Ambassador's Corner

WEEKLY MESSAGE FROM AMBASSADOR JOHN BRUTON

Last week I visited the State of Ohio. This was my first ever visit to Ohio and I had been looking forward to it for many reasons. One of the reasons was that a man from Dunshaughlin, County Meath (which is very close to my home in Ireland), had played a part in ensuring that Ohio was incorporated into British North America and, as a result, later on into the United States of America.

William Johnson was so successful in making alliances with Indian tribes on the frontier that he was able to tip the balance in a conflict between the British and the French in the 18th century. The result of that war was that the Northwestern Territories, including Ohio, were transferred from French to British jurisdiction. I was therefore able to tell my hosts in Ohio that, thanks to a man from County Meath, they were now speaking English rather than French!

One of the highlights of my visit to Ohio was a visit to the farm of Bill Richards in Circleville. Bill was one of the pioneers promoting no-till systems of crop cultivation. By planting seeds without tilling the land, soil erosion is avoided, fuel is saved and emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere are dramatically reduced. Bill told me of his efforts over 40 years to promote the use of no-till techniques throughout the United Sates. Such techniques would also be applicable on a wide scale in Europe, where the problems of excess fuel costs and emissions of greenhouse gases from tillage are just as acute as they are here in the United States. Soil erosion is not quite as severe a problem in Europe as it is here.

Bill and I also discussed the prospects for replacing imported oil in the US and Europe with ethanol derived from corn and sugar cane. Sugar cane is a more efficient producer of ethanol than corn, but it can only be grown in hot climates. Plant varieties are being developed to enable sugar, suitable to ethanol production, to be grown in more northerly climates. Technologies are also being developed to refine ethanol from switch grass, using the whole plant and not just the grain.

There are, of course, problems with trying to replace all the oil used with ethanol. The agricultural acreage required would be enormous and would leave little space for food production. The sugar, the corn or the switch grass would also need significant amounts of nitrogenous fertilizer and oil is unfortunately needed for the manufacture of nitrogenous fertilizer. The crops would also have to be transported to refineries and this would involve energy use.

Bill is Committee Co-Chair of the 25/25 campaign whose aim is to ensure that, by the year 2025, 25% of the energy consumed by the United States comes from renewable sources such as ethanol, and he is working very hard to find solutions to the problems I have just mentioned. It was a privilege to have the opportunity of meeting him.

In the course of my visit to Ohio, I met with Congressman Pat Tiberi (R). He represents a district close to the city of Columbus and I met with him in his local office. His parents were born in Italy and he showed me beautiful pictures of their house in the region of Abruzzo. We discussed the need to promote more educational exchanges between the European Union and the United States and to persuade Congress to provide adequate funds for these exchanges. Pat worked for another Ohio Congressman before becoming a Congressman himself, and he has a very strong commitment to his constituents and to the city of Columbus.

I was also received by the Mayor of Columbus, Michael Coleman (left). Michael has been very effective in building new homes in Columbus and in promoting investment in the city. He created the city's first ever Office of Education to coordinate the educational efforts for neighbourhoods and schools.

During my visit I also had the opportunity of addressing the Columbus Council of World Affairs, students at Wellington High School and academics at Ohio State University. It was a most enjoyable visit.

Please send me your comments about this or any of my weekly messages or other EU matters. I look forward to hearing from you!