Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2006 09:57:57 -0500
From: "Robert Fireovid"
<Robert.Fireovid@NPS.ARS.USDA.GOV>
To: <
Cc: "Don Erbach"
<Don.Erbach@NPS.ARS.USDA.GOV>,
"Ghassem
Asrar" <Ghassem.Asrar@NPS.ARS.USDA.GOV>,
"Joseph
Spence" <Joseph.Spence@NPS.ARS.USDA.GOV>
Subject: GEM Flexible Fuel VehiclesPaul,
Great to talk with you yesterday.
The new leadership at the USDA is
increasingly interested in
biofuels. And many of us at the program level
appreciate the advantages that
thermochemical conversion of biomass (to
products like FT-diesel, methanol,
DME, ethanol, mixed alcohols) offers.
However, the inflexibility of current vehicular engines
w.r.t. fuels is
a serious impediment to these
technologies and R&D program managers in
the USDA cannot address this
barrier directly - it's outside our
mission.
In any case, I am very interested in learning more about the
outlook
for GEM vehicles.
- Bob
Robert Fireovid, National Program Leader
Agricultural Research Service
Beltsville,
MD20705-5138
(o:) 301-504-4774
(c:) 240-308-9266
(fax:) 301-504-5467