Obama boosts biofuels and clean coal

US President Barack Obama has announced a series of measures designed to boost biofuel production and reduce US dependence on foreign oil.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalised a rule to implement the long-term renewable fuels standard of 36 billion gallons by 2022 established by Congress. This would require biofuel production to grow from last year’s 11.1 billion gallons to 36 billion gallons in 2022, with 21 billion gallons to come from advanced biofuels.

Increasing renewable fuel use will reduce dependence on oil by more than 328 million barrels a year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 138 million metric tons a year when fully phased in by 2022, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).

For the first time, some renewable fuels must also achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions – compared with the gasoline and diesel fuels they displace – to be counted towards compliance with volume standards.

In line with the EPA rule, the Department of Agriculture has proposed a rule on the Biomass Crop Assistance Programme (BCAP) to finance an increase in the conversion of biomass to bioenergy.

House Agriculture Committee chairman Collin Peterson has mixed feelings about the Renewable Fuel Standard Regulations. While he supported allowing ethanol and biodeisel to qualify as advanced biofuels, he voices concern about using international indirect land use calculations in biofuels regulations. Peterson introduced legislation this week addressing this issue and emissions regulation. 

President Obama also announced a Presidential Memorandum creating an interagency task force on carbon capture and storage (CCS) to develop a comprehensive and co-ordinated federal strategy to speed the development and deployment of clean coal technologies. Obama has called for five to 10 commercial demonstration projects to be up and running by 2016.

“President Obama and this administration are strongly committed to the development of carbon capture and storage technology as a key part of the clean energy economy," says energy secretary Steven Chu. "We can and should lead the world in this technology and the jobs it can create.”

The CCS task force will be co-chaired by representatives from DOE and EPA, and include participants from at least nine different agencies and offices. Within 180 days it will establish a plan to ensure deployment of widespread affordable CCS within ten years, with a goal of bringing five to 10 commercial demonstration projects on line by 2016.

The task force will consider how best to co-ordinate existing federal authorities and programmes, and identify areas where additional federal authority might be needed.