Hillary Clinton outlines ambitious biofuels plan: 60 billion gallons by 2030

Even though the presidential elections in the United States are still a year away, the campaign is in full swing. The leading candidate, Hillary Clinton, has outlined details of her plan to dramatically increase biofuels production in an effort tackle America's energy and climate challenges. Boosting biofuels production is one of the key goals of Clinton’s energy plan, which would increase production of corn ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel and other biofuels to 36 billion gallons (136.3 billion liters) by 2022 and 60 billion gallons (227.1 billion liters) by 2030.

Our nation’s dependence on foreign oil places our economy at risk, our security in jeopardy, and our planet in peril. But I believe we can transform the way we use and produce energy - and create at least 5 million jobs in new green industries. Renewables like biodiesel can be the fuel for a brighter future. And when I’m president, they’ll also fuel a 21st century green economy that helps us end our dependence on foreign oil and begin addressing the climate crisis. It’s time for America to retake our title as the innovation nation and to launch a green energy revolution. - Hillary Clinton, Senator for New York, leading presidential candidate

Clinton's five-point plan to increase production of biofuels to 60 billion gallons by 2030, part of her broader energy and climate agenda [*.pdf], includes:

1. Extending Tax Incentives for Biofuel Production: Tax incentives for biofuels production are the foundation of support for the fledgling biofuels industry. By providing a per-gallon tax credit for corn ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, and biodiesel, the federal government has encouraged investment in biorefinery capacity, helping to bring about the rapid expansion in the industry. To encourage continued growth in the industry, Clinton would extend tax credits for these biofuels.
2. Strengthening Ethanol Infrastructure and Flex-Fuel Vehicles: Automakers are expanding production of "flex-fuel" vehicles that can run on 85% ethanol blends (E85), but the total fleet of flex-fuel vehicles on the road today numbers only 6 million out of about 250 million cars in the US. In addition, of the 170,000 filling stations in the United States, there are fewer than 2,000 that have pumps that dispense E85 ethanol. As biorefinery capacity continues to grow, getting biofuels to market efficiently and putting them to use will depend on improving the distribution infrastructure and making sure that all vehicles can run on E85. To ensure that a growing supply can meet a growing demand, Clinton would: (1) require oil companies and other major gasoline retailers to have E85 pumps at half of their stations by 2012, and 100% by 2017; (2) require automakers to make all vehicles flex-fuel vehicles by 2015; (3) and invest in freight rail upgrades to bring biofuels more efficiently to market.
3. Investing in Research to Accelerate Cellulosic Ethanol and Advanced Biofuels: Cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels technologies offer the promise of using many types of biomass as feedstocks. In Iowa, there are plans to make cellulosic ethanol from corn stover by adding capacity to existing corn ethanol plants, a step that could increase production by about 20%. Elsewhere in the country, grasses, wood chips and other feedstocks can be utilized to make cellulosic ethanol. Commercializing this technology and getting it rapidly deployed will require investments in research and financial support to build the first generation of plants. To accomplish these goals, Clinton will invest $2 billion in cellulosic ethanol research and provide loan guarantees to build the first two billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol capacity.
4. Starting the Next Generation of Energy Crops and Technologies: Moving to new energy crops will depend on farmers who take a risk on growing new crops. Clinton would create a new incentive program to reward farmers in the vicinity of planned cellulosic ethanol facilities to plant new energy such as perennial grasses and trees. This program will also provide conservation benefits and wildlife habitat. She would also establish a program to speed the development of harvesting, conversion and processing technologies needed to turn new feedstocks into biofuel.
5. Ensuring Sustainable Biofuel Production: Clinton believes that America must achieve its biofuels expansion in a way that protects the environment, contributes to solving the climate change problem, and maximizes rural development. She will set a greenhouse gas emissions target for advanced biofuels to ensure that they move over time towards a standard of emitting at least 80% less greenhouse gases as compared to gasoline. In addition, she would develop biofuels guidelines to take into account impacts on land and water resources, water supplies, food prices and wildlife. And she will challenge agricultural research universities across the country to solve major challenges to biofuel expansion - like doubling corn yields and reducing the amount of water used in the refinery process - through a new federal grant and research prize program. In addition to environmental sustainability, Clinton will ensure economic sustainability for rural communities. She is committed to helping rural communities capture a larger share of the economic benefits of the next wave of biorefinieries. Among other things, she will promote local ownership of biorefineries by giving priority in awarding grants and loan guarantees to plants that are locally owned.

Biofuels thus are an essential part of Clinton’s strategy to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and to catalyze a thriving renewables sector in the country. No state has proven the potential of biofuels more than Iowa, which leads the nation in biofuels output and is responsible for 32% of U.S. ethanol capacity and 20% of biodiesel capacity. Biofuels production has helped create about 53,000 jobs in Iowa alone. Corn ethanol and biodiesel have fueled this rapid growth and Iowa is a leader in the emerging cellulosic industry as well:
energy :: sustainability :: ethanol :: biodiesel :: biobutanol :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: Clinton :: United States ::

Clinton’s plan will expand biofuels in Iowa and across the country by providing new incentives for biofuel production, funding for advanced research, support for biofuel infrastructure, and new environmental guidelines and local ownership initiatives to ensure biofuels are produced in a sustainable manner. These steps will help displace gasoline consumption and create millions of good American manufacturing jobs that cannot be outsourced.

Yesterday in Cedar Rapids, Hillary Clinton outlined the comprehensive agenda to tackle our nation’s twin challenges of energy independence and climate change. Her plan will aggressively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by 2050, cut foreign oil imports by 66%, and transform our carbon-based economy into an efficient green economy, creating at least 5 million jobs from clean energy over the next decade.

Clinton believes that expanding biofuels and other renewables will help create clean energy jobs and fuel economic growth. America’s biofuels industry has grown rapidly over the past two decades, from producing only 175 million gallons in 1980 to more than 5 billion gallons today. Iowa has been at the forefront of this movement, and has reaped substantial economic benefits. At the end of 2006, the state had 26 operating ethanol facilities and 8 biodiesel plants, with many more under construction. The industry is growing rapidly; when all current construction projects are completed, Iowa will have doubled its ethanol production capacity and tripled biodiesel capacity.

The Clinton campaign presents the following points to make the case for the biofuels plan:

• Biofuels support the creation of about 53,000 jobs in Iowa, including 30,000 jobs in ongoing operation and maintenance. [IRFA, 2007].
• Ethanol and biodiesel generate $1.8 billion in household income for Iowa households - that’s $2,400 per family of four. [IRFA, 2007].
• Hillary’s plan will build on these successes to catalyze a thriving renewables sector nationwide. The economic and employment impact of this effort are substantial.
• Hillary’s plan to get on a path to produce 25% of our electricity needs from renewables by 2025 could help our economy create 2 million clean energy jobs over 10 years. [University of Tennessee, 25% Renewable Energy for the United States By 2025: Agricultural and Economic Impacts, November 2006]. This is a component of Hillary’s energy plan, which aims overall to help create more than 5 million jobs over a decade.
• In addition, by strengthening the capacity of domestic manufacturers in biofuels and other renewable sectors, Hillary’s plan will help spur additional job growth from accelerated exports. A recent study found that "a renewable energy industry servicing the export market can generate up to 16 times more employment than an industry that only manufactures for domestic consumption." [Environment California Research and Policy Center, Renewable Energy and Jobs, 2003]. The export potential and related job benefits are substantial in a global renewables market that is projected to quadruple, from $55 billion in 2006 to $226 billion in 2016. [Clean Edge, 2007].
• Combined with her efforts to promote energy efficiency, Hillary’s plan will help transform the US economy and create at least 5 million jobs from clean energy over ten years.

References:
Hillary Clinton: Hillary Clinton’s Plan to Increase Biofuels Production and Create Clean Energy Jobs - November 7, 2007.

Hillary Clinton: Powering America's Future: New Energy, New Jobs [*.pdf].