Textio

Do this to your car.

According to new law professors, regulatory hurdles are preventing the commercialization of emerging liquid biofuels. University of Illinois law professor Jay P. Kesan and Timothy A. Slating, a regulatory associate with the University of Illinois Energy Biosciences Institute, argue that regulatory innovations are needed to keep pace with technological innovations in the biofuels industry.

Both authored a paper that focussed on biobutanol, an emerging biofuel with the potential to be a viable alternative to petroleum-based fuels.

According to Kesan, it’s not clear that the U.S. can meet all the renewable fuel mandates required under the Renewable Fuel Standard.

“Congress has all these mandates on the billions of gallons that need to be made available for sale,” he said. “For example, by 2022, we have a mandate for 21 billion gallons of advanced biofuel. By definition, advanced biofuel excludes corn ethanol, so we have to come up with other fuels to close the gap. Biobutanol might be the way to do that.”

Kesan and Slating note that under existing regulations, biobutanol can lawfully be blended with gasoline in a concentration of roughly 11.5 to 12.5 percent by volume, depending on the density of the finished fuel.

Regulations also provide a mechanism whereby fuel manufacturers can seek a fuel waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to allow higher blending limits than current regulations allow. But according to the authors, this is currently a very onerous process. While it might be legal to blend 16 to 17 percent biobutanol with ordinary gasoline based on pre-existing waivers granted in the 1980s, there is a great deal of uncertainty as to whether the EPA would allow this.

A fast-track review process should also be created for new fuel waivers relating to emerging biofuels that have been designated as compliant with the Renewable Fuel Standard, the authors argue.

Check out the paper for more info; the research will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Wisconsin Law Review.

Is it worth the money to continue subsidizing the green fuel industry (of which bio fuel is included)?

Some Foreign Affairs (1) bureaucrats don’t think so. On one hand I can understand in an economic climate of cost cutting the subsidies devoted to any industry would be questioned, especially ones that don’t have results that the average consumer can comprehend easily.

But to write off the entire green fuel movement as inadequate and likely to collapse? Probably not the case and reflects a level of American love for fossil fuels.

Is the current system inefficient? Perhraps, jobs aren’t being created at the pace some would like to see (and more jobs would certainly help justify the various subsidies).

BUt to remove a level of investment would in fact harm our capability to become leaders in the alternative energy race. That’s a big deal because whether we like it or not, the world (less India and China) are actively pursuing green fuel alternatives. We really don’t want to be left behind here.

1 http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67903/david-g-victor-and-kassia-yanosek/the-crisis-in-clean-energy

In the recent Twitter townhall there was a question posed regarding the development of biofuels. The question on biofuels prompted the President to essentially discuss how the current state of biofuel technology needs to pick up in order to justify the level of investment and subsidies diverted to the industry. In his mind the biofuel industry is behind the innovation curve.

Of course the Renewable Fuels Association countered with their own statement directed to the White House that development is on pace and coming up with great ideas and results.

The question still remains, is the state of biofuels and green power dead in the water? It’s been quite some time now and we haven’t really seen a major breakthrough.

As well, the variety of inputs for biofuel production still largely revolve around a more inefficient corn based process.

I guess we can say that patience is wearing thin. However, in another post we’ll make, we don’t think this spells the end to the industry, not by a long shot.