Energy Crops: Good or Bad? Tad W. Patzek and Bruce E. Dale

Steep increases in oil prices have focused attention on the domestic production of energy through biomass crops grown on farms. These two researchers will provide different perspectives on the subject. Tad W. Patzek is professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California-Berkeley. He is the author of two recent papers examining the thermodynamics of corn ethanol production and the sustainability of corn ethanol and soy biodiesel production, and is an ethanol critic. Bruce E. Dale is professor of chemical engineering at Michigan State University. He is involved in research that seeks to increase the efficiency corn ethanol production.