Open AccessA geography‐based critique of new US biofuels regulations
Author(s) -
Fast Stewart,
Brklacich Mike,
Saner Marc
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
gcb bioenergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.378
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1757-1707
pISSN - 1757-1693
DOI - 10.1111/j.1757-1707.2011.01131.x
Subject(s) - biofuel , greenhouse gas , corn ethanol , biomass (ecology) , gasoline , renewable energy , environmental science , bioenergy , ethanol fuel , renewable fuels , life cycle assessment , production (economics) , renewable resource , natural resource economics , agricultural engineering , agronomy , waste management , engineering , economics , ecology , biology , macroeconomics
The new renewable fuels standard ( RFS 2) aims to distinguish corn‐ethanol that achieves a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions compared with gasoline. Field data from Kim et al . (2009) and from our own study suggest that geographic variability in the GHG emissions arising from corn production casts considerable doubt on the approach used in the RFS 2 to measure compliance with the 20% target. If regulators wish to require compliance of fuels with specific GHG emission reduction thresholds, then data from growing biomass should be disaggregated to a level that captures the level of variability in grain corn production and the application of life cycle assessment to biofuels should be modified to capture this variability.