The Des Moines Register columnist Philip Brasher recently wrote that the corncob could be losing its special place in the nation’s energy future. The 2007 energy bill required that refiners start using biofuels made from cobs, wheat straw, grasses and other sources of plant cellulose by 2010, with the mandate growing annually to reach 16 billion gallons by 2022. But now there is an effort in Congress to expand that mandate to include fuels made from algae and microorganisms. A climate bill the Senate is considering would replace the requirement for use of cellulosic biofuels with a broader mandate for “advanced green biofuels.”

The change could encourage investors to put more money into developing algae fuels “Algae fuels are going to get more investment regardless, as they’re already doing quite well in that regard,” said Kenneth Green, who follows energy policy for the American Enterprise Institute. “But certainly, if algae fuels are part of a mandate, you have even more certainty regarding your potential investment.” 

These are further signs that the algae industry is making headway in an area where its ethanol rivals have had a long head start (i.e., clout with Congress).