About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (March 16, 2006)

handle is hein.crs/crsajfc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS22404 March 16, 2006 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web European Union Biofuels Policy and Agriculture: An Overview Randy Schnepf Specialist in Agricultural Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Summary Several different economic and environmental forces have converged in recent years to generate growing interest in alternate sources of energy, including biofuels, within the European Union (EU). The European Commission (EC) is using both legislation and formal directives to promote biofuel production and use within the EU. However, EU biofuel production is impeded by its high production costs relative to fossil fuels. To date, the most important biofuel produced in the EU has been biodiesel with an 80% share of biofuel production in 2004. Bioethanol has accounted for the remainder. The major feedstock for EU biodiesel production is rapeseed oil, while bioethanol is generally produced using a combination of sugar beets and wheat. U.S. policymakers are closely watching EU biofuel developments, particularly for any successful policy choices that might work in the United States. In addition, both the production and use of biofuels have important long-run implications for EU agricultural production and trade. This report briefly introduces some of the more salient agricultural policies and issues related to EU biofuel production and use. This report will be updated as events warrant. Introduction Various policy goals - reducing greenhouse gas emissions, boosting the decarbonization of transport fuels, diversifying fuel supply sources and developing long- term replacements for fossil oil while diversifying income and employment in rural areas - have motivated the European Union (EU) to promote the production and use of biofuels (i.e., transport fuels produced from renewable organic materials). Between 1985 and 2004, road transportation (i.e., cars and trucks) fuel consumption in Western Europe (primarily the EU) grew by nearly 50%. By 2000 the then EU-15 was importing 75% of its petroleum needs with expectations for this import dependence to Congressional Research Service + The Library of Congress

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most