Media

Update

Last update : 28.10.2010

An unprecedented effort is now underway in California and in the US at the federal level to encourage the use of sustainable transportation fuels. These new regulatory approaches include at least some elements of a performance-based requirement for the fuels. They actually use real measures of the sustainability of the fuels based on societal goals. In California and at the federal level, these new policies focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, measured as carbon or CO2 emissions per unit of fuel energy. While there are many similarities in the approaches used by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the overall structure of the policies is fundamentally different. California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) is entirely performance-based. It characterizes fuels in terms of their relative ability to contribute to reducing the carbon intensity of California’s fuel supply. The USEPA’s policy is based more on arbitrary mandates for specific types of fuels, but with minimum requirements for carbon reduction potential. Performance-based policies that reflect the values of society are the only sensible approach to guaranteeing that these policies actually encourage the kinds of outcomes that society desires.

Added on 7 January 2010
Politics :: Legislation :: Environment :: Biofuels :: Climate :: Sustainability :: United States & Canada

Documents (467 documents)

Categories

Topics

Geography