New York Governor Joins Governors’ Ethanol Coalition
30 September 2005
New York governor George E. Pataki is joining the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition, a bipartisan organization that is working to promote the development and use of ethanol-based fuels nationally and globally.
Governor Pataki is the first Northeast governor to join the coalition of 31—now 32—states, Puerto Rico and four foreign countries (Sweden, Canada, Mexico and Brazil).
New York State is a national leader in the use of renewable energy, and we’re committed to finding new ways to diversify our energy supplies and increase our use of ethanol and other renewable fuels.
I am particularly interested in developing cellulosic ethanol, an effort being led by research institutions at SUNY-ESF and Cornell.
—Gov. Pataki
In a speech to the meeting of the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition (GEC) earlier this week, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, the chairperson of the GEC, called on every state to take steps toward use of at least 10% ethanol in gasoline (an E10 blend) by 2010. (Earlier post.)
Within the next year, up to three ethanol plants are expected to begin production in New York State, including Northeast Biofuels in Fulton, Oswego County. The Northeast Biofuels plant would be the largest ethanol plant in the Northeast, with a capacity to produce 100 million gallons annually.
New York State’s vehicle fleet, which had only a few alternative-fueled vehicles in 1995, now includes more than 4,600 alternative-fueled vehicles. These vehicles use fuels such as ethanol, compressed natural gas (CNG), or propane. Governor Pataki has committed that by the end of the decade, every non-emergency vehicle purchased by the State (approximately 1,200 per year) will be an alternative-fueled vehicle.
I'm hoping that the apparent commitment of so many states will spur more public and private ethanol research, hopefully giving it another 10 or 20 percent efficiency and make it energy positive with certainty.
Even if it takes .9 gallons of gasoline to create a gallon of ethanol, we're still displacing gasoline imports. That's a good thing. In the long run, ethanol fermentation will only get better, and so I think this may work out well.
That being said, I'm not so sure I'd be thrilled if my state was chipping in heavy subsidies, with the exception of money into public research. Why not mooch on other states and the Fed?
Posted by: stomv | 01 October 2005 at 11:06 AM
Puerto Rico is not a foreign county.
http://welcome.topuertorico.org/government.shtml
> Puerto Rico is a self-governing commonwealth in
> association with the United States.
Posted by: Shelby Davis | 03 October 2005 at 07:27 AM
Leaving out emergency vehicles may take the majority of vehicles purchased with state funds out of the plan. This is more of a political 'feel good' statement than a serious commitment to stop using fossil fuels.
Posted by: tom | 03 October 2005 at 02:30 PM
Re: Puerto Rico. My apologies.
Posted by: Mike | 03 October 2005 at 05:34 PM