Boca Raton News
Published Wednesday, September 13, 2006

By John JohnstonMany think Rep. Adam Hasner (R-Delray Beach) is a sweet guy. And many more thought so in Orlando recently when he spoke before a Farm to Fuel summit, organized by the Florida Department of Agriculture. Well-known, and be-coming more well-known statewide as an alternative energy advocate, Hasner told those at the summit:
“Florida must provide the right business climate and economic conditions in order to transform our economy from its dependence on oil to one based on derived sugars.” But ethanol is not Hasner’s only interest. In fact, he left the meeting in Orlando and traveled that same day east to Cocoa where he visited with officials at the Florida Solar Energy Center

Before Cool

 

Hasner is proud of the fact that he’s been interested in and promoting alternative energy “before it was cool.” He pointed to the 2006 Florida Energy Act - a bill for which he was the prime House sponsor. That bill contained numerous consumer and corporate incentives for alternative energy technologies such as solar and hydrogen fuel cells, said Hasner, adding:
“The legislation helps to promote the production and distribution of renewable energy from Florida grown crops, agricultural wastes and residues, and other biomass that will help to expand agribusiness in Florida.” But that’s not enough, said Hasner. That was merely “a good start.”
“I believe that we are only scratching the surface,” he said. “I think the critical question that we need to answer as a state is, and going forward, what is the proper role for government in working toward the goal of more energy alternatives?” The effort must begin, with a reduction in “our state and our nation’s dependence on foreign oil,” said Hasner. ” And in order to do this, as a matter of public policy we need to further encourage the development of innovative solutions to free us from this addiction.”

“National Security”

 

Government is responding to that challenge, Hasner said, “because its becoming universally recognized as an issue of national security as well as an issue of economic security.” He pointed specifically to a $1.2 billion plan in Illinois to replace 50 percent of the state’s energy supply with bio-fuels by 2017. In Illinois, this will mean creating incentives “for 20 new ethanol plants, four new cellulosic ethanol plants, and adapting their infrastructure to add 900 new e85 fuel pumps,” said Hasner.

“And in Georgia,” he continued, “they too have recognized the importance of agriculture being a part of a their future energy strategy and are promoting peaches for energy.”
“This is quickly becoming a competitive environment and Florida needs not just to be in the game, but Florida needs to be a leader.” At the same time, he cautioned that “it’s also important to recognize that ethanol and the farm to fuel movement is not a silver bullet - rather that it has the potential to be a major part of our future energy strategies.” He pointed out the irony “that in the early 1900’s it was said that reclaiming the everglades would relieve our nation’s addiction to foreign sugar - a major domestic security issue at the time.”
“Well, 100 years later,” he continued, “Florida’s agricultural industry has the potential to relieve our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.”
“We have come a long way,” he said. And for the ethanol critics, Hasner said: “Many people will point out that ethanol doesn’t deliver - that it’s not energy efficient and that it’s not cost effective.”
“And there are also questions about the impact that such farm to fuel strategies will have on food supplies and land conservation — but i believe that those are short sighted concerns.” Hasner said that technology would resolve those concerns. “Our energy future will be led by the development and commercialization of new and innovative technologies.
Technologies that will help us get more for less, and more from less.”

Local Firm

Hasner also pointed out that right here in Palm Beach County are firms working on alternative energy issues, i.e., Dyadic International, based in Jupiter, has teamed up with Scripps Florida to explore the energy producing potential of a Russian fungus. The company hopes to use its patented C1 fungus to develop molecularly altered enzymes for use in bio-fuel production and to create drugs, Hasner said. Hasner said he continues to believe that not only will Florida continue to be a “major part of America’s breadbasket, “we will become an integral part of America’s gas tank.”

“We not only have to walk the walk, he said, “we have to drive the drive.”

John Johnston can be reached at 561-549-0833, or at jjohnston@bocanews.com