Farming for Fuel: The Political Economy of Energy Sources in the United States

(Hardback)

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As domestic and worldwide petroleum reserves dwindle, America's energy situation continues to worsen. Farming for Fuel offers a major investigation into producing methanol from biomass to replace reliance on petroleum fuels. Dovring's treatment of the topic is thorough and well-reasoned. He suggests that current problems facing the U.S.--vulnerable oil imports, farm surplus production, soil erosion, and air polution--could be eradicated by methanol production on a large scale. The proposed solution, if adopted, would also bring about profound changes in the national economy, including more decentralized industrial location. Dovring's conclusions are revolutionary, challenging general agreement on methanol use, future energy supplies, and energy policy. His innovative work will supply policy-makers and academics with a unified perspective on energy problems and an up-to-date summary of recent data.

Reviews

Large-scale production of methanol from biomass could replace petroleum imports, reduce surplus farm production by utilizing large acreages for a valuable crop, thereby reducing farmland erosion by removing erosion-vulnerable land from pasturage; reduce air pollution, since a volume unit of methanol's heat value is half that of gasoline, but its propulsion value is 60 percent; and reduce the greenhouse effect and global warming because methanol adds no atmospheric carbon or waste heat. A directed governmental energy policy, currently almost nonexistent, is urgently needed to guide industry planning.-Energy Books Quarterly
"Large-scale production of methanol from biomass could replace petroleum imports, reduce surplus farm production by utilizing large acreages for a valuable crop, thereby reducing farmland erosion by removing erosion-vulnerable land from pasturage; reduce air pollution, since a volume unit of methanol's heat value is half that of gasoline, but its propulsion value is 60 percent; and reduce the greenhouse effect and global warming because methanol adds no atmospheric carbon or waste heat. A directed governmental energy policy, currently almost nonexistent, is urgently needed to guide industry planning."-Energy Books Quarterly

Author Bio

FOLKE DOVRING was a professor at the University of Illinois College of Agriculture, teaching land economics and economic development.