In recent months there has been much talk about the potential role of ethanol in lessening the United States' dependency on foreign oil and reducing carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions.

By 2008-09, the United States will have the capacity to produce 7 billion gallons of ethanol annually, primarily from corn. However, the current federal initiative is to reach 30 percent of the United State's petroleum consumption – or 60 billion gallons of ethanol – by 2030. This production target cannot be satisfied by corn alone and will require a contribution from a larger portion of agricultural producers.

For regions outside the Midwest to contribute to the nation's ethanol production capacity, production of cellulosic energy crops is a necessity. Cellulosic energy crops include a wide range of plants, such as switchgrass, sorghum, sugar cane and poplar trees.

The Noble Foundation is focused on improving switchgrass for use in ethanol production in Oklahoma and throughout the United States. Switchgrass has many important qualities: It does not compete with human food and animal feed markets; it grows on marginal croplands requiring less fertilizer and water than traditional food crops; it is a perennial; and it can serve a dual purpose as a livestock forage and an ethanol feedstock.

Most importantly, cellulosic crops, such as switchgrass, are estimated to provide a significantly higher net energy balance than corn. That is, corn-based ethanol yields 34 percent more energy than used to grow the corn and convert it into ethanol. Cellulosic crops, on the other hand, net more than five times this amount.

Switchgrass is the beginning of Oklahoma's biofuel revolution.

An important and strategic moment in the development of Oklahoma's biofuel industry will occur Tuesday and Wednesday when Gov. Brad Henry hosts "Grow: The Oklahoma Governor's Conference on Biofuels" at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

This forum will offer industry leaders, agricultural producers, policy-makers and the general public an opportunity to learn about the present status and potential of Oklahoma's biofuels industry. Topics will include Oklahoma's emerging biorefining sector, the state and federal governments' commitment to cultivating this industry, and potential income opportunities. Speakers will include representatives from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy, the Noble Foundation, Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma, General Motors and energy companies, including ConocoPhillips.

James Woolsey, former director of the CIA, will be a keynote speaker. Woolsey will address the relationship between national security and the development of alternative transportation fuels. For additional information, visit www.GrowOK.com or call 800-203-5494.

Oklahoma – with its distinguished heritage as an agriculture and energy producer, and its existing natural resources – should lead the biofuel revolution. Once again, Oklahoma could serve as the cradle of energy production for the United States and create new opportunities for our agricultural producers. If we are proactive and steadfast in our efforts, this objective will become reality.

It's time for Oklahoma to act. And it all begins this week at the Grow conference.

Cawley is president and CEO of the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Inc.

This article appeared in the Daily Oklahoman, www.newsok.com, on October 1, 2006.