What’s good and what’s missing from biofuel safeguards in California’s updated Low Carbon Fuel Standard

The briefing examines the California Air Resources Board's (CARB) proposed amendments to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), specifically a new limit on credits for crop-seed oil-based biofuels. While acknowledging the limit as a positive step, the authors argue that exemptions for alternative jet fuel and existing pathways, along with the use of the annual carbon intensity benchmark for surplus fuels, undermine the policy's effectiveness. The document recommends assigning fossil diesel carbon intensity to surplus fuels and implementing a comprehensive framework to monitor and limit global impacts on food markets and ecosystems.

• Renewable diesel has seen rapid growth in California, accounting for 68% of the diesel fuel market by the end of 2023, with crop-seed oil-based fuel consumption increasing by over 350% since 2021 to reach 192 million gallons in 2023.
• The use of crop-seed oils for fuel poses global risks, including higher food prices in countries where these oils are staples, indirect greenhouse gas emissions from forest conversion, and increased production of palm oil, which can have a carbon intensity worse than petroleum.
• CARB's proposed LCFS amendment limits credit generation to 20% of a company's volumes of soy, canola, and sunflower biomass-based diesel, with volumes exceeding this cap assigned the annual carbon intensity benchmark rather than generating further credits.
• The proposed safeguards are weakened by exemptions for alternative jet fuel and a grace period for existing biomass-based diesel pathways until January 2028, which may allow refineries to shift crop-seed oil use toward jet fuel production.

APA

Arax, A., Saltzman, V., & Steelman, J. (2024). What’s good and what’s missing from biofuel safeguards in California’s updated Low Carbon Fuel Standard. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2024/10/whats-good-whats-missing-biofuel-safeguards-californias-updated-low-carbon-fuel-standard/

Chicago

Arax, Ashley, Veronica Saltzman, and John Steelman. What’s good and what’s missing from biofuel safeguards in California’s updated Low Carbon Fuel Standard. Clean Air Task Force, 2024. https://www.catf.us/2024/10/whats-good-whats-missing-biofuel-safeguards-californias-updated-low-carbon-fuel-standard/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Arax |first1=Ashley |last2=Saltzman |first2=Veronica |last3=Steelman |first3=John |title=What’s good and what’s missing from biofuel safeguards in California’s updated Low Carbon Fuel Standard |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=30 October 2024 |url=https://www.catf.us/2024/10/whats-good-whats-missing-biofuel-safeguards-californias-updated-low-carbon-fuel-standard/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{arax2024whats, author = {Arax, Ashley and Saltzman, Veronica and Steelman, John}, title = {{What’s good and what’s missing from biofuel safeguards in California’s updated Low Carbon Fuel Standard}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://www.catf.us/2024/10/whats-good-whats-missing-biofuel-safeguards-californias-updated-low-carbon-fuel-standard/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }