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Food News- Sugar and Sweeteners OutlookExamines world and U.S. production, consumption, trade, stocks, and prices for beet and cane sugar, and high fructose corn syrup. […]
- U.S. Fertilizer Imports/ExportsThis product provides U.S. annual data on imports and exports of selected fertilizer types. The data cover imports from 1995 to 2009 and exports from 1990 to 2009 for 26 major fertilizer products and materials, and for 82 major trading countries. […]
- Aquaculture DataAquaculture is the production of aquatic animals and plants under controlled conditions for all or part of their lifecycle. This data product provides statistics on domestically grown catfish and trout and U.S. imports and exports of fish and shellfish that may be products of aquaculture, such as salmon, shrimp, and oysters. […]
- U.S. Agricultural Trade Data UpdateProvides a monthly update of year-to-date quantities and values of U.S. agricultural exports and imports. Also provides data on leading destination countries for exports and import source countries. […]
- Livestock and Meat Trade DataThe Livestock and Meat Trade Data Set contains monthly and annual data for imports and exports of live cattle, hogs, sheep, and goats, as well as beef and veal, pork, lamb and mutton, chicken meat, turkey meat, and eggs. The tables report physical quantities, not dollar values or unit prices. Data on beef and veal, pork, and lamb and mutton are on a carcass- […]
- Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook
- What Everyone Should Know About Energy
- What is the role of coal in the United States?Due to its relatively low cost and abundance, coal is used to generate about half of the electricity consumed in the United States. Coal is the largest domestically-produced source of energy. Coal use, however, results in higher amounts of carbon dioxide per unit of energy than the use of oil or natural gas. […]
- What is a cap-and-trade program and how does it work?A cap-and-trade program is designed to reduce emissions of a pollutant by placing a limit (or cap) on the total amount of emissions. The cap is implemented through a system of allowances that can be traded to minimize costs to affected sources. Cap-and-trade programs for greenhouse gas emissions would increase the costs of using fossil fuels. […]
- How can we compare or add up our energy consumption?To compare or aggregate energy consumption across different energy sources like oil, natural gas, and electricity, we must use a common unit of measure. This is similar to calculating your food energy intake by adding up the calories in whatever you eat. […]
- What is the role of coal in the United States?
- Invasive Species
- Wyoming -- Aquatic Invasive Species Summit to Be Held March 16 in Casper (Mar 1, 2010) March 12, 2010Aquatic Invasive Species Summit to Be Held March 16 in... […]
- U.S. Government Launches New CITES Website (Mar 9, 2010) March 12, 2010U.S. Government Launches New CITES Website (Mar 9, 2010) A... […]
- Wyoming -- Aquatic Invasive Species Summit to Be Held March 16 in Casper (Mar 1, 2010) March 12, 2010
Three Steps to Boost Biofuels
President Barack Obama announced three actions that the federal government is taking to boost U.S. biofuels production. The measures include: the final rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) of 36 billion gallons by 2022; a proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), which provides financing to increase the production of biomass for bioenergy; and the release of Growing America’s Fuel,the first report from the president’s Biofuels Interagency Working Group. The report lays out a strategy to advance the development and commercialization of a sustainable biofuels industry.
The primary measure is the change in the RFS program, required by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which mandates that biofuels production will grow from last year’s 11.1 billion gallons to 36 billion gallons in 2022. The 2022 goal includes 21 billion gallons to come from advanced biofuels, defined as those that cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50%. For the first time, some renewable fuels must also achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions, compared to the gasoline and diesel fuels they displace, in order to be counted towards compliance with volume standards. According to the EPA, meeting the 2022 goal could reduce U.S. dependence on oil by more than 328 million barrels per year.
The EPA final rule sets the RFS for 2010 at 12.95 billion gallons of renewable fuel, all of which must be used in transportation fuels over the course of the year. For the first time, the EPA has also set volume requirements for specific categories of renewable fuels. For 2010, the cellulosic biofuel standard is 6.5 million gallons, and the total volume of advanced biofuels must be at least 950 million gallons. Biomass-based diesel is expected to contribute 650 million gallons of that total, but because a regulatory structure was not implemented to achieve the 2009 requirement of 500 million gallons of biomass-based diesel, the new rule combines the two years, requiring a total of 1.15 billion gallons of biomass-based diesel for 2009 and 2010.with the biomass-based diesel standard is being set at 1.15 bg by combining the 2009 and 2010 standards. See the full EPA rule.
As a second measure, the USDA has also proposed a rule for the BCAP program, which has already begun to provide matching payments for the collection, harvest, storage, and transportation of biomass to eligible biomass conversion facilities. The third part of the biofuels effort was the release of Growing America’s Fuel, the first report from the Biofuels Interagency Working Group, which was created by the president last May and led by USDA, DOE, and the EPA. The report focuses on both short-term growth and the long-term roadmap for biofuel growth, using strategies such as public-private partnerships. Among other things, it calls for increased government consumption of biofuels along with an integrated management approach.