Nearly all the biofuel produced nationally now is corn-based ethanol. But experts foresee a new generation of biofuels developing from raising switchgrass (pictured above, growing in a test plot on the Eastern Shore) or fast-growing trees like willows and poplar, from landfill refuse and even from algae. While such biofuels could be a boon for farmers in the region and a jobs generator, the report says, they also could be a "cost-effective" way to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution of the Bay and its rivers - "if done right."

If blended into current agricultural and forest practices, they can reduce erosion and act as a nutrient "sink," soaking up more of the nitrogen and phosphorus that otherwise would wind up in the water, feeding algae blooms.  There are an estimated 8 million acres of idle or underutilized croplands in the region, making it possible to produce biofuels without disrupting current agricultural and timber industries.

The report, the third by the groups looking at biofuels potential around the bay, calls for adoption of the 500 million gallons a year as a regional goal, with states setting their own goals as well.

Other recommendations include encouraging farmers to plant more winter crops for biofuels production and developing guidelines for the harvest of crop and woody waste for use in biofuels. And finally, it recommends taking precautions to ensure that the push to biofuels doesn't result in the introduction of any new invasive species that could wreak ecological havoc.

Next-generation biofuels like switchgrass aren't competitive yet because their production costs are higher than oil. But experts foresee that changing as the economy recovers and federal renewable fuel standards stimulate more biofuels production.

Getting biofuels off the ground "will require states to step up to the plate and entice industries that will take those feedstocks and turn them into energy," said Ann Swanson, director of the bay commission.

(2006 Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox)