A panel of four state secretaries gathered to address the state environment agenda for Gov. Jim Doyle's second term Thursday night at the Wisconsin Historical Society.
""We thought this would be a good time to ask several members of the Doyle cabinet what the state of the environment is and what their plans are,"" said Tom Sinclair, the communications director of the Nelson Institute—the sponsor of the event.
Moderator Patty Loew, a local journalist and UW-Madison associate professor of life sciences, opened the meeting by asking the panel to describe how the departments plan to work together to address environmental concerns.
""We [all] spend a considerable amount of time and effort working with [environmental groups],"" replied Secretary of Natural Resources Scott Hassett.
Secretary of Administration Stephen Bablitch steered Loew's question toward how the Doyle administration has helped local governments plan their futures. Secretary of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Rob Nilsestuen mentioned a ""Comprehensive Planning Grant"" that gives away a total of $2 million distributed between several communities that submit superior ideas for future planning.
Addressing the prospect of Wisconsin being a leader in biofuels, Nilsestuen said the state must move ""far and fast"" regarding ethanol production.
However, Nilsestuen was quick to say corn-based ethanol is only ""the tip of the iceberg"" in the promising biofuel possibilities. He addressed promotion of manure-based fuel, stressing that the $51 billion dairy industry has plenty of manure to go around.
Other future fuels addressed by the panel included production of synthetic gas out of wood waste as well as switchgrass, an indigenous grass that Loew said grows to approximately 10 feet tall and has a 20 percent higher energy efficiency than corn.
Nilsestuen said the state's ""Energy Independence Program,"" designed to make Wisconsin a leader in the developing biofuel economy, helps to create an economic incentive to produce alternative biofuels.
Hassett added that ""more money needs to be put into research"" of biofuels.
