GOP rep speaks on biofuel

U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., discussed with UT College Republicans Tuesday night what he called an exciting frontier for the university, the region and the country: alternative sources of energy.

“We are finally making the first real steps towards energy independence that our country has seen in 40 years, and it’s a bridge to get us to the technologies of the future on transportation. And the bridge is alternative fuel,” Wamp said.

Wamp’s visit to campus preceded a public discussion on the future of switchgrass on Wednesday. Switchgrass is a warm-season perennial that only has to be reseeded every 10 years and has been considered a candidate for biofuel and ethanol production.

Representatives from the Tennessee Farm Bureau, the UT College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as well as fellow U.S. Reps. David Davis, R-Tenn., and Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., spoke to hundreds of growers who could have a stake in the production of switchgrass. UT currently owns 40 acres of 9-foot-tall switchgrass in Milan, Tenn. that is projected to grow to about 13 feet.

Wamp said many tobacco growers in East Tennessee have found their business in decline in recent years and should consider making the change to switchgrass, because of its ability to grow in poor soil and weather conditions.

The new biofuel initiative has great potential in “solving the world’s energy problem,” Wamp said.

“You’re going to see, very soon in your world, the option at the pump for E85 (an alcohol-fuel mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline), so that we have a competitive alternative to gasoline,” Wamp said Tuesday.

Wamp advocates alternative fuels, specifically the power of switchgrass, to become the “biomass feedstock for ethanol production.”

Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded UT-Battelle and ORNL $125 million to build and manage a bioenergy research center that will search for ways to produce alternatives to gasoline.

Wamp also said the new endeavor is an economic asset. It costs approximately $150 to convert a car from gasoline to ethanol friendly, Wamp said.

“I believe this will be a good business, a good business for East Tennessee,” Wamp said. “I look at it as an economic opportunity for us because if we use the American entrepreneurial spirit and innovation to create the technology of the world to reduce the ... ‘carbon footprint.’ It can be great for (the U.S.). It is an export-manufacturing opportunity.”

Wamp stressed the importance of creating new biofuel technology so “the world sees (the U.S.) leading on this issue and not retreating.”

Wamp also advocated nuclear power sources, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority, and recycling nuclear waste for better efficiency.

After Wamp’s speech, he opened the floor to questions, which addressed issues like illegal immigration. Wamp said if current immigration laws were enforced, a “Great Wall of China” across the U.S.-Mexico border would not be necessary. He also discussed the fair tax issues, which would eliminate the income tax.

“I was very excited to hear about his plans for the future, especially when it came to using switchgrass as a feedstock for fuel here in the state of Tennessee,” Robert Conley said, a freshman in marketing interest. “It was an eye-opener in many ways. I left the meeting more knowledgeable about certain issues that currently face our country.”

In response to a question about his political future, Wamp said he has considered the possibility of running for governor.