Other environmental groups have hailed these efforts, although Friends of the Earth said that any carbon savings from crop-based fuels would be negligible and that efforts should instead be made to reduce air travel. The group has said that the carbon savings will be erased by growth in the aviation industry.

In Burlingame, David Cush, the president and chief executive officer of Virgin America, the only airline based in California, said he would welcome a world in which airlines could make maximum use of biofuels. But he said economic circumstances must be in place before floors for energy prices will work.

Cush said jet biofuel can be refined at $3 per gallon, which looked good in July when jet fuel was $4.50 per gallon. It doesn't look so good in December, he said, when the industry is paying $1.40.

"Unfortunately, for biofuel-makers, those economic circumstances that existed several months ago have now gone away," Cush said.
 

I just hope the guvmint stays away from the research and (assuming it works) commercial fielding of this stuff long enough for the markets to maximize efficiency in producing, refining and distributing it.