Biofuels

A number of initiatives by state and federal government are setting goals for replacement of petroleum-based fuels with bio-based alternatives. The President proposed a national goal of reducing gasoline usage by 20 percent in the next ten years (the Twenty in Ten initiative) in his 2007 State of the Union Address. Achieving these results would increase the alternate and renewable fuels goal to 35 billion gallons by 2017 (nearly 5 times the 2012 current target now in the 2005 Energy Policy Act). The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), the national trade association of the U.S. ethanol industry, is promoting the 25x25 initiative to achieve 25 percent of U.S. energy from renewable resources like wind, solar, and biofuels by 2025.

From an economic perspective, it makes sense to produce agricultural-based biofuels close to the centers of demand. Thus, the Mid-Atlantic region is seeing a growing interest in production facilities for biofuels. Currently, corn grain as the primary feedstock.

Several biodiesel production plants using waste vegetable oils, soybean oil, animal fats and other opportunity feedstocks are also planned. Biodiesel capacity is growing steadily, but much more slowly than ethanol.

Regional Program Activities

Biofuels and Water Quality Conference
On April 4-5, 2007, the USDA-CSREES Mid-Atlantic Regional Water Program, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the USDA-ARS Beltsville Agricultural Research Center convened a Biofuels and Water Quality Conference. The Conference was convened to identify and discuss the impacts, particularly to water quality, from growing and using agricultural-based feedstocks for biofuels production. Other potential biofuels technologies from gasification to pyrolysis, were also discussed. Feedstocks for these technologies could include agricultural biomass as well as manures and a broad range of urban generated wastes.

     Conference Related Items
          - Agenda

          - Presentations

Biofuels and Water Quality: Meeting the Challenge and Protecting the Environment
This fact sheet summarizes the findings and recommendations from the two day conference. Research, programmatic and policy agendas for renewable fuels are also outlined.

      - Biofuels and Water Quality: Meeting the Challenge & Protecting the Environment
      - Chesapeake Bay Foundation Press Release

 


 

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Page Last Updated On: July 17, 2007

 
         
 
This material is based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 2002-51130-01522. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.