October 15, 2008

Texas loses “food vs. fuel” biofuel feud

Angela Neville, JD

How often do you get a clash between two great Lone Star icons? Recently, Willie Nelson, the patron saint of Texas country music, and the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA), the voice of Texas ranchers, have been wrangling over the future of biofuels in Texas.

Willie backs the use of biofuels and helped to start the company that produces the alternative fuel named “BioWillie,” which is sold mainly in Texas. According to the company’s web site, this is a blended fuel comprising petroleum diesel and biodiesel, which is an “organic fuel made from domestic feedstock including soybeans grown by U.S. family farmers.”

In contrast, TSCRA is on the record as being against the federal Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) that mandate the use of biofuels in gasoline throughout the U.S. The current standards require that 9 billion gallons of biofuels, such as ethanol made from corn, be introduced into the U.S. fuel supply this year, and 11.1 billion gallons in 2009.

According to TSCRA President Jon Means, “The RFS contribute to high grain costs, which are severely impacting our industry in a negative way.” Means further emphasizes that the federal government is “putting food and fuel in competition with one another, which is a dangerous gamble.” (In the interest of full disclosure, my family’s cattle business in Henrietta, Texas, has been a TSCRA member for decades. However, we’ve also been long-time fans of Willie’s music.)

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