News

February 07, 2010

The Week In Alternative Power: A Brazilian Shortfall And New Measures From President Obama Combine To Boost Ethanol Prices

By Sally White

President Barack Obama lived up to his promises this week, annoucing a series of major steps to boost US biofuels production. At a meeting with a bipartisan group of governors from around the US, he laid out three measures which will seek to boost biofuels production and (eventually) reduce dependence on foreign oil.

First, the Environmental Protection Agency has finalised a rule to implement the long-term Renewable Fuels Standard, which requires biofuels production to grow from 2009’s 11 billion gallons to 36 billion gallons by 2022, with 21 billion gallons coming from advanced biofuels. Second, the US Department of Agriculture has proposed a rule that would provide financing to increase the conversion of biomass to bio-energy. Thirdly, the President’s Biofuels Interagency Working Group released its first...