ArborGen’s GM eucalyptus tree, intended for use as a biofuel feedstock, has been held back from commercialization by legal action from critics.
The tree produced by the company would ideally be used for producing cellulosic bioethanol; its development comes as part of efforts to move away from food crops being used for biofuel production. The genetically modified eucalyptus tree has been engineered to grow more comfortably in colder climates than it usually does.
While ArborGen were seeking approval for the new tree however, the Sierra Club and other critics took legal action to force the USDA do more thorough environmental impact assessments.. They are concerned about it becoming a “super-weed,” proliferating across forests, consuming too much water.
There are regulations in place to prevent GM organisms from becoming “super-weeds” or “super-pests” in the wild. However, critics think these requirements don’t go far enough, while many proponents think that the requirements are too high and are stifling the development of important new technology, and that the government is hindering its own goals for 21 billion gallons of non-food derived ethanol a year by 2022. As it stands, getting regulatory approval for just field testing a new GM crop (let alone commercializing it) is difficult.
The tree produced by the company would ideally be used for producing cellulosic bioethanol; its development comes as part of efforts to move away from food crops being used for biofuel production. The genetically modified eucalyptus tree has been engineered to grow more comfortably in colder climates than it usually does.
While ArborGen were seeking approval for the new tree however, the Sierra Club and other critics took legal action to force the USDA do more thorough environmental impact assessments.. They are concerned about it becoming a “super-weed,” proliferating across forests, consuming too much water.
There are regulations in place to prevent GM organisms from becoming “super-weeds” or “super-pests” in the wild. However, critics think these requirements don’t go far enough, while many proponents think that the requirements are too high and are stifling the development of important new technology, and that the government is hindering its own goals for 21 billion gallons of non-food derived ethanol a year by 2022. As it stands, getting regulatory approval for just field testing a new GM crop (let alone commercializing it) is difficult.
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