Evaluating Biofuels Legislation: Metrics for Effective Congressional Assessment
This study outlines critical metrics for assessing the impacts of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) of 2007 on biofuel production. It highlights environmental, economic, cultural, and security implications, addressing conflicts and criticisms within legislative discussions. The study advocates for a more transparent and effective metric system, facilitating better-informed decisions in Congress. Key metrics include land use changes, greenhouse gas emissions, and economic impacts on food markets. A recommended framework is proposed to ensure clarity and objectivity in future evaluations of biofuels legislation.
Evaluating Biofuels Legislation: Metrics for Effective Congressional Assessment
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Presentation Transcript
Metrics in Congress:Useful Metrics for Evaluating Biofuels Legislation Michaelangelo Tabone 2008 AIChE WISE Intern August 6th, 2008
Recent Biofuels Legislation • The Renewable Fuel Standard of 2007 • Mandates significant increases in production of biofuels • Caused significant investment in industry
Purposes of This Study Outline metrics used in congressional proceedings regarding the Renewable Fuel Standard Point out significant conflicts and criticisms Recommend a more effective standard system for presenting metrics to congress
Role of Metrics • Assess impacts of legislation • Environmental Impacts • Economic Impacts • Cultural and Security Impacts • Survey of metrics used in creation of 2007 RFS • Completed for this study
Land Use Change Emissions Environmental Metrics Plant Growth Sequestration Farming Emissions Fuel Use Emissions • Greenhouse Gases • Most controversial • Life Cycle Analyses • Add emissions in stages • Combustion and uptake offset • Land Use Change • Forest land contains carbon • Lost to atmosphere during conversion to crops Transportation Refining Emissions Net Greenhouse Gas Emissions for fuel Transportation Emmisions Associated withby-products Transportation
Non-Climate Related Impacts • Many environmental impacts were not presented • Outlined by the Friends of the Earth • Fertilizer Use/Runoff • Biodiversity Loss • Deforestation • Genetic Modification • Water Use • Erosion • Pesticide Use • SO2, NOX, CO and other air pollutants • Some effects are tracked by the GREET and LEM models
Economic Metrics • Ethanol’s viability in current markets • Mainly through statistics: Renewable Fuels Association
Economic Impact on Food Market Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Hearing on Fuel Production and Food Prices • Presented values appeared to conflict at first • Actually are quite close considering different calculaiton
Cultural and Security Impacts • Rural Economic Impact • Primarily anecdotal evidence • Farmers begin to re-grow on fallow land • Refineries create jobs in rural areas • Security Impacts • Anecdotal evidence from General Charles F. Wald • Eventually need to secure Caspian Oil Fields • Most likely by military action • Large area for more metrics to be provided!
Need for Transparency • Conflicting results cause belief of bias • Metrics from interest groups are discarded • Often these metrics agree in many areas • Represent different political assertions • Increased Transparency • Visible assumptions in conflicting studies • More effective lobbying for specific areas of legislation • Must be simple and quick to understand • Overcomplicated transparency is ineffective
Breakup of Metrics • Amount of food spending towards specific sectors
Breakup of Metrics • Amount of food spending towards specific sectors • Concise • Transparent • Easily Adjusted • Percentages are universally informative
Breakup of Metrics • Comparison of greenhouse gasses in GREET and Searchinger analyses Combustion GasolineBaseline Greet Gasoline Uptake Farm Ref. Combust. 20% Reduction GREETCorn-Ethanol Uptake Farm Ref. Combust. Land-Use Change 20% Reduction 96% Increase Searchinger Corn-Ethanol Negative Emissions Positive Emissions
Recommended Metric System • Future considerations for greenhouse gasses • National Legislation • Carbon cap and trade system • International Agreements • U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen • Life-Cycle Analyses: Greenhouse Gas Emissions • Break up metric as Domestic or International emissions • Break up metric by sector Domestic Emissions% International Emissions% Logging% Farming% Refining% Blending Transportation% Combustion% Total Emissions Resulting From Renewable Fuel
Recommended Metric System • Non-Climate Environmental Impacts • Assess the cumulative impacts of the Renewable Fuels Standard of 2007 • Asses the ability for current regulations to mitigate impacts
Recommended Metric System: Economic Metrics • Food versus Fuel • Estimate effect on both US and International Food prices • Report metrics assessing effect on household spending (International and Domestic) • Infrastructure Changes • Present the limits imposed by obstacles • Present the effects of proposed government incentives.
Recommended Metric System Cultural and Security Metrics • Make anecdotal evidence a direct effect of policy • What military action can be prevented by policy? • What geographic areas will benefit from advanced biofuels? • How will increased biofuel production affect American finances.
