PHOENIX – Anticipating a day when Arizona becomes a leader in
producing algae for biofuel, a Tucson lawmaker is pushing to have
algae farms and related facilities defined – and taxed – like any
cornfield or packing plant.
Rep. Matt Heinz, a Democrat, has introduced two bills he said
will allow for the growth of algaculture, or algae farming.
“If we don’t, it could become cost-prohibitive to expand
alga-cultivation,” Heinz said.
HB 2225 would expand the definition of agricultural lands to
include algaculture research, development and commercial production
on state trust land.
HB 2226 would expand the definition of agricultural real
property for the purposes of taxation to incorporate algaculture.
That includes research, development and commercial production of
algae for biofuels or hydrogen.
The bills cover only the cultivation of algae, not the process
of extracting oil, Heinz said.
Algae farming doesn’t yet have a strong presence in Arizona,
though Arizona State University and University of Arizona
researchers are working to develop the science in their labs and in
partnerships with local companies.
Laws promoting algaculture would open up Arizona’s agricultural
landscape, create jobs and attract leading companies in the field,
said Milton Sommerfeld, a professor who serves as co-director of
ASU Polytechnic’s Laboratory of Algae Research and
Biotechnology.
“Algae is a crop,” Sommerfeld said. “You have the same types of
problems and challenges as you do with other crops. You’ve got to
have good seed material and good technology to be able to process
it. You have to have a place where you can grow it.”
Today’s research focuses on honing the energy potential of
algae.
U.S. interest in algae began during the late 1970s, when an oil
embargo forced the country to look for cheaper fuel sources. The
research ramped up again five years ago, when the cost of gas
spiked yet again.
With its abundant sun, flat farmland and mild climate, Arizona
is an ideal site for the burgeoning algae-farming industry, Heinz
said.
“We have this great gift of sun that doesn’t just help the solar
panels, but also allows for photosynthetic advantages,” said Heinz,
a hospital physician who first learned about algae farming at ASU
Polytechnic’s laboratory.
Rep. Russ
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