Go Switch Grass: State of Oklahoma Looks to Native Prairie Grass for Fuel Alternative

The State of Oklahoma has been working on alternative fuel sources for some time. Ethanol derived from corn has caught every-one's eye over the past decade, but there are some inherent costs in the slippery slope of corn based ethanol. Oklahoma State colleges' agriculture departments through grants and state funding has come up with an alternative to Ethanol. The prairie grasses that grow wild all around Oklahoma. Specifically, Switch grass which is a prairie grass that is used for hay. It grows in the drought stricken Western states and requires minimal water and care. It is a renewable plant source that grows fast and requires little in terms of maintenance.

Oklahoma which means "Red People" is a state with 70,000 square miles of land. It is a big gas producer and agriculture state. The state has significant open space with switch grass and other native grasses growing in abundance. The search for alternative fuel sources peaked the interest of Oklahoma's state agriculture department and in turn funded research at the Oklahoma State University. The switch grass research has been ongoing and the results promising. Currently, there is a 40 million dollar Oklahoma Bioenergy Center research and development initiative in place. The Governor of Oklahoma, Brad Henry elected in 2003 is committed to making Oklahoma's renewable and abundant prairie grasses a reasonable alternative fuel.