Will any North American ethanol plant try using hemp as a source before July '09?

increasing debate about the viability of the effort. As the population of the Earth grows and demand for energy increases, more effort is put into the research of alternative fuels -- and more fuel is added to a broader debate. The National

could be powered with foreign fuel. 'It's amazing that amid all the progress we have made toward energy independence, the IRL decides to set us back,' said AFF Communications Director Tim Albrecht. 'It's mind-boggling as to why the league would take this

Eric Schmidt tells the story of how he made the business decision to invest to efficiency and renewable energy at . is a senior writer for CNET's blog. He started at CNET in 2002, covering IT and Web development. Before that, he was executive editor at

on eating nutritious food and investing in their child's schooling,' a World Bank report said in October. Energy policies played a role. The European Union last year mandated a 10 percent biofuel mix in transport fuels by 2020, and the U.S. set a

collaborator NAT. In the last two years, we developed the organic enzyme bath process called CRAILAR that transforms hemp into fiber using conventional cotton equipment with no modifications. We are very excited the project is now moving to the