Biodiesel Will Stay in Tanks Following Policy U-Turn
by David Thorpe (Link2Portal.com) A policy U-turn by the European Commission, on the indirect effects on land use and greenhouse gas emissions caused by biofuels, has managed to upset almost all parties.
Changes being published today to draft proposals for a revision of the Biofuels Directive, now mean that biofuel suppliers will not be held accountable, after all, for greenhouse gas emissions, caused, for example, by displacing food production into new areas.
…ILUC was to have been banned under the revised Directive, but now its avoidance will only be recommended, i.e. suppliers will have to report the origin of their fuel and its sustainability, but will not have to meet the guidelines.
This part of the Biofuels Directive affects so-called first-generation biodiesel, derived from food crops, or crops grown on former virgin rainforest land, or on otherwise agricultural land, and include wheat, maize, soya, rape, palm oil and sugar cane.
The new EU proposals will still reduce the proportion of crop-based biofuels in the total EU transport energy consumption from 10% to 5% by 2020. Other sources of biofuels will have to make up the remaining 5% of the total target. READ MORE and MORE (European Commission) and MORE (Reuters)
