CALSTART
Volume 1, Issue 3 July—September 2013
Information Technology Solutions Clean Technologies and Fuels Summary FUNDING AND REGULATORY TRENDS STATE AND FEDERAL CLEAN FUEL STANDARDS DRIVE INVESTMENT IN LOW CARBON FUELS
In September, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). The LCFS is a performance standard that requires a 10% reduction in the "carbon intensity" of transportation fuels by 2020. The main aim of the LCFS is to support the market penetration of cleaner fuels such as electricity, biofuels, hydrogen and natural gas.1 The market is quickly evolving. While commercial scale production of cellulosic ethanol has lagged predictions, experts are seeing greater than expected contributions to LCFS targets from other low carbon fuels such as renewable
Source: University of California, Davis— Status Review of California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard - Spring 2013
diesel, biodiesel, natural gas, and electricity. The LCFS is expected to continue driving investment in this wide array of diesel alternatives.
Source: University of California, Davis— Status Review of California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard - Spring 2013 THIS NEW “MEMBERS-ONLY” REPORT FROM CALSTART WILL BE PUBLISHED ON A QUARTERLY BASIS AND WILL HIGHLIGHT KEY INFORMATION IN THE CLEAN TRANSPORTATION SECTOR, WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON MARKET TRENDS, ENVIRONMENTAL TRENDS, AND FUNDING & REGULATORY TRENDS.
For More Information:
At the federal level, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)finalized the 2013 percentage standards for four fuel categories that are part of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. The final 2013 overall volumes and standards require 16.55 billion gallons of renewable fuels to be blended into the US fuel supply (a 9.74% blend). Because the production of cellulosic biofuels has grown at a much slower pace than envisioned, the rule sets a 6 million gallon target for cellulosic biofuels use in 2013, less than half the level in the proposed rule issued in February 2013. By law,
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Whitney Pitkanen, Senior Project Manager wpitkanen@calstart.org 626.744.5600