We in the US have misinterpreted the viability of ethanol as an alternative fuel while missing the potential of butanol for three decades. Not only did we miss butanol’s feasibility as a fuel, but we should pay attention to an additional aspect of our “biomass to energy” quest—we must involve soil scientists. While scientists and engineers are focusing on lignin removal and with the use of stover, switchgrass and wood as biomass and their conversion to sugars, they ignore the need to restore the soil health.