Redman douses hopes for biofuels mandate in WA

Western Australia’s Agriculture Minister Terry Redman says he is “loath” to back mandates for biofuels, suggesting that he is likely to reject such a recommendation from a report designed to chart a future biofuels industry for the state. “Given what I have seen in the U.S., and particularly the investment from government to make that happen, I am loath to look at a similar thing over here, where government has not got an exit strategy.” Redman’s statement follows a recent trip to North America where he found that unless there was significant support from government, there would not be an ethanol industry. (August 27, 2009)