by Patrick Newkumet (OPIS) Alternative low-carbon fuel producers would receive tax credits for reaching net-zero emissions under a U.S. Senate bill introduced last month, but biofuel industry stakeholders are concerned they will find it difficult to reach that target by 2030 unless the government revises its count of the carbon intensity (CI) of their fuels to what they say would be a more accurate and lower number.
Under the Clean Energy for America Act, introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) on April 21, tax breaks for fossil fuels would be replaced with a technology-neutral tax break for producers whose fuels have zero or negative carbon emissions.
By Lloyd Ritter, Esq., Director, Green Capitol LLC
Special to The Digest
The aviation industry is currently responsible for less than 3% of total global carbon emissions, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). But with air travel expected to increase by more than 60 percent (compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels) by mid-century,[1] emissions will continue rising unless changes are made.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects overall transportation carbon emissions will rise through 2050. Fuel consumption will increase because anticipated energy efficiency gains will not keep pace with increased travel, per EIA. Cost-effective, high-energy-density renewable fuels will remain an important option to decarbonize transportation – especially aviation – in the near-term.
by Lloyd Ritter (Green Capitol LLC/Biofuels Digest) The aviation industry is currently responsible for less than 3% of total global carbon emissions, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). But with air travel expected to increase by more than 60 percent (compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels) by mid-century,[1] emissions will continue rising unless changes are made.
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Administration officials including Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack as well as Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) are highlighting aviation as an important future market for advanced biofuels. Based on experience with the Renewable Fuel Standard, though, policy makers need to be clear that sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) will reduce carbon emissions. To incentivize those carbon reductions, federal policies must incorporate up-to-date, science-based assessments that assure stakeholders of sustainability.
by Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) After renewable biofuels appeared to be effectively shut out of President Joe Biden’s plan for infrastructure, leaders in the ethanol industry and their advocates on Capitol Hill are trying to make the case that biofuels can accelerate moves to a low-carbon economy.
In a briefing Friday to congressional staff and journalists, staff from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) laid out an aggressive policy agenda that first began with requiring the EPA to reestablish its focus on the Renewable Fuels Standard by rejecting refiner exemption requests; restore 500 million gallons of biofuel use from 2016; finalize blend volumes for both 2021 and 2022; and ensure biofuel blend volumes continue to grow after 2022. At the same time, RFA is calling for the adoption of a national low-carbon fuels standard (LCFS) that would require a reduction in average carbon intensity on an annual basis across the transportation sector.
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