GETTING BIOFUELS BACK ON TRACK

The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that current U.S. biofuels policy is costly and ineffective, primarily supporting mature food-based industries while cellulosic biofuels remain stalled. The report proposes the 'Billion Gallon Challenge' to provide capital support for the first billion gallons of annual cellulosic capacity and a 'Biofuels Performance Tax Credit' to replace existing credits with incentives based on actual life-cycle emissions reductions.

• Current biofuels tax credits are inefficient and costly, with over 60 percent of the estimated $100 billion cost over 10 years supporting mature industries like corn ethanol and soybean biodiesel.
• The 'Billion Gallon Challenge' proposes investing $4 billion in loan guarantees and investment tax credits to establish 10 to 20 commercial-scale facilities, which would enable the first billion gallons of annual cellulosic biofuels production.
• Successfully meeting Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) mandates for cellulosic biofuels could reduce global warming emissions by 45 million metric tons annually by 2022 compared to status quo projections.
• Replacing existing tax credits with a Biofuels Performance Tax Credit would save $20 billion between 2011 and 2014 and incentivize the reduction of emissions across all biofuel types.
• Upgrading technology at existing corn ethanol facilities, such as implementing biomass-fired combined-heat-and-power systems, could reduce global warming emissions by over 20 million metric tons per year.
• The combined impact of the Billion Gallon Challenge and the Biofuels Performance Tax Credit could reduce emissions by nearly 100 million metric tons per year by 2022, equivalent to removing 15 million cars and light trucks from the road.
• Food-based biofuels, particularly corn ethanol, may have global warming emissions profiles similar to gasoline when land-use changes are considered, and they strain agricultural systems by increasing food prices and depleting water resources.
• Cellulosic biofuels offer significantly lower life-cycle emissions than petroleum or food-based fuels, with some potential to be better than carbon-neutral.

APA

TIN, J. M. (2010). GETTING BIOFUELS BACK ON TRACK. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-11/The-Billion-Gallon-Challenge_0.pdf

Chicago

TIN, JEREMY MAR. GETTING BIOFUELS BACK ON TRACK. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2010. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-11/The-Billion-Gallon-Challenge_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=TIN |first1=JEREMY MAR |title=GETTING BIOFUELS BACK ON TRACK |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=June 2010 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-11/The-Billion-Gallon-Challenge_0.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tin2010getting, author = {TIN, JEREMY MAR}, title = {{GETTING BIOFUELS BACK ON TRACK}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2010}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-11/The-Billion-Gallon-Challenge_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }