(January 30, 2012) Washington – Advanced Ethanol Council (AEC) Executive Director Brooke Coleman issued the following statement in response to the Cellulosic Ethanol briefing co-hosted today by Senator Coons (D-DE), Senator Inhofe (R-OK) and the American Chemical Society:

“Senator Coons’ statement was spot on. The industry is making real progress, with a number of commercial projects under construction across the country. As is the case for all forms of energy production, policy certainty is key. And much is at stake, including energy security, economic development and a vast set of environmental considerations,” said Coleman.

Coleman added, “these plants produce the most innovative and cleanest liquid fuel in the world, and the development of this industry will open a global marketplace to new product streams that could put America at the forefront of a worldwide competition to commercialize next generation liquid transportation fuels and sustainable chemicals.”

With regard to the panelists, the AEC made specific reference to the presentations delivered by Douglas Karlen of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Virginia Dale of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “Dr. Karlen and Dr. Dale are two of the foremost experts in the field of bioenergy, and should be commended for highlighting that advanced biofuel development is not just an energy security issue, but also provides a tremendous opportunity to further spur rural economic development, increase the quality of soil and water, reduce carbon emissions, and help the United States compete in the global race to produce next generation fuels, electricity and chemicals.”

Coleman expressed some skepticism about the overly pessimistic view of advanced and cellulosic ethanol production expressed by University of Purdue Professor Wally Tyner.  Coleman noted that trying to fit the progress of advanced and cellulosic ethanol technology into the known evolution of the grain-based ethanol industry over 30 years is “like trying to put a square peg in a round hole.”  Coleman pointed out that the vast majority of capacity growth in the ethanol industry occurred in the last decade when economic conditions, technological evolutions, and consistent public policies helped encourage the industry’s growth.

Such conditions are critical to the advanced ethanol industry as well.  “Dr. Tyner and the other panelists are right to point out that it is very difficult to make large-scale investments in new technology when clean energy tax incentives are being allowed to expire, when cornerstone policies like the RFS are under attack, and when there is so much spin in the national and international discussion about energy. U.S. policymakers need to paint the lines on the field and stick to them; otherwise we are going to lose even more investment capital to China, India and Brazil.”