Task force says U.S. should spend more money to make biofuels

WASHINGTON - A presidential task force has recommended spending more money to make biofuels such as ethanol, saying the nation is likely to fall short of mandates for more environmentally friendly energy.

An energy task force presented President Obama with a report outlining how the nation's production of fuel from plants or animals was unlikely to meet the goal Congress targeted.

The current production of 12 billion gallons annually is hardly the 36 billion lawmakers ordered by 2022.

The group recommended more aid for the biofuel industry with a combination of federal dollars and private-sector investments.

"We cannot afford to spin our wheels while the rest of the world speeds forward," Obama said. He also announced a new task force to study coal's role in the nation's energy needs.

Obama remains committed to meeting Congress' goal - which also includes a benchmark of 100 million gallons of biofuel from wood chips or sugarcane this year - but recognizes it is unlikely without significant new measures, an administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the president's thinking ahead of a meeting with governors and his advisers.

The biofuel task force - led by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson - recommended the government make certain that fuels produced with U.S. backing be compatible with the current fleet of cars on the road and that agencies recognize their limits. Otherwise, the efforts would waste time, research, and tax dollars, the task force said.

Yesterday's meeting was a first step in Obama's push to use the U.S. energy industry as a source for creating much-needed jobs.

Obama mentioned the recommendations at a meeting with governors from coal-producing states, hoping to earn their support for a languishing energy bill and to bolster his image as a leader willing to work with Republicans as well as Democrats.

"There's no reason we can't work on a bipartisan way to get this done," Obama told governors in the White House State Dining Room.