Cutting oil use and transportation emissions is a big job, that will require both electric vehicles and biofuels. Read more >
Biofuel
When developed from the right sources, biofuels provide a clean-burning alternative to oil. Our experts explore the complexities of biofuels and their role in the future of fuel.
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Latest Biofuel Posts
Biofuel research in San Diego. Photo: Steve Jurvetson, CC-BY-2.0 (Flickr)
Setting the Record Straight on EVs and Biofuels
Jeremy Martin, Senior scientist
October 11, 2017 10:33 AM EDT
Pruitt’s EPA Undermines Cellulosic Biofuels and Transparency in Government
Jeremy Martin, Senior scientist
August 30, 2017 12:52 PM EDT
The EPA Administrator Pruitt has been conducting much of his work to undermine the EPA’s mission in secret. The recent proposed rule implementing the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) provides yet another example of the Pruitt EPA taking decisions that should be based on evidence, and substituting their political preferences instead. Read more >
An Insider’s View on the Value of Federal Research
Mike Haas, UCS Science Network, UCS
June 8, 2017 1:30 PM EDT
Not long after receiving my doctorate in biochemistry I took a research position with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the main research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Prior to retiring in 2014 I had spent my entire career, 33 years, with ARS. I had a chance to see federal research from within the system. Contrary to what you may have heard, it’s been my experience that federal research is solutions-oriented, transparent, and nonpolitical. Read more >
San Ardo Oil Field, Monterey County, CA. Photo: Loco Steve CC-BY-SA 2.0 (Flickr).
California’s Cap-and-Trade Program and Low Carbon Fuel Standard Go Together Like Peanut Butter and Jelly
May 22, 2017 2:59 PM EDT
Policymakers are considering how California should cut global warming emissions by 40% between 2020 and 2030, and whether to extend the state’s cap-and-trade program beyond 2020. The oil industry supports the cap-and-trade program but wants to roll back California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. They argue the two policies just don’t mix—like oil and water, you might say. However, I see the two policies more like peanut butter and jelly—they are good on their own but so much better together. Read more >
Biofuel Photo: Oregon Department of Agriculture. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (Flickr)
Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program Off to a Great Start
Jeremy Martin, Senior scientist
April 28, 2017 10:37 AM EDT
Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program (CFP) was initially authorized by the legislature in 2009, with subsequent legislation in 2015 allowing the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to fully implement the program in 2016. The program’s goals are to foster the development of an in-state market for cleaner fuel by requiring that transportation fuels used in Oregon get steadily less-polluting over the next decade. The program completed a very successful first year, but it remains under attack, so it’s a great time to review how the policy is working, and its prospects for the future. Read more >
