New York Times: Extensive studies are needed to understand the water needs of biofuel production from cellulosic feedstocks or other next-generation sources, federal auditors said in a preliminary report released yesterday. The effects of corn-based ethanol production on water quantity and quality are well understood, the Government Accountability Office report (pdf) says, but less is known about next-generation feedstocks that have not been grown on a commercial scale. “There is little …