I am very excited to see this Grist series, because I am a biodiesel user. I am also very worried about the growth of the biofuels industry, because I am an environmental-justice advocate, and I see this industry rapidly leaving my community behind.
Photo: house.gov
The growth of the biofuels industry creates significant economic benefits and downsides, economic winners and losers. Today, my words are a request that we ask hard questions about those winners and losers, about who is poised to benefit from this nascent industry.
Let’s start with some recent history.
Did you ever see that PBS series, Revenge of the Nerds, about the genesis and rise of the computer industry? Passionate, brilliant visionaries plus strategic, timely public and private investments plus emerging marketplace added up to gobs of new companies, new jobs, and wealth creation.
But there was a part of the story called Xerox’s X-Park, where the company gathered a bunch of the best and the brightest computer folk, gave them access to whatever technology or equipment they wanted and... Read more