Going Green: Former CIA Director Touts Rendell Biofuel Proposal

PHILADELPHIA -- A former CIA director on Wednesday touted Gov. Ed Rendell's proposal to increase the production of biofuels in Pennsylvania as an effective way to reduce the nation's dependence on oil from the Middle East.

James Woolsey, now working as a consultant to the federal agriculture and energy departments, likened the role of oil in the current global economy to that of salt a century ago, before the advent of other meat-preservation methods eliminated the leverage of salt-producing nations.

"We need to do the same thing with oil," Woolsey, the intelligence agency's head under President Clinton from 1993 to 1995, said during a news conference with Rendell. "We need to destroy it as a strategic commodity."

As part of his "energy independence strategy," Rendell has proposed requiring that 1 billion gallons of biofuels be produced and consumed in the state by 2017. The governor estimated that each year Pennsylvanians spend about $30 billion on gas and fuels purchased overseas.

The idea is one of several to be debated in the Legislature during a special session on energy next week. Rendell also is pushing measures to encourage people to install solar panels and buy energy-efficient appliances.

Investments in biofuels, including plans for five new ethanol plants in Pennsylvania, will boost the state's economy, help the environment through reduced emissions and improve national security by reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil, Rendell said.

"We are going to find that the states that are taking the lead on this are going to be repaid," Woolsey said, citing similar efforts in Washington and Nebraska.