Calculation of Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions for the Renewable Fuel Standard

Details

• Creators:
  Yacobucci, Brent D. ; Bracmort, Kelsi S.
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Climate change
  • Greenhouse gases
  • Renewable energy sources
  • Standards
• Publication/ Report Number:
  R40460
• Resource Type:
  Research Paper
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
• Abstract:
  The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA, P.L. 110-140), significantly expanded the renewable fuel standard (RFS) established in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005, P.L.109-58). The RFS requires the use of 9.0 billion gallons of renewable fuel in 2008, increasing to 36 billion gallons in 2022. To classify biofuels under the RFS, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must calculate the lifecycle emissions of each fuel relative to gasoline or diesel fuel. Lifecycle emissions include emissions from all stages of fuel production and use (“well-to-wheels”), as well as both direct and indirect changes in land use from farming crops to produce biofuels. Debate is ongoing on how each factor in the biofuels lifecycle should be addressed, and the issues surrounding direct and indirect land use are particularly controversial. How EPA resolves those issues will affect the role each fuel plays in the RFS.
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/17287/dot_17287_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 336.59 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Transportation Resilience and Vulnerability Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:ff0af301ff0764bc84b693100ce75fd6b110112361eaada3e85aa752c3323bdb