Scientists to Pols: Back Off
Posted: March 3, 2009
More than 100 scientists from around the country are challenging efforts by the California Air Resources Board to dive into the murky waters of quantifying indirect land use change when determining the carbon emissions effects of biofuels, accusing the politicians of tilting the playing field in favor of fossil fuels.
Click here to read their letter to Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The scientists outlined two significant problems with the proposed LCFS.
- They challenge the science of indirect land use change, calling it “controversial” and in its “nascent stage” with “clear omissions relative to the real world.”
- They criticize the selective enforcement of indirect effects against biofuels only, saying, “[e]nforcing different compliance metrics against different fuels is the equivalent of picking winners and losers, which is in direct conflict with the ambition of the LCFS.”
In their letter, the scientists recommend the board’s proposed Low Carbon Fuel Standard regulation be based on direct carbon effects, or those emissions directly attributable to the production and use of the particular fuel. According to the scientists, the model used to determine these effects is well-grounded and peer-reviewed, and for biofuel includes the land conversion needed to produce biofuel feedstock.
