Using crops to make diesel involves an inherent trade-off between the fuel’s climate-friendly benefits and preserving enough supplies to keep food prices in check.
Finding the balance can be tricky. That’s the challenge facing California as it debates a potential revamp of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
The frenzy to cash in on credits for lower emissions has triggered a surge in renewable diesel, with state supplies reaching records every quarter since 2020.
The escalation has led environmentalists to call for a limit on crop-based fuels, arguing it’s necessary to ensure the program doesn’t worsen hunger. The biofuel is often made from soybean oil, a staple for cooking.
“California is diverting soybean oil from food markets into its fuel market, and that’s surprising and troubling,” said Jeremy Martin, a senior scientist for the Union of Concerned Scientists who studies the impacts of fuel policy.
And there’s a weird domino effect of using soy oil to make renewable diesel, which some critics say blunts the climate benefits.
As more soy oil goes into diesel, demand climbs for palm oil, a controversial commodity. The European Union wants to phase out its use in fuel production to curb deforestation.
California’s regulatory board recently postponed a March 21 hearing on the fuel standard.
What’s the problem? All these ethanol/bio/corn stover/methane-from-cow-turds programs just represent “splendid opportunities” according to Ontario’s farm organizations.
Farmers like getting the highest price they can for their crop. They have farm organizations who lobby politicians just like teachers/nurses have unions to represent their position.
The US farm lobby is a formidable force. They are the guys that have the ear of the legislators. The question becomes a moral one: fuel or food, the climate or food?
The Ontario farm lobby is a joke, thanks to the Farm Registration and Farm Organizations Funding Act, brought in by Rae’s commies in1993 and never repealed by successive Conservative or Liberal governments.
The legislation guarantees funding to the farm organizations in return for eternal gratitude and servility.
https://www.canlii.org/en/on/laws/stat/so-1993-c-21/latest/so-1993-c-21.html
“California is diverting soybean oil from food markets into its fuel market, and that’s surprising and troubling,” said Jeremy Martin, a senior scientist for the Union of Concerned Scientists who studies the impacts of fuel policy.
Well, since the Union of Communist Scientists is opposed to this, I’m all for it, not the least of which is because soybean oil is nasty.
the laws of thermodynamics will not be overturned by wishfull thinking of the greenies. you cannot extract more energy from a system than you put in. you cannot get the same amount of energy.
Soy/Veg Oil is not good for our nutrition, at all. While the government subsidy industry to produce it is egregious, it’s better to burn it than eat it.
Plant a different crop
Perverse results from perverse incentives.
Government,apparently, are the last to know,that they are stupid,dangerous and destructive..to all forms of productive behaviour.
What did they expect would happen?
When they imposed the mandates and incentives?
Hanging is far too nice..
Just remember, Evil is compound stupidity.
And so defined, we have many evil persons seeking to rule over us.
I love the meme!!
“Finding the balance can be tricky…”
“The frenzy to cash in on credits for lower emissions has triggered a surge in renewable diesel…”
“The escalation has led environmentalists to call for a limit on crop-based fuels…”
It doesn’t even occur to the environ-mentals eliminating the credits would cause the market to find the balance.
Central Planning IS hard, Barbie.
Because it has math that doesn’t add up because Commies think they are smarter than Free Markets.
I’m guessing that soy-based diesel is almost in as high a demand as ethanol-based gasoline.
Absolutely shitty alternative that gums up engines and that NO ONE wants. It is inferior, it wastes land that could be used for food production, and it costs more.
Only an imbecile would push for it. Or a self-interested POS.
Both of which can be found primarily on the political left.
Does california even grow soybeans?
Not many
https://www.cropprophet.com/soybean-production-by-state-top-11/.
Even better. All that enviro-mental fuel they’re paying $9 a gallon for is shipped in from the midwest.
Every major environmental catastrophe is the result of a government policy.