Earth Track Document

This chapter reviews the major policy developments affecting the fuel-ethanol industry of the United States since the late 1970s, quantifies their value to the industry, and evaluates the efficacy of ethanol subsidization in achieving greenhouse gas reduction goals.  Total support to ethanol is currently substantial ($5.8-7.0 billion in 2006) and set to rise sharply even under existing policy settings.  However, its cost effectiveness is low, especially as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Extract from technical appendix of report by Doug Koplow for the Alliance to Save Energy. Detail on federal subsidies to decommissioning, waste disposal, accident liability, uranium enrichment, and regulatory oversight of the industry.

(Word Document). Doug Koplow, Dale Andrew, Jean Marc Burniaux, and Erkki Adorian. OECD, Joint Working Party on Trade and Environment, September 2001. Also available in French.

Article for the Interpress News Service.  (June 2007).

Formal comments outlining market distortions and structural weaknesses in DOE's multi-billion dollar program to subsidize favored energy technologies.  Authorized under Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the program creates a huge potential windfall to the nuclear sector.  Also accessible on DOE site.  (July 2007).

Report.  Summary slides from release.  Growing production and more subsidies converge to trigger an estimated $93 billion in support to ethanol and biodiesel for the 2006-12 period.  The report also contains a detailed review of the large and potentially environmentally harmful biofuels subsidies in the pending Energy and Farm bills. Prepared fo the Global Subsidies Initiative. (Oct. 2007).