUSCO), which the family used to own, because of his position as Bukidnon governor.

The young senator was quoted in media as having said that BUSCO would tie up with Bronzeoak Philippines to construct an ethanol plant in Bukidnon. Documents from the Securities and Exchange Commission show that an ethanol plant called South Bukidnon Bioenergy was registered in November 2006. The chair of the board is Jose Ma. Zabaleta Jr., whose father Jose Ma. Zabaleta is president of Bronzeoak Philippines and a friend of the Zubiri family. The senior Zabaleta was the executive director of the Philippine Sugar Millers Association at the time of R.A. 9367’s passage.

Governor Zubiri is also the president of the CSPA, a position he has held since Sept. 1, 2006, according to SEC documents and a statement from the senator himself. SEC documents also reveal that his uncle George was the senior vice president of the confederation from Sept. 1, 2004 to Aug. 31, 2006.

A-KiD: Am I missing something here? Is this a family gathering of sort?

The confederation, which declares its aims as developing and securing the stability of the sugar industry, has 31 associations composed of 4,000 to 5,000 members each. It is said to produce more than half the country’s sugar supply.

In addition to being in the position to supply most of the sugar needed for ethanol production, the implementing rules and regulations of the Biofuels Act made the confederation a member of the Bioethanol Board, a consultative body that will work with the SRA in developing and implementing bioethanol-related policies.

A-KiD: Wow! It’s like having everything you need under one roof!

Senator Zubiri, however, insists that he and his family are out of the sugar business. “I personally do not own more than 10 hectares titled to me, and same with the rest of my family, because we were already subjected to agrarian reform in 1988," he said.

Declarations of real property acquired from the Bukidnon provincial assessor’s office reveal otherwise. They show that along with various members of the Zubiri family who separately own portions of sugarcane land, the senator himself has eight hectares in Maramag, Bukidnon dedicated to sugar crops. These sugar lands are what the Zubiris retained from their vast landholdings, Valle Escondida in particular, after being subjected to the agrarian reform program in the late 1980s.

A-KiD: I really like the way GMANews.TV handles itself when it comes to reporting.

Asked why his father is the CSPA president, the senator admitted that his father still owns about 30 hectares of land planted to sugar “so he can be part of the confederation." “My father is (producing sugar), but he’s not a senator. He’s not a congressman. Under the law, the violation is only the legislator," he said.

A-KiD: I ask again, “Is there no conflict of interests, here?”

Joel Villanueva, agrarian reform officer of Maramag, said that a total of 610 hectares of the Zubiris’ Valle Escondida were transferred to 281 farmer-beneficiaries.

Branzuela said certificates of land ownership have been given to the farmer-beneficiaries, but the Zubiris still operate on the land through a leaseback agreement. The Zubiris, in turn, are leasing this land to food packaging giant Dole, he said.

Zubiri did not deny this. “The beneficiaries still own the land. We pay them every year for the use of the land even if it’s ours in the first place," he said.

A-KiD: Sugar is sweet. Ampalaya is bitter.

Gil de los Reyes, agrarian reform lawyer and former DAR undersecretary, said it is unclear how a leaseback agreement can be fairly made as “there are no clear rules" on the terms of such a transaction.

Explaining the House deliberations on the biofuels bill, Zubiri said that aside from industry players and government agencies, he had consulted with Greenpeace, Haribon and the Clean Cities Movement. “They were all consulted when we passed this, especially the groups that pushed for cleaner air," he said.

Transcripts of the House meetings and sessions, however, show that these groups were never given the floor during the deliberations. Neither were farmers’ groups. As much as the lawmakers mentioned the sugar boom’s benefits to farmers in terms of employment, nothing in the House transcripts pointed to a discussion of how exactly profits would trickle down to grassroots farmers. These discussions came up only in the Senate and during the bicameral conference committee meetings.

A-KiD: Just for show, kids!

There is much to be gained from biofuels, although that can be interpreted in two ways. On one hand, there are gains to the public—cleaner air, lower oil prices and higher employment rates. On the other hand, there are the more sinister gains the lawmakers have carved out for themselves—generous profits to be made from the boom in feedstock plantations.

A-KiD: Now, that’s putting it bluntly! Wow!

Antonio Flores, national treasurer of the farmer’s group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, is careful to make a distinction between these two benefits. He said: “Hindi naman kami tutol sa usaping development. Pero, ang tanong namin, para kanino ang development (We aren’t against development. But our question is, for whom is this development)?"

A-KiD: Same question here, my friend!

There are other looming issues that are not sufficiently discussed by the Biofuels Act and its IRR. These include complications with land use, continuing environmental harms, and an even more problematic imports situation.

The law is not specific about land use conversion. This is possibly the trickiest aspect of the law, as it touches on land reform and the food versus fuel debate that was emphasized in media early this year.

Corpuz of SRA expressed misgivings about the dearth of policies on land use. The SRA is tasked to check the suitability of lands for feedstock plantation before a potential planter ventures into planting vast tracts of sugar crops.

National Biofuels Board (NBB) Deputy Director John Jacob Gonzales enumerated these as “no competition for food, no competition for land. Biofuels should be planted on green fields or marginalized land. Conventional land for food crops like rice and others should (not) be in direct competition."

He did not say how his board plans to prevent or discourage landowners from converting food crops to feedstock plantations—to the displeasure of farmers like KMP’s Flores.

“Ang posisyon namin diyan ay yung lupa sana ay para taniman ng pagkain tulad ng mais (Our position is that the land be used to plant food like corn)," he said.

Aside from ensuring that there will be no competition with food, the NBB guidelines also prohibit feedstock land use that will harm the environment.

Surprisingly, the law does not include the Department of Environment and Natural Resources among the members of the NBB despite the reported ecological harms associated with feedstock growing.

Clearing forests to make way for feedstock plantation has caught the attention of environmental groups all over the world. Biofuel production in Indonesia, for instance, is currently under scrutiny by governments and NGOs worldwide.

A-KiD: I think I made a post that similarly tackles the issues at hand. Link is here.

Conversion of forests and grasslands into palm oil plantations is said to be emitting more carbon than gasoline usage. These conversions release 17 to 423 times more carbon than the amount reduced by biofuel use, revealed a February 2008 study by the University of Minnesota

Despite an alleged surplus in feedstock, especially in the case of sugarcane, the Philippines is expected to fall short of the target supply needed to comply with the mandated blends. One reason is that there aren’t enough processing plants.

“For biodiesel I think we have enough supply," Gonzales said. “But for bioethanol, we need to set up at least 10 more factories, and each factory needs 30 million liters. One factory alone needs at least one year and a half (to construct)."

Gonzales said the government will have to import bioethanol to reverse the deficit.

A-KiD: Indeed, we are facing a number of concerns with regards to the Biofuels Act. I mentioned these before, e.g., importation problems, environmental and land use issues, and political concerns. We are creating more problems than solutions at a time when the Philippines needs a sustainable, effective and efficient alternative energy program. How come? Please read the article again if you still can’t figure it out.

"The Anitokid loves the people!"

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The Biofuels Law, Iggy Arroyo and CARP.

A special report from GMANews.TV caught my attention. "Arroyo brother-in-law to use biofuels law to evade CARP?," is one interesting read. And I kid you not! Read on, friends!

One of those engaged in this move is presidential brother-in-law Ignacio “Iggy" Arroyo who hurdled last month most of the government requirements needed to convert his family’s 157-hectare Hacienda Bacan in Isabela, Negros Occidental into agro-industrial uses, mainly for the production of ethanol.

If the conversion pushes through, farmers charge that Arroyo will succeed in evading the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, which covers rice, corn and sugar lands. It will nullify the claims of 67 farmer-beneficiaries who have been waiting for more than a decade for the Department of Agrarian Reform to award them Hacienda Bacan. Local DAR officials fear the Hacienda Bacan farmers will generate a big storm of protests.

A-Kid: I can’t blame the farmers if they do decide to push through with their protests. Why so?

The impending conversion of Hacienda Bacan not only contradicts supposed policy statements by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo last week that she favored a moratorium on land conversions to preserve the country’s agricultural economy. It also shows how the country’s lawmakers—including a member of the President’s own family—are making a windfall from crafting laws designed to promote their own business interests.

Arroyo’s office also said the congressman, currently the chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, is committed to “environmental protection" and has even begun working on a climate change bill after attending the climate change summit in Bali, Indonesia last December.

A-Kid: I’d rather be committed to the welfare of the people first. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

In the 13th Congress, Arroyo co-authored Republic Act 9367, also known as the Biofuels Act of 2006, along with then Negros Oriental representative Herminio Teves and Bukidnon representative now senator Juan Miguel Zubiri. They and eight other co-authors in the House and Senate and their families own agricultural lands that can or will provide feedstock for biofuel production.

A-Kid: Conflict of interest? Wait! Let me read more to get a clearer picture.

Teves, whose term in Congress ended last year, is already planting jatropha for biodiesel on 10,000 hectares of land in Negros Oriental and has even constructed a jatropha plant that will be operational by 2009.

Meanwhile, Zuburi’s father, former Bukidnon congressman now governor Jose Zubiri, has been the president of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Association since Sept. 1, 2006. The elder Zubiri was also once executive vice president of the Bukidnon Sugar Milling Co. which, Senator Zubiri said in a May 2006 news report, will tie up with the Bronzeoak Philippines to build an ethanol plant in Bukidnon. Senator Zubiri himself still owns at least eight hectares of sugar land in Maramag, Bukidnon.

When he was first elected to the House of Representatives, Arroyo filed the Fuel Ethanol Act of 2004 that was consolidated along with other bills to become the Biofuels Act. He is also the chairperson of Rivulet Agro Industrial Corp., which owns Hacienda Bacan. Arroyo, however, lists neither Rivulet nor Hacienda Bacan in his 2004 to 2006 statements of assets of liabilities.

The Arroyos own about 500 hectares of land in Negros Occidental. These include Haciendas Bacan, Grande, Fallacon, and Manolita, according to a DAR report. Bacan and Grande, in particular, are sugar plantations whose ownership has been hotly contested by various farmers’ groups.

A-Kid: You have gotta be shitting me!

Documents show Hacienda Bacan, which has belonged to the Arroyo family for decades, as being registered to Rivulet now chaired by Representative Arroyo. Task Force Mapalad, a nationwide alliance of about 25,000 farmers seeking land reform, said, however, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s husband, Jose Miguel “Mike" Arroyo, actually owns Hacienda Bacan.

“Alam naman natin na kay Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yung lupa (We know that the land is owned by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo)," said Ricky Celis, one of the 67 farmers claiming the land under CARP. “Talagang ayaw nilang bitiwan 'to (They certainly won’t let go of the land)."

Mortgaged several times, Hacienda Bacan ran up millions of pesos in unpaid taxes to the municipal government and became a delinquent property that was auctioned off in April 1994 for P176.7 million. A certification of sale of the property issued by the office of the Isabela treasurer states it was sold to Jose Miguel Arroyo married to Gloria M. Arroyo. The First Gentleman’s ownership of the property, however, was not annotated at the back of the land title.

Amid calls to put the hacienda under the agrarian reform program when Gloria Arroyo became president in 2001, Ignacio Arroyo that same year offered the property under the voluntary offer to sell scheme of CARP to get a higher valuation.

A-Kid: I’ve got to hand it to you guys at GMANews.TV! You’re good!

The path toward converting the Arroyo sugar plantation began in October 2005 when the Isabela municipal council reclassified Hacienda Bacan from agricultural to agro-industrial land under a six-year comprehensive land use plan it approved through a resolution.

The land use plan, which spans from 2005 to 2010, was upheld by the provincial council in December that year.

Despite Hacienda Bacan’s reclassification, DAR provincial officer Teresita Depeñoso said Arroyo still has to apply for land use conversion with the DAR before he can put up an ethanol plant. Representative Arroyo has lost no time in doing so.

A-Kid: Ain't we in a bit of a hurry now, my friend?

Reclassifying and converting Hacienda Bacan to agro-industrial land will exempt it from CARP distribution because R.A. 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law only provides for the distribution of agricultural land not classified as mineral, forest, residential, commercial or industrial land to farmers.

A-Kid: The timing is perfect! I believe that the 20-year-old CARP will expire on June 10, 2008.

If it pushes through, the ethanol plant will bring a windfall of benefits for the Arroyos. A 100,000 liter-capacity ethanol plant can make at least P3.2 million if ethanol sells at a profitable benchmark of P32 to P35 a liter based on estimates of the Sugar Regulatory Administration. Even without an ethanol plant, Arroyo stands to gain more than P10 million annually if sugarcane planted in Hacienda Bacan is sold for ethanol production. The SRA estimates that sugar landowners can expect P65,000 annually for every hectare.

A-Kid: Now, that’s a ton of money in my book! Or in anyone’s book, mind you!

"The Anitokid is for the people!"

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The Environment and Election 2008!

I just completed the above survey on Election 2008, with emphasis on the environmental issues shaping some of the political debates. It was an interesting set of questions. I hope there would be more of this type of surveys because such promote the dissemination of important facts and options associated with various environmental concerns and the energy industry as a whole. And I kid you not!

Do check out these interesting posts
on energy and alternative sources of fuel!!!

• Energy and the Environment: Myths and Facts
  
  
• High Feedstock Prices Equate to a
  Slowdown in the Biodiesel Rush!
  
  
• The Ethanol-from-Corn and Food vs. Fuel Debate:
  Ethanol Has Its Problems
  
  
• Nonfossil Fuels Thrive on Word Tricks of Persuasion!
  
  
• A Bright Idea Puts Australia in a New Light!
  
  
• The Use of Ethanol as Fuel: The Food vs. Fuel Debate
  
  
• Sake Power for Your Car!
  
  
  
  
  "Think green with The AnitoKid."
  

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  You know what to do :)

  

  

It's All About the Environment on Blog Action Day!





October 15th is Blog Action Day! On this day, bloggers from all walks of life, from all over the world will unite in an effort to put a single important issue on everyone's mind. In its inaugural year, Blog Action Day will be co-ordinating bloggers to tackle the issue of the environment. Guess what? The AnitoKid is participating because the topic at hand is close to his heart. And I kid you not! In line with this, here is a list of some of the posts he did on nonfossil fuels and alternative sources of energy:

• Energy and the Environment: Myths and Facts
  
  
• High Feedstock Prices Equate to a
  Slowdown in the Biodiesel Rush!
  
  
• Sake Power for Your Car!
  
  
• The Ethanol-from-Corn and Food vs. Fuel Debate:
  Ethanol Has Its Problems
  
  
• Nonfossil Fuels Thrive on Word Tricks of Persuasion!
  
  
• A Bright Idea Puts Australia in a New Light!
  
  
• The Use of Ethanol as Fuel: The Food vs. Fuel Debate
  
  
  

2007 Blog Action Day Organizers

• Collis Ta'eed
  Collis runs Sydney-based startup Eden Creative Communities as well as blogging on NorthxEast about blogging itself. He has a background in design and web development and previously art directed an interactive design agency. Collis is a Baha'i and Blog Action Day was inspired by the belief in the unity of humanity.
  
  
• Leo Babauta
  Leo is author of the wildly successful ZenHabits. Leo has also served as a writer on such heavyweight blogs as LifeHack.org, DumbLittleMan, FreelanceSwitch and the WebWorkerDaily.Accompanying his blog writing exploits, Leo has been a reporter, editor, speech writer and freelance writer for the last 17 years.
  
  
• Cyan Ta'eed
  Cyan is responsible for one of the fastest growing blogs around - FreelanceSwitch, a blog that in just four months has grown an RSS audience of some 12,000 subscribers and broken into Technorati's top 500.
  
  

"Love the Environment with The AnitoKid."

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Energy and the Environment: Myths and Facts

I just saw this read, "Energy and the Environment: Myths and Facts," by Max Schulz. Surveys results are always interesting. Here is a copy of the Press Release - could be worth your time. Enjoy!

NEW REPORT:
Energy and the Environment: Myths and Facts

Washington, DC: The Center for Energy Policy and the Environment at the Manhattan Institute released a new report by senior fellow Max Schulz. “Energy and the Environment: Myths and Facts” reveals that Americans' beliefs about energy and our environment are largely unfounded.

Sound policy decisions require a well-informed citizenry. But, as Earth Day approaches, we must ask: how well-informed are we regarding our energy needs and natural environment? The Manhattan Institute, along with Zogby International, polled 1,000 Americans about basic facts relating to energy policy. The poll results reveal that many widely held beliefs are, in key ways, inaccurate.

In this new report, Max Schulz examines the public perception of energy and the environment; by separating fact from fiction, we present the true story behind America’s energy myths.


Among the findings. . .

MYTH: Most of our energy comes from oil.
Nearly two thirds of respondents believed this to be the case.
FACT: In reality, 60 percent of our energy comes from non-oil sources. Growing electricity use accounts for over 85 percent of growth in our energy demand since 1980; this deserves greater focus from policy-makers and media.


MYTH: Saudi Arabia provides more oil to the United States than does any other foreign country. When asked for the largest source of foreign oil, 55 percent guessed Saudi Arabia.
FACT: Canada provides the USA with more foreign oil than any other country. An erroneous belief in our dependence on Middle Eastern oil leads to an illegitimate fear of having energy used as an economic weapon against us.


MYTH: The accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant was fatal. Over 80 percent of respondents did not disagree.
FACT: No one died from the accident at Three Mile Island. Untenable safety concerns prevent a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that could be achieved by turning to nuclear power as an energy source.


MYTH: Our cities are becoming more polluted and our forests are shrinking. Nearly 84 percent believe cities are increasingly polluted; 67 percent believe logging and development are shrinking our forests.
FACT: Trends suggest that the air in our cities is becoming cleaner and we are experiencing annual net gains for forest area. Inaccurate assumptions about our environment encourage onerous regulation and limit urban development.


MYTH: The Kyoto Protocol would require all countries to cut emissions. Almost 60 percent believe that is, in fact, required by the protocol.
FACT: The Kyoto Protocol has exempted large emitters like China and India; analysts have shown it would be unlikely to reduce global warming. The cost to the American economy, however, is estimated to be between $13 billion and $397 billion in 2010.


MYTH: The US can meet its future energy demand solely through conservation and efficiency measures. Nearly 70 percent agreed with this statement.
FACT: We will need 30 percent more energy in 2030 than we consume today – not a demand that can be met through mere conservation. Our needs will be met by introducing new energy sources–like nuclear power. Despite wide-spread misconceptions among respondents, there was some level of awareness. More than half (50.7 percent) of participants knew we will not run out of oil in this century. And sixty-one percent correctly identified wind and solar power as providing the least amount of energy among a list of major energy sources that included coal, nuclear power, natural gas, and oil.

Surveys can provide important ratification of the obvious.
And I kid you not!

High feedstock prices equates to a slowdown in the biodiesel rush!

An interesting read from ICIS Chemical Business caught my attention. Not only did the article highlighted problems associated with the "thoughtless rush" to biodiesel production, it confirmed the AnitoKid's views on the food vs. fuel debate. Apparently, increases in feedstock price have forced Malaysia to either scale back biodiesel production activities or close until the economics for plants improve. Only five biodiesel plants are currently operating in the country because crude palm oil prices, the nation's main feedstock, have risen to an 8-year high. And when prices soar, the profitability of producers is significantly reduced.

Several other plants also face the ax unless they start up operations within the next two years. Many of the producers (more than 90) that have been issued licenses have decided to delay commercial operation or close the plants until raw material prices fall. Indeed, the adage "Haste makes waste" holds true on this one! What about the biodiesel plants (less than 10) in production? The only reason they are running is because of their tied up contracts with European and other overseas clients. Hmmm, less than 10 running plants running against the more than 90 stalled units? Something is definitely wrong with this picture. This scenario simply highlights two immediate facts, i.e., that securing overseas customers is very important in generating income when feedstock prices have grown out of control (high raw material price environment), and that in the food vs. fuel debate, the current state of world economics heavily favors the first choice (food).

Let me reiterate it again. The AnitoKid is not against the use of biofuels, e.g., biodiesel. Their use may be beneficial for fuel supplies, but promoting their usage to unsustainable levels under current technology and economic state will bring a lot of problems, issues and concerns. And by the end of 2010, I believe that we will be seeing a much lower percentage of biodiesel projects breaking through.

All in all, the slowdown in Malaysia is a very good lesson for the Philippines and other nations engaged in the biodiesel rush. In the meantime, why don't we push for the implementation of best practices in energy conservation from leading global firms? Waste not, want not. And I kid you not!

These are my thoughts. What are your views?

Sake power for your car!

Here's another take on the food vs. fuel debate.

Drivers in Japan could soon be filling their automobiles' tanks with a fuel version of the fermented rice wine locally known as Sake. A government-funded pilot project will produce rice-based ethanol for cars, rather than human consumption. The initiative will be carried out in Shinanomachi, with the help of local farmers, who will donate rice hulls and other farm wastes, which will be converted to ethanol. The project will evaluate the biofuel on a "flex-fuel" vehicle, which can run on any mixture of gasoline and green fuels.


Japan, which is completely dependent on crude oil imports, is the second-largest consumer of gasoline in the world, behind the United States. The country has been hit hard by the recent increase in crude prices and is looking into locally producing biofuels to decrease costs and meet the stringent carbon emissions reductions set forth in the Kyoto Protocol.


However, producing rice-based ethanol that has a price tag similar with that of gasoline in Japan poses a big concern. After all, it takes 17 lb of rice just to produce 1 gal of ethanol - tsk.

Some analysts believe that Japan is at a major disadvantage for a number of reasons, i.e.,

• lack of support from the country's powerful oil distributors;
• failure by the government to provide policy incentives, e.g., mandatory usage;
• and high prices for local farm produce translate to exorbitantly expensive locally-made green fuels.

And I kid you not when I say that the analysts are right on the money.
What do you think, thinker?

The ethanol-from-corn and food vs. fuel debate: Ethanol has its problems

Is the energy obtained from ethanol from corn less than the energy required for its production? Do people care enough about the irrefutable negative environmental consequences?

With regards to the first question, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) would have us presume and accept that seeking a way to produce ethanol with a sufficient net positive energy as a replacement for gasoline is a futile academic undertaking with little or no value for public policy debate. However, this premise defeats the goal of "think outside the box" academic exercises carried out by academicians and researchers searching for answers. And a number of ramifications surround the second concern, e.g., sustainability. Is the technology sustainable? What other factors do we need to consider here? Soil erosion? Soil depletion? Where do we go from here then?

Ethanol has been heavily touted as a magical elixir to solve every conceivable economic, environmental, and foreign policy question. A vocal proponent of this is none other than President George W. Bush. However, the most powerful man in the world has failed to realize the facts on the other side of the ethanol-from-fuel/food-for-fuel debate. Either that or he is a nonsensical person who continuously ignores such important issues and concerns.

These are the facts. Ethanol is exuberantly expensive and wasteful, has no commercial merit with regards to the topic at hand, and difficult to transport. Yet, it enjoys horrific taxpayer subsidies in the United States, even by Washington standards! But why do you suppose that the majority of stations in the US sell 10% ethanol/gasoline blend; and only 1,100 out of the 170,000 filling stations sell it in more pure form (85%-E85) ethanol. Could it be that ethanol is potentially damaging to automotive engines? Go figure.

Indeed, it is most unfortunate that food items are being converted to liquid fuel. What is clear though is this: Corn-based feedstock is the catalyst of the biofuels market, not its holy grail. And I kid you not!

Nonfossil fuels thrive on word tricks of persuasion

While ethanol claims an increasing share of the Philippine fuel market, a once-common name for gasoline alcohol blends still remains unpopular and in relative disuse. Gasohol. It is the name given to gasoline/ethanol blends.

In the US, ethanol makers dislike the term because they experienced difficulties selling products associated with the noun. Motorists have associated the noun with engine-performance problems that many of them had experienced with such blends. And despite ethanol's new popularity as an automotive fuel additive, the term gasohol is colloquial at best. Of course, consumer attitudes about gasohol have reversed due to improvements in fuel chemistry and most importantly, the management of public opinion. Currently, ethanol in fuel is marketed as such offering supply and environmental advantages worthy of public support and, for Miguel Zubiri (candidate for a seat in the Philippine Senate), as a political battle cry. They believe, sincerely or not, that ethanol represents an energy panacea that costs next to nothing, despite clear proof to the contrary.

And a triumph of persuasion it was when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed the Biofuels Act of 2006 into law, i.e., the blending of biofuels shall be mandated in all fossil fuels for use in motor vehicles. Linguistic tricks persisted and continue to persist, which are an essential to the shaping of attitudes. Accordingly, "The Biofuels Act is expected to not only promote cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels but also spur growth of agro-industrial industries especially for crop feedstocks, e.g., sugarcane and coconut." However, despite hailing and promoting the new legislation as an economic breakthrough, the government has yet to explain how it will implement and police the change. Tsk.

Gasohol and biofuels - both are nouns. The later is the category, while the former is a subdivision of the more accepted noun. One just sounds better than the other because of linguistic tricks and management of public opinion. Indeed, words are astonishingly powerful! Words are our primary source of communication. They trigger our emotions and define our buying decisions, whether we like it our not. So, the next time you come across ads on Caltex's New Generation Diesel, Shell 's E10, and Petron's Diesel Max, etc., think. And think again! They are excellent examples of linguistic tricks influencing public opinion. And I kid you not!

A bright idea puts Australia in a new light

Per capita, Australians are among the world's biggest producers of greenhouse gas (GHG). In light of this, Australia will phase out incandescent light bulbs within 3 years to curb such emissions, making it the first country in the world to do so. By 2009, incandescent bulbs, which lose much of their energy as heat, will be replaced by more efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. Hopefully, the ban will ultimately help cut 800,000 tons (by 2012) from the country's current GHG emission and lower household lighting costs by a whopping 66%. Wow! Definitely, a bright idea Australia!

And in California, a bill has been introduced by State Assembly Member Lloyd Levine that would ban the sale of conventional light bulbs by 2012.

The future looks bright! Indeed! And I kid you not!