Keywords
Biofuels
FE974
FE974
Categories
How to Cite
Guan, Zhengfei, and Juhyun Oh. 2016. “United States Biofuel Policies: Overview and Discussion: FE974 FE974, 11 2015”. EDIS 2016 (2). Gainesville, FL:4. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-fe974-2015.
Abstract
Governments at different levels in the United States have introduced various programs to promote alternative and renewable energies, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve energy security. Some of these policy initiatives include mandates and tax credits to encourage the production of biofuels. As governmental efforts to promote renewable fuels as alternative sources of energy have evolved from subsidization to mandate, the production of biofuels has dramatically increased. The expansion of the mandate may contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but biofuels may be technically, economically, and environmentally inefficient. This 4-page fact sheet reviews and discusses current US biofuel policies and explores potential outcomes. Written by Zhengfei Guan and Juhyun Oh, and published by the Food and Resource Economics Department, November 2015.
FE974/FE974: United States Biofuel Policies: Overview and Discussion (ufl.edu)
References
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Taheripour, F. 2008. Welfare effects and unintended consequences of ethanol subsidies. Review of Agricultural Economics 30:411-421. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9353.2008.00414.x
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Babcock, B.A. 2008. Distributional implications of US ethanol policy." Review of Agricultural Economics 30:533-542. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9353.2008.00428.x
Du, X., D.J. Hayes, and M. L. Mallory. 2009. A welfare analysis of the US ethanol subsidy. Review of Agricultural Economics 31:669-676. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9353.2009.01460.x
Gardner, B.L., and W.E. Tyner. 2007. Explorations in biofuels economics, policy, and history: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Agricultural and Food Industrial Organization 5(Article 1) (Berkeley Electronic Press). https://doi.org/10.2202/1542-0485.1210
Hahn, R., and C. Cecot. 2008. The benefits and costs of ethanol: An evaluation of the government's analysis. Working Paper 07-17, AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies, Washington, DC.
Khanna, M., B. Dhungana, and J. Clifton-Brown. 2008. Costs of producing Miscanthus and Switchgrass for bioenergy in Illinois. Biomass and Bioenergy 32:482-493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2007.11.003
Koplow, D., and R. Steenblik. 2008. Subsidies to ethanol in the United States. In Biofuels, Solar and Wind as Renewable Energy Systems, edited by D. Pimentel (79-108). New York: Springer-Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8654-0_4
Oh, J., and Z. Guan. 2015. The Conservation Reserve Program: Overview and Discussion. EDIS #973. UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL.
Pimentel, D. 2003. Ethanol fuels: Energy balance, economics, and environmental impacts are negative. Natural Resources Research 12:127-134. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024214812527
Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). 2012. 2012 Ethanol Industry Outlook. Renewable Fuels Association, Washington, DC.
Schmitz, A., C.B. Moss, and T.G. Schmitz. 2007. Ethanol: No free lunch. Journal of Agricultural and Food Industrial Organization 5(Article 3) (Berkeley Electronic Press). https://doi.org/10.2202/1542-0485.1186
Schnepf, R., and B. D. Yacobucci. 2013. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): Overview and Issues. Congressional Research Service, Washington, DC.
Searchinger, T., R. Heimlich, R. Houghton, F. Dong, A. Elobeid, J. Fabiosa, S. Tokgoz, D. Hayes, and T. Yu. 2008. Use of US croplands for biofuels increases greenhouse gases through emissions from land-use change. Science 319:1238-1240. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1151861
Taheripour, F. 2008. Welfare effects and unintended consequences of ethanol subsidies. Review of Agricultural Economics 30:411-421. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9353.2008.00414.x
Tyner, W.E., and J. Quear. 2006. Comparison of a fixed and variable corn ethanol subsidy. Choices 21:199-202.
United States Department of Energy, Energy Information Agency (EIA). 2012. Total Energy Supply and Disposition Summary. United States Department of Energy, Energy Information Agency, Washington, DC.
United States Department of Energy, Energy Information Agency (EIA). 2013. Monthly Energy View. http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/mer.pdf.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2007. Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Renewable Fuel Standard Program. EPA420-R-07-006, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC.
Urbanchuk, J.M. 2013. Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States. http://ethanolrfa.3cdn.net/af18baea89e31dadbe_68m6bnto3.pdf.
Wu, F., Z. Guan, and R.J. Myers. 2011. Volatility spillover effects and cross hedging in corn and crude oil futures. Journal of Futures Markets 31:1052-1075. https://doi.org/10.1002/fut.20499
Wu, F., Z. Guan, F. Yu, and R. J. Myers. 2013. The spillover effects of biofuel policy on participation in the Conservation Reserve Program. Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control 37:1755-1770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jedc.2013.03.013