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In the last decade biofuel production has been driven by governmental policies. This article reviews the national strategy plans of the world’s leading producers. Particular attention is dedicated to blending targets, support schemes and feedstock use. Individual country profiles are grouped by continent and include North America (Canada and the US), South America (Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia), Europe (the European Union, France, and Germany), Asia (China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand) and Australia.

This study quantifies the impact of increasing ethanol production on wholesale/retail gasoline prices employing pooled regional time-series data from January 1995 to March 2008. We find that the growth in ethanol production kept wholesale gasoline prices $0.14/gallon lower than would otherwise have been the case. The negative impact of ethanol on retail gasoline prices is found to vary considerably across regions. The Midwest region has the biggest impact at $0.28/gallon, while the Rocky Mountain region had the smallest impact at $0.07/gallon. The results also indicate that the ethanol-induced reduction in gasoline prices comes at the expense of refiners’ profits. We find a net welfare loss of $0.5 billion from the ethanol support policies in multiple markets.

Estimates of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) are used extensively in transportation planning for allocating resources, estimating vehicle emissions, computing energy consumption, and assessing traffic impact. The estimates used in these applications usually come from different sources. For an objective comparison of VMT estimates from different methods, the principles and assumptions supporting the methods and the potential sources of error associated with the methods must be clearly understood. Methods of estimating VMT, including those used by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), are reviewed. Also presented is a comparison of statewide VMT estimates in Indiana from INDOT's traffic count-based method and a non-traffic-data cross-classification VMT estimation model developed for INDOT. The cross-classification model is an independent source of statewide VMT estimates in Indiana to supplement INDOT's traffic count-based estimates. The results of the comparison indicate that INDOT's traffic count-based estimates can be 10 to 20 percent higher than the estimates from the cross-classification VMT estimation model.

Enhanced environmental quality, fuel security, and economic development along with reduced prices of ethanol-gasoline blends are often used as justifications for the U.S. federal excise tax exemption on ethanol fuels. However, the possible effect of increased overall consumption of fuel in response to lower total price, mitigating the environmental and fuel security benefits, are generally not considered. Taking this price response into account, the optimal U.S. ethanol subsidy is derived. Estimated values of the optimal subsidy reveal the subsidy’s environmental and security benefits are questionable. However, positive environmental and security benefits from the ethanol tax-exemption subsidy may be obtained if the subsidy is combined with an increase in the excise tax on gasoline.

In 1997, eight E85 (85% ethanol; 15% gasoline) fuel pumps were installed at separate retail fuel stations in Minnesota to provide high-blend ethanol fuel to flexible fuel vehicle (FFV) owners. FFVs capable of utilizing gasoline, E85, or any mixture of the two, were beginning to be mass produced by vehicle manufacturers and distributed through fleet and retail sales nationwide. These state-level E85 efforts were part of larger federal and state policies and programs promoting the use of alternative transportation fuels to displace traditional gasoline and diesel fuel, which continue today. By the end of 2006, there were approximately 300 E85 fuel station
locations and over 125,000 FFVs in Minnesota. The amount of E85 fuel being utilized in the state was estimated at approximately 18 million gallons annually

The Biomass Program is one of the nine technology development programs within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This 2011 Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP) sets forth the goals and structure of the Biomass Program. It identifies the research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) activities the Program will focus on over the next five years, and outlines why these activities are important to meeting the energy and sustainability challenges facing the nation.

This 2011 MYPP is intended for use as an operational guide to help the Biomass Program manage and coordinate its activities, and as a resource to help articulate its mission and goals to management and the public.