On the Road to Energy Independence
(Page 2 of 3)
April/May 2008
By Megan Phelps
The specifics: The new law bolsters the U.S. renewable fuels standard. It gradually increases the minimum amount of biofuels that must be produced in the United States from 9 billion in 2008 to 36 billion by 2022. A large portion of those new fuels must come from “advanced” biofuels, defined as those that cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent.
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What it means to you: Biofuels will be much more widely available. If you’re new to these fuels, you’ll want to learn more about which are compatible with your vehicle before filling the tank. In general, diesel engines can burn biodiesel, and gas engines can burn ethanol, but some vehicles can handle higher concentrations than others.
The social and environmental questions about biofuels are complex. Concerns include the amount of water and fuel consumed by growing corn for ethanol, and rising food prices as food crops such as corn and soybeans are used to make fuel. (For more information, see “The Breakdown of Biofuels.”)
The good news is that the new law favors advanced biofuels. UCS Clean Vehicles Washington representative Eli Hopson says these cleaner fuels will make a greater contribution to combating global warming, and meeting the requirements will encourage technological innovation. “For the time frame we’re looking at, those are pretty aggressive targets,” he says. More good news is that some advanced biofuels, such as ethanol from switchgrass and biodiesel from algae, may not compete directly with food crops the way corn-based ethanol does.
More energy-efficient appliances, but what about incentives for solar and wind?
The energy bill that passed focused mainly on transportation. Many earlier versions of the bill were broader, and included both higher standards for energy efficiency and strong incentives to develop wind and solar power. The energy-efficiency measures survived, but after veto threats from the White House, the provisions to support electricity from renewable sources were left out of the final bill, despite broad public support.
The specifics: The new law includes higher efficiency standards for many products, including significant increases for light bulbs. Of the provisions cut from the bill, the one of greatest concern was renewal of the tax credits that are helping build new wind and solar power plants. Also left on the cutting room floor was a national renewable electricity standard, which would have required utilities to provide more energy from solar and wind sources.
