Today in Biofuels Opinion: “Steven Chu, Obama’s pick for the head of the Department of Energy, is a steadfast supporter of next-generation biofuels.”

From the Jakarta Post: “We attended the 2009 Indonesian Palm Oil Conference and Price Outlook in Nusa Dua, Bali, last week…what a difference a year can make….In a space of 6-7 months, the CPO price plunged 67 percent from its peak, in line with the drop in oil price, to around the $400/MT level at present…how challenging the situation is for Indonesian CPO exporters in fulfilling the requirements set by the European Union. It has been an issue for many years that oil-palm plantation companies are believed to be contributors to deforestation in Indonesia by commonly burning or cutting down trees in protected forests.”

From Reuters: “Steven Chu, Obama’s pick for the head of the Department of Energy, is a steadfast supporter of next-generation biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol, expected to be made from the tough woody bits of crops like grasses and fast growing trees as well as plant and timber waste.
A 2007 report co-chaired by Chu, and commissioned by the governments of China and Brazil, called for “intensive research” into production of cellulosic, which relies on technology like isolating microbes, or using large amounts of heat and steam, to break down the tough bits into fuel.”

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