Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Renewable Fuel Standard ...
Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Renewable Fuel Standard ...
Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Renewable Fuel Standard ...
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VI. Current <strong>and</strong> Projected <strong>Renewable</strong> <strong>Fuel</strong> Production <strong>and</strong> Use<br />
While the definition <strong>of</strong> renewable fuel does not limit compliance with the<br />
st<strong>and</strong>ard to any one particular type <strong>of</strong> renewable fuel, ethanol is currently the most<br />
prevalent renewable fuel blended into gasoline today. Biodiesel represents another<br />
renewable fuel, which while not as widespread as ethanol use (in terms <strong>of</strong> volume), has<br />
been increasing in production capacity <strong>and</strong> use over the last several years. This section<br />
provides a brief overview <strong>of</strong> the ethanol <strong>and</strong> biodiesel industries today <strong>and</strong> how they are<br />
projected to grow into the future.<br />
A. Overview <strong>of</strong> U.S. Ethanol Industry <strong>and</strong> Future<br />
Production/Consumption<br />
1. Current Ethanol Production<br />
As <strong>of</strong> June 2006, there were 102 ethanol production facilities operating in the<br />
United States with a combined production capacity <strong>of</strong> approximately 4.9 billion gallons<br />
per year 39 . All <strong>of</strong> the ethanol currently produced comes from grain or starch-based<br />
feedstocks that can easily be broken down into ethanol via traditional fermentation<br />
processes. The majority <strong>of</strong> ethanol (almost 93 percent by volume) is produced<br />
exclusively from corn. Another 7 percent comes from a blend <strong>of</strong> corn <strong>and</strong>/or similarly<br />
processed grains (milo, wheat, or barley) <strong>and</strong> less than 1 percent is produced from waste<br />
beverages, cheese whey, <strong>and</strong> sugars/starches combined. A summary <strong>of</strong> ethanol<br />
production by feedstock is presented in Table VI.A.1-1.<br />
39 The June 2006 ethanol production baseline was generated from a variety <strong>of</strong> data sources including<br />
<strong>Renewable</strong> <strong><strong>Fuel</strong>s</strong> Association (RFA), Ethanol Biorefinery Locations (Updated June 19, 2006); Ethanol<br />
Producer Magazine (EPM), U.S. & Canada <strong>Fuel</strong> Ethanol Plant Map (Spring 2006); <strong>and</strong> International <strong>Fuel</strong><br />
Quality Center (IFQC), Special Bi<strong>of</strong>uels Report #75 (April 11, 2006) as well as ethanol producer websites.<br />
The production baseline includes small-scale ethanol production facilities as well as former food-grade<br />
ethanol plants that have since transitioned into the fuel-grade ethanol market. Where applicable, current<br />
ethanol plant production levels were used to represent plant capacity, as nameplate capacities are <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
underestimated.<br />
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