January 24, 2006
AMES, Iowa — This week, Iowa State University faculty will lead a session at a national conference on energy for a sustainable and secure future.
More than 800 scientists and decision-makers are expected to participate in the Sixth National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment to be held Jan. 26-27 in Washington, D.C. The conference is organized by the National Council for Science and the Environment, a nonprofit organization working to improve the scientific basis for environmental decisionmaking. Iowa State University is one of nearly 500 council members from academic, scientific, environmental, government and business organizations.
Rick Cruse, Iowa State professor of agronomy, is co-chairing the agriculture and bioenergy session with Robin Graham, a group leader in environmental sciences at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
"Our session will examine whether bioenergy can fulfill its potential for reducing dependence on foreign oil and providing a significant, sustainable component of our country's energy portfolio," said Cruse.
"We'll look at the complex ways in which production of transportation fuels from agriculture will impact consumers, rural communities, rural infrastructure and the nation's natural resources," said Cruse.
One presenter will be Paul Lasley, chair of Iowa State's Department of Sociology, who will speak on how the growing bioenergy industry may impact rural communities. Other presenters will discuss environmental implications of using plant biomass for energy production and the energy potential that exists in crop materials.
Each of the conference's breakout sessions will develop science-based recommendations to advance energy sustainability and security. The council will make the recommendations available to Congress, federal agencies and other decision-makers.
Cruse coordinates the Agricultural Systems Initiative, an ISU College of Agriculture research program studying how farming systems can maximize profitability and environmental quality, and particularly water quality. Initiative research is studying how watershed design impacts water quality; identifying watershed characteristics with the greatest influence on surface water quality; and examining areas of Iowa that may be well-suited for growing alternative crops.
"The Agricultural Systems Initiative works closely with ISU's Bioeconomy Initiative, which looks at ways to replace petroleum-based products with renewable products grown in Iowa," said Steve Fales, the associate director of ISU's Office of Biorenewable Programs and and a professor of agronomy. Fales also will participate in the Washington, D.C., conference.
More information on the National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment can be found at http://ncseonline.org/.