U.S. to Tighten Standards For Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Biofuels

The Obama administration has proposed renewable fuel rules aimed at cutting CO2 emissions from the manufacture of biofuels, but maintained support for corn-based ethanol and advanced biofuel research. In calling for emissions reductions in growing corn-based-ethanol and other biofuels, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it would now factor in “indirect land use change” worldwide. That means that when production of biofuels displaces food crops, forcing farmers to clear forest or grasslands to grow new crops, the EPA will take into account the increase in carbon dioxide resulting from that land disturbance. The production of biofuels made from food crops, such as corn and sugar cane, has been sharply criticized for driving up global food prices and leading to increased land-clearing for agriculture. The new EPA guidelines factoring in the true cost of biofuel production could limit the expansion of corn ethanol in the U.S., but Obama administration officials vowed to quickly release federal economic stimulus funds to help the struggling corn ethanol industry. “Corn-based ethanol is a bridge to the next generation of biofuels,” said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.