That Kuhl trip
Rob Price

A year or so ago, I ran into Congressman Randy Kuhl at a checkpassing photo op and told him about a new technology for ethanol production I had been reading about (I am a geek at heart).

The technology uses grass to produce ethanol, which in turn can be used as an automotive fuel. Since this ethanol is a distillation of the sugar extracted from the cellulose contained in the grass, biologists and chemists use the adjective "cellulosic" to describe it.

"Cellulosic" was a new word in my vocabulary. Whi le talking to Congressman Kuhl, I had to pronounce it very carefully. I may even have mispronounced it.

"That sounds like a mouthful," Congressman Kuhl remarked.

I was disappointed - mostly in myself. Had I been able to discuss the merits of cellulosic alcohol more fluently, I might have impressed the congressman a bit more. I may even have gotten him interested in an ethanol production process that might benefit his own congressional district.

But great minds think alike. This week, I received an editorial communication from Congressman Kuhl (It appears on this page), discussing his recent trip to Brazil. Mr. Kuhl has been criticized for making this trip, with political opponents accusing him of spending taxpayers' money basically on a junket.

Not so, Mr. Kuhl responds. In fact, he was on the trail of cellulosic ethanol!

Why Brazil? Because, Mr. Kuhl explains, that country has succeeded in creating a major alternative fuel through the distillation of sugar derived from sugar cane, a plentiful product in South America. Sugar cane-based ethanol is many times more efficient than cornbased ethanol - the ethanol produced in the United States - because it needs much less fuel to produce the same amount of product.

Don't expect the United States to embrace sugar cane-based ethanol production systems anytime soon, because the U.S. Congress is too busy throwing billions of dollars into the laps of Iowa corn farmers. All the same, Congressman Kuhl's editorial explicitly endorses developing rural crops "such as switch grass and other cellulosic feed stocks" as a source of ethanol production. Switchgrass, which is easy to grow and rich in cellulose, could become a major cash crop in the congressman's district, Mr. Kuhl adds. It certainly could.

Switchgrass is a perennial grass that grows easily, needs few artificial fertilizers and has a deep root system that helps preserve topsoil. Its cellulose is a complex carbohydrate that, if you remember your high school biology classes, converts to sugar. And once you have sugar, you have the stuff of ethanol.

Until recent years, the technology needed to break cellulose down into sugar had been untested, but technological advances have developed quickly in the bio-fuel market. Already, one company has opened a facility in Middletown, NY, that can convert municipal garbage into bio-fuel. A Canadian company also has entered into contracts with western farmers to grow switchgrass for a cellulosic ethanol production facility.

Congressman Kuhl must be alert to the upshot of all this: Not only would switchgrass make a great cash crop for the Southern Tier, the region would be a great location for a cellulosic ethanol manufacturing plant. We have the land for the crops; we have the highways and the railroad for distribution. What we need are a few industrious economic development experts to go out a find a company interested in building such a plant along Interstate 86.

So, if Congressman Kuhl wants to take trips to Brazil to study alternative sources of ethanol, I say: Keep traveling! And if the congressman wants to continue his travels specifically in search of cellulosic ethanol, I suggest he look northeast, to the city of Ottawa, in Canada, where a company named Iogen has been working to make cellulosic ethanol production a reality.

Early in 2007, the US Department of Energy chose to partner with Iogen in the construction of an ethonol production plant - located, unfortunately, in Idaho. That sort of track record could change, however, especially when the details of cellulosic ethanol catch the notice of a U.S. congressman. Congressman Kuhl could play a crucial role in drawing the attention of a company like Iogen to the Southern Tier, where I personally would grow switchgrass in my own backyard if anyone asked me to.

Congressman Kuhl, I'm sorry I had difficulty pronouncing the word "cellulosic" when we met for that photo op months and months ago, but you seem to be doing fine.

Now, we all need to get some practice in saying the important word: Cell! You! Loss! Ick! Repeat 100 times.