Dutch consider tough biofuels criteria - AP

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Dutch consider tough biofuels criteria

By ARTHUR MAX, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 10 minutes ago

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - It's the new climate change dilemma:
finding alternatives for oil and gas without doing more harm
than good.

In the rush to develop biofuels, forests are burned in Asia to clear
land for palm oil, and swaths of the Amazon are stripped of diverse
vegetation for soya and sugar plantations for ethanol.

On Friday, a Dutch committee will unveil stringent criteria for
growing biofuels in ways that don't damage the environment or
release more greenhouse gases than they save.

-snip-

Among the criteria in a draft obtained by The Associated Press:
Production of biomass cannot contribute to deforestation, deplete
reservoirs of carbon captured in the earth, compete with food
crops, degrade soil or water supplies, upset biodiversity, or
displace local populations,

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070426/ap_on_sc/good_biofuels_vs_bad

[GliderGuider]

1. Yes! This is exactly what needs to happen.

Serious policy moves like this are essential. Without them there is no way to assure that unconstrained biofuel development doesn't cause the kinds of problems we've been seeing evince of recently. I hope the EU picks up on this, and uses their influence to pressure the USA into joining the effort. We need a broad international commitment to ensure that biofuels become truly sustainable.

Those sensible Dutch. Again.