Is the U.S. Government's Biofuel Roadmap Lacking in Vision?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released its plan for how America will meet the biofuel goals mandated by the Renewable Fuels Standard by 2022 [pdf]. The roadmap has been met without celebration by many in the biofuel industry.
A major criticism from industry insiders is that the USDA's plan focuses on deriving its 2022 target (producing 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel annually) almost completely from cellulosic ethanol generated energy grasses, like switchgrass.
Meanwhile algal biofuel, biobutanol, and drop-in fuels are left out of the equation even though they make up 75% of research and development in advanced biofuels.
In its report the USDA does not consider bioprocessing -- organisms that can breakdown the sugars in pre-treated biomass and convert them into fuel all in one step -- as a practical production method.
Is the USDA's Roadmap out-of-date or merely focusing on viable short-term commercial biofuel feedstocks?
Read the full story at the Biofuels Digest: Grasstopia: The USDA Regional Biofuels Roadmap - will it work?
Nathanael Baker is the Managing Editor of EnergyBoom. He has been immersed in the areas of renewable energy and climate change for two years. Before joining EnergyBoom, Nathanael was the Director of Research for the DeSmog Blog. In this role his services included providing research to the New York Times and The Economist.
Energy Boom content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be advice regarding the investment merits of, or a recommendation regarding the purchase or sale of, any security identified on, or linked through, this site.
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US Federal Policy is Chasing Sustainable Energy Technology
What is most concerning about the USDA's development goals is surely the notion that feedstock of any kind will be grown on prime fertile land, suck up valuable fresh water, only to appease our growing energy hunger; forget the type of "hunger" the USDA is actually supposed to find solutions for.
~Over the last 60 years, the percentage of the U.S. population directly involved in production agriculture in America has gone from 15 percent to less than two percent, but the average farmer produces food for 155 people today, as compared to his counterpart 60 years ago who produced food for only 25 people. This increase in efficiency in agriculture and farming, and the resulting sharp decrease in the number of hands needed to meet a growing demand, by its very nature, requires that the rural economy diversify. Growing a domestic biofuels market is part of overall USDA rural strategy to help rebuild rural America.~ The USDA Regional Biofuels Roadmap
To create a new sector that is transitional at best, is not giving rural communities a chance to diversify over the long term. It instead is creating jobs for a market that is outdated before it has even been operationalized. The USDA's shortsightedness is, i think, not unintentional. The outcome of the USDA's recommendations will end with 2 results: 1) that the US agricultural sector producing biomass to be processed into Biofuels will solidify in the US and cause a longer transition period on the road towards clean energy utilization. 2) Technological change is showing a fast pace move towards readily available clean fuel technologies. This will likely outdate biofuel production, which the US will at that point be absorbed in financially, and will only hurt rural communities diversification.
The USDA is permitting the creation of a single basket into which it is throwing all of its eggs. In my opinion, this is not a diversification. If the US is so driven to research biofuels, then its best bet is to give equal financial backing to various biofuel producing methods. Diversification should start at this level.