Bioenergy crops, such as Miscanthus and switchgrass, appear
to be promising resources for renewable energy, but these new crops did not
come with a manual on how to measure details on their sustainability
impacts. Jody Endres, University of
Illinois professor of energy and environmental law and chair of the Council on
Sustainable Biomass Production (CSBP) says standards are needed so farmers,
ethanol producers, and others in the biofuels industry will all be on the same
page here in the United States as well as in Europe and Brazil.
Endres believes that three conditions must be met before the
benefits of standards can be fully realized.