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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Appendix C
Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability

NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: Office of the Biomass Program


AGENCY: Department of Energy


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Biomass research has been a cornerstone of DOE’s renewable energy research, development and deployment efforts over the past 25 years. In order to encourage the economic livelihood of a thriving biofuel industry, the Office of the Biomass Program (OBP) at the Department of Energy supports research and development aimed at assessing the impacts of biofuels on the environment, including impacts to land, water, and air from energy production and use. Included in this mission is a goal to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions by accelerating the adoption of renewable energy technologies.

A clear driver of the OBP’s activities is the mandate set by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) which sets a U.S. production goal of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022, of which 21 billion should be advanced biofuels made from biomass products other than corn starch, such as cellulose, algae, and waste materials. Meeting this goal will require: significant and rapid advancements in biomass feedstock and conversion technologies; availability of large volumes of sustainable biomass feedstock; demonstration and deployment of large-scale integrated biofuels production facilities; and biofuels infrastructure development efforts. In addition, the existing agricultural, forestry and commercial sectors

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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will be making the decisions to invest in biomass systems—from shifting land use, to building capital-intensive biorefineries, to establishing the infrastructure and public vehicle fleet for ethanol distribution and end use—in the context of economic viability (including as it relates to environmental sustainability) and the needs of the marketplace.

The core R&D of OBP is organized around the integrated biorefinery concept. The biorefinery helps deliver sustainable and environmentally sound contributions to power, fuels, and products demand while supporting rural economies. Key barriers relevant to this area include ensuring resource sustainability at levels large enough to support large-scale production facilities and maximizing the efficiency of conversion facilities to minimize costs. Energy production from biomass on a large scale will require careful evaluation of U.S. agricultural resources and logistics, as these will likely require a change in paradigm that will take time to implement. Current harvesting, storage and transportation systems are currently inadequate for processing and distribution of biomass on the scale needed to support dramatically larger volumes of biofuels production. Evaluating the current feedstock resource on a national level as well as the potential for future feedstock production in light of environmental constraints is part of OBP’s focus.

Overall, the program emphasizes sustainable development of the biofuels industry, including economic, environmental, and societal impacts over entire life cycle of biofuels—from the farm to end use in vehicles. The program promotes biofuels that do not compete with food crops, and our analytic models are continuously enhanced to improve our ability to anticipate, understand, and avoid potential adverse impacts on the environment, whether they are direct or indirect.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES, OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

OBP has been working with Oak Ridge, Argonne, and Idaho National Laboratories in conjunction with university partners to develop a national, GIS-based framework to analyze the economic and environmental impacts of various development options for biomass feedstocks, biorefineries, and infrastructure. The framework is aimed at supporting assessment of relevant resources and infrastructure at local, regional, and national scales; determining the best locations for new feedstock production and processing facilities; evaluating the potential contribution of biofuels to meet legislated renewable fuel production targets; and protecting air quality, water, land, and other resources.

In addition, the program’s current sustainability activities include: performing comparative life-cycle assessment (LCA) of water requirements for the production of advanced biofuels, corn ethanol, sugar cane ethanol, and competing petroleum fuels. The four main areas addressed in the LCA are: land use and soil sustainability, water use impacts, air quality impacts, and greenhouse gas (GHG)

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

emissions impacts. Also, the GREET model (Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation) is being utilized for an analysis of water demand for biofuel production, energy and GHG emission benefit of biofuels. Included in this project is an expansion of the existing model to include corn ethanol, sugarcane ethanol, and flex-fuel vehicle (FFV) test results.

Currently, LCA of the Advanced Energy Initiative is being performed for the 60 billion gallon 30x30 scenario (a scenario for supplying 30 percent of 2004 motor gasoline demands by 2030). The analysis covers the entire biofuels supply chain from feedstocks to vehicles and will expand the GREET model to incorporate other pathways including sugar cane ethanol production.

OBP is working with Conservation International to identify land that should not be developed into biofuel crops; conducting pilot studies to identify the best lands for biofuel crop production; employing standards for biofuel crop production to maintain biodiversity. The Biomass Program works with diverse partners to promote sustainable biofuels development.

OBP also participates in the Council for Sustainable Biomass Production www.csbp.org aimed at developing principles for bioenergy feedstocks, and as well as in the Federal Biomass Research & Development Board Interagency Sustainability working group charged with developing criteria and indicators for sustainable biofuel production.

A significant amount of work is being undertaken at Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and at National Renewable Energy Laboratory to address various aspects of biofuels LCA. In addition to our ongoing support and expansion of the GREET model at Argonne, we are co-funding work on the Global Trade and Agriculture Project (GTAP) model at Purdue University. Our work at Purdue is an attempt to develop a better understanding and begin to analytically assess the indirect land use change impacts of biofuels. We continue to work with our counterparts to develop appropriate GHG accounting methodology and related policy for biofuels to enhance the climate and economic benefits of biofuels.


PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL):

OBP’s R&D has led the effort to develop technology necessary to sustainably produce, harvest, and convert a variety of biomass feedstocks, as well as to deploy the resulting biofuels. Core R&D on feedstock production and logistics and biomass conversion technologies is conducted to develop the scientific and technical foundation that will enable the new bioindustry. OBP is looking to advance science in these areas through important collaborations with the DOE Office of Science Bioenergy Centers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, land grant universities, and private industry. OBP has developed Regional Feedstock Partnerships to begin to realize the sustainability of the resource potential outlined in

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

the Billion Ton Study. This approach facilitates the collaboration of industry, the agricultural community, state and local governments and USDA and is expected to accelerate the resource readiness, as the cellulosic fuels industry emerges.


PROJECT PERIOD: Ongoing


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED): $12.3 million in FY2008/2009; $10 million planned for FY2010

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: Analysis Driven Design of Agronomic Strategies Supporting Sustainable Agricultural Residue Collection for Bioenergy


AGENCY: Department of Energy


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

The goal of this work is to build an enterprise level analysis toolset that helps design agronomic management strategies facilitating sustainable agricultural residue harvest.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy.

Multiple factors impact agricultural residue harvest for bioenergy production. A minimum level of residue removal is required to satisfy baseline economic and logistic constraints, and increasing yield enhances viability of agricultural residues as a bioenergy feedstock. Agronomic and environmental limiting factors in many production systems reduce sustainable access to residues. The design and implementation of innovative agronomic management strategies can address sustainability issues increasing access to agricultural residues supporting biofuel production goals.

Limiting Factor Analysis Approach

Determining sustainability of residue removal within an agronomic system requires analysis taking into account the full suite of factors which limit residue

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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removal. Each land unit has unique physical and management characteristics that determine the factor(s) impacting residue removal sustainability. The graphic above identifies the limiting factors.

Advanced Software Framework

This project is using innovative tools for software and data integration to assemble the limiting factor models in a “drag and drop” environment. Models can be pulled in and out of the system through simple interfaces facilitating analysis with the appropriate set of tools. Through this framework, individual land units can be investigated to design agronomic management strategies that provide sustainable and consistent access to residue resources.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES, OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

The figure below represents a case study demonstrating the value and importance of the analysis approach being implemented in this project. This particular run of the integrated model set is looking at a 25 acre experiment that is part of the DOE Regional Biomass Feedstock Partnership network of field trials. The site is on highly productive central Iowa soils. As demonstrated in the figure, through currently widely used analysis approaches looking at erosion alone as the limiting factor full removal of the stover residue falls within the sustainability limits for both conventional and no tillage scenarios. When the soil organic carbon limit-

Source: U.S. Department of Energy.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

ing factor is considered, no residue is sustainably accessible under conventional tillage, and partial removal is acceptable for no tillage management. Through the implementation of innovative management strategies within the analysis full residue removal is not only acceptable, but provides a soil carbon gain. This approach is working toward including each of the previously identified six limiting factors, and plans going forward include developing the ability to quantify key ecosystem services provided through the innovative strategies to potentially provide growers with added value for sustainable agronomic management.


PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL):

Sun Grant Initiative, Iowa State University, Idaho National Laboratory, Penn State University, Kansas State University, and USDA ARS.


PROJECT PERIOD: 1/15/07 through 9/30/10


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED): Current funding at 400K per year.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: Regional Biomass Feedstock Partnership Sustainability Indicator Data Collection Field Trials


AGENCY: Department of Energy


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

This project is utilizing the DOE Regional Biomass Feedstock Partnership network of field trials to begin collecting sustainability data regionally for multiple feedstock production systems. The Regional Feedstock Partnership is a multi-agency consortium comprised of land-grant universities through the Sun Grant Initiative, DOE Office of the Biomass Program, DOE National Laboratories, and USDA partners through the Agricultural Research Service and Forest Service. Among the charges of the partnership is a nationwide network of field trials assessing and developing biomass feedstock resources. This project is leveraging five of these field trials to collect data relative to critical sustainability indicators.

Eddy Covariance Tower St. Paul, MN

Eddy Covariance Tower St. Paul, MN

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Energy

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×
Sustainability Data

Three primary sustainability indicators have been selected as critical for the specific biomass production systems being investigated are:

  • Soil Carbon

    • Sequestration potential

    • Impact on productive capacity

  • Hydrology and Water Quality

    • Field scale implementation

    • Nutrient transport

    • Water holding capacity

  • Direct Green House Gas Emissions

    • N2O flux

    • CO2 flux

The Field Trials

Projects at 5 locations:

  • Ames, IA; St. Paul, MN (corn)

  • Brookings, SD (switchgrass)

  • Champaign, IL (miscanthus)

  • College Station, TX (energy sorghum)

Source: U.S. Department of Energy.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy.

The suite of feedstocks being investigated through this study will provide important data helping understand ecosystem impacts of production decisions

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

reacting to emerging biofuel markets. Specifically of interest for the overall Regional Partnership effort, is how dedicated energy crops can integrate with currently cropping systems to provide food, feed, fiber, and fuel across an efficient and sustainable agronomic landscape. This work is focusing on developing quality sustainability based data that can inform the design of this landscape. As part of the Regional Partnership efforts, the data and publications generated through this work will disseminated through an education and outreach component of the partnership. Furthermore, the data will become part of partnership wide analyses assessing resource potential, and will be contributed to the DOE Bioenergy Knowledge Discovery Framework (KDF). The KDF is a comprehensive geospatial data and analysis toolkit being assembled to provide stakeholders with a means to interact with reviewed, up to date, and complete information about the emerging biofuels industry. The data contributed from this work will be a critical component in providing that toolkit.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

The project began in January, 2009, so first year data will not be assembled until Fall, 2009. Innovative experimental designs and protocols have emerged through the planning and buildup to this project. Techniques for collecting hydrology and GHG data have been designed with associated experimental protocols for the specific implementations and will be published over the coming months and years.


PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL):

Sun Grant Initiative (providing a large consortium of land grant universities), USDA ARS, Idaho National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory


PROJECT PERIOD: 1/15/09 through 9/30/13


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED): Current funding at 400K per year.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: U.S. EPA’s Future Midwestern Landscapes Study


AGENCY: Environment Protection Agency


Agency Contact Information:

Randy Bruins

Betsy Smith

(bruins.randy@epa.gov, 513-569-7581)

(smith.betsy@epa.gov, 919-541-0620)

Project period: 2009-2013

The Future Midwestern Landscapes (FML) Study will examine projected changes in landscapes and ecosystem services1 in the Midwest. Given its immediate influence, biofuel production will be studied as a primary driver of landscape change. The study goals are to: (1)Understand how current and projected land uses affect the ecosystem services provided by Midwestern landscapes; (2) Provide spatially explicit information that will enable EPA to articulate sustainable approaches to environmental management and; (3) Develop web-based tools depicting alternative futures so users can evaluate trade-offs affecting ecosystem services.

For a 12-state region of the Midwest (EPA Regions 5 and 7 plus the Dakotas; Figure 1), researchers will work with decision makers and use economic and spatial modeling tools to construct alternative landscapes that reflect different assumptions about national policy, technology, and land management over the next 10-20 years.

As a first step in this project, a Base Year landscape has been created that represents a “pre-biofuels” scenario. To provide the level of detail necessary for relating land cover to provision of services, the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) for 2001/2002 for the region was augmented with the National Agricultural Statistical Survey (NASS) Cropland Data Layers (CDL) available for the states in the regions, soils data, and data from the LandFire database (http://www.landfire.gov). The new base year landscape reflects crops planted as well as typical rotations and forest species.

The Biofuel Targets future scenario is implied by current policies emphasizing large increases in biofuels production, as specified under the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA). EISA calls for a ramp-up of biofuels from 2008 to 2022, beginning with increases in corn starch ethanol and later including cellulose-based ethanol, derived from a variety of sources such as corn stover, wood chips and switchgrass. Under this scenario corn production will increase,

1

Ecosystem services can be defined as the benefits that humans derive from ecosystems.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×
FIGURE 1 The FML Study area with the National Landuse/Landcover Database 2001/2002.

FIGURE 1 The FML Study area with the National Landuse/Landcover Database 2001/2002.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

primarily through conversion of other crops to corn and through modification of traditional crop rotations that alternate corn with soybeans or other crops towards a corn monoculture. There will also be a reduction in enrollment in land conservation programs, and corn stover will be the primary feedstock for cellulosic ethanol. This future landscape, which will be analyzed to evaluate the increased pressure on soil and water quality and other ecosystem services, will reflect a configuration that could be realized in 2022 under these conditions.

The alternative Multiple Services scenario envisions incentive policies aimed at encouraging the production of a more balanced set of agricultural commodities and environmentally beneficial outcomes. Incentives will tend to favor enhanced agronomic and conservation practices that provide societal benefits such as water quality, flood control, carbon storage and wildlife production. The suite of ecosystem services that are provided by Midwestern landscapes will be individually weighted by representative decision-makers using a multi-criteria decision analysis method to develop an optimal target landscape for the region. Next, hypothetical incentive policies will be crafted that would support landowners’adoption of those conservation practices that best support the broader suite of services. An economic model will then assess the efficacy of the proposed policies and the results will be used to adjust the optimal landscape towards a more realistic, spatially-explicit representation at the year 2022.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

The ecosystem services associated with each alternative landscape will be described and compared. Ecosystem services we will seek to assess include:

  • Carbon sequestration (affects climate)

  • Soil productivity (affects food and energy security)

  • Hydrology and water quality (affect water supply, flooding, downstream aquatic ecosystems, recreation)

  • Wildlife habitat and other natural areas (affect biodiversity and recreation)

  • Air quality (affects health)

Evaluating many ecosystem services will require that we draw upon the expertise of other federal agencies. Collaboration is underway with the USDA Farm Service Agency, USDOI Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The landscape analysis methods developed for the study will be implemented as a web-based environmental decision toolkit, similar to other toolkits previously created under EPA’s Regional Vulnerability Assessment Program (ReVA). Scientists anticipate that the toolkit will allow users to compare alternative Mid-western futures by examining tradeoffs—that is, changes in the provision of a wide variety of ecosystem services—at both local and regional scales.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: Lifecycle Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Renewable Fuels


AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

As part of proposed revisions to the National Renewable Fuel Standard program (commonly known as the RFS program), EPA analyzed lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from increased renewable fuels use. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) establishes new renewable fuel categories and eligibility requirements. EISA sets the first U.S. mandatory lifecycle GHG reduction thresholds for renewable fuel categories, as compared to those of average petroleum fuels used in 2005. The regulatory purpose of the lifecycle GHG emissions analysis is to determine whether renewable fuels meet the GHG thresholds for the different categories of renewable fuel.

Lifecycle GHG emissions are the aggregate quantity of GHGs related to the full fuel cycle, including all stages of fuel and feedstock production and distribution, from feedstock generation and extraction through distribution and delivery and use of the finished fuel. The lifecycle GHG emissions of the renewable fuel are compared to the lifecycle GHG emissions for gasoline or diesel (whichever is being replaced by the renewable fuel) sold or distributed as transportation fuel in 2005.

EISA established specific GHG emission thresholds for each of four types of renewable fuels, requiring a percentage improvement compared to a baseline of the gasoline and diesel. EISA required a 20 percent reduction in lifecycle GHG emissions for any renewable fuel produced at new facilities (those constructed after enactment), a 50 percent reduction in order to be classified as biomass-based diesel or advanced biofuel, and a 60 percent reduction in order to be classified as cellulosic biofuel. EISA provides some limited flexibility for EPA to adjust these GHG percentage thresholds downward by up to 10 percent under certain circumstances. EPA is proposing to exercise this flexibility for the advanced biofuels category in this proposal.

EPA must conduct a lifecycle analysis to determine whether or not renewable fuels produced under varying conditions will meet the GHG thresholds for the different fuel types for which EISA establishes mandates. While these thresholds do not constitute a control on GHGs for transportation fuels (such as a low carbon fuel standard), they do require that the volume mandates be met through the use of renewable fuels that meet certain lifecycle GHG reduction thresholds when compared to the baseline lifecycle emissions of petroleum fuel. Determining compliance with the thresholds requires a comprehensive evaluation of renewable

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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fuels, as well as of gasoline and diesel, on the basis of their lifecycle emissions. EISA defines lifecycle GHG emissions as follows:

The term ‘lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions’ means the aggregate quantity of greenhouse gas emissions (including direct emissions and significant indirect emissions such as significant emissions from land use changes), as determined by the Administrator, related to the full fuel lifecycle, including all stages of fuel and feedstock production and distribution, from feedstock generation or extraction through the distribution and delivery and use of the finished fuel to the ultimate consumer, where the mass values for all greenhouse gases are adjusted to account for their relative global warming potential.2

As mandated by EISA, the GHG emission assessments must evaluate the full lifecycle emission impacts of fuel production including both direct and indirect emissions such as significant emissions from land use changes. We recognize the significance of using lifecycle GHG emission assessments that include indirect impacts such as emission impacts of indirect land use changes. Therefore, in our proposal we have been transparent in breaking out the various sources of GHG emissions to enable the reader to readily detect the impact of including international land use impacts.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES, OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

EPA has analyzed the lifecycle GHG impacts of the range of biofuels currently expected to contribute significantly to meeting the volume mandates of EISA through 2022, including those from domestic and international sources. In these analyses we have used the best science available. Our analysis relies on peer reviewed models and the best estimate of important trends in agricultural practices and fuel production technologies as these may impact our prediction of individual biofuel GHG performance through 2022. We have identified and highlighted assumptions and model inputs that particularly influence our assessment and seek comment on these assumptions, the models we have used and our overall methodology so as to assure the most robust assessment of lifecycle GHG performance for the final rule.

The GHG lifecycle analysis combines a suite of peer-reviewed process models and peer-reviewed economic models of the domestic and international agricultural sectors to determine direct and significant indirect emissions, respectively (see Figure 1). As required by EISA, the broad system boundaries of our analysis encompass all significant secondary agricultural sector GHG impacts, not only impacts from land use change. The analysis uses economic models to determine the area and location of land converted into cropland in each country as a result of the RFS program. Satellite data are used to predict the types of land that would be converted into cropland (e.g., forest, grassland).

EPA’s draft results suggest that biofuel-induced land use change can produce

2

Clean Air Act Section 211(o)(1).

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

significant near-term GHG emissions; however, displacement of petroleum by biofuels over subsequent years can “pay back” earlier land conversion impacts. Therefore, the time horizon over which emissions are analyzed and the application of a discount rate to value near-term versus longer-term emissions are critical factors. We highlight two options. One option assumes a 30 year time period for assessing future GHG emissions impacts and values equally all emission impacts, regardless of time of emission impact (i.e., 0 percent discount rate). The second option assesses emissions impacts over a 100 year time period and discounts future emissions at 2 percent annually. Several other variations of time period and discount rate are also discussed in the proposed rule. Table 1 provides draft GHG emission reductions that result under two time horizon/discount rate approaches for a sample of fuel pathways evaluated in the proposed rulemaking. Figures 1 and 2 break out emissions for each of these pathways by lifecycle component (e.g., fuel production, domestic and international and use change, domestic and international agricultural inputs) for the two time horizon/discount rate approaches.

We believe that our lifecycle analysis is based on the best available science, and recognize that in some aspects it represents a cutting edge approach to addressing lifecycle GHG emissions. Because of the varying degrees of uncertainty in the different aspects of our analysis, we conducted a number of sensitivity analyses which focus on key parameters and demonstrate how our assessments might change under alternative assumptions. By focusing attention on these key parameters, the comments we receive as well as additional investigation and

TABLE 1 Draft Lifecycle GHG Emission Reduction Results for Different Time Horizon and Discount Rate Approaches

Fuel Pathway

100 year, 2% Discount Rate

30 year, 0% Discount Rate

Corn Ethanol (Natural Gas Dry Mill)

−16%

+5%

Corn Ethanol (Best Case Natural Gas Dry Mill)a

−39%

−18%

Corn Ethanol (Coal Dry Mill)

+13%

+34%

Corn Ethanol (Biomass Dry Mill)

−39%

−18%

Corn Ethanol (Biomass Dry Mill with Combined Heat and Power)

−47%

−26%

Soy-Based Biodiesel

−22%

+4%

Waste Grease Biodiesel

−80%

−80%

Sugarcane Ethanol

−44%

−26%

Switchgrass Ethanol

−128%

−124%

Corn Stover Ethanol

−115%

−116%

aBest case plants produce wet distillers grain co-product and include the following technologies: combined heat and power (CHP), fractionation, membrane separation and raw starch hydrolysis.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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FIGURE 1 Net lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by lifecycle component with 100 year time horizon and 2% discount rate.

FIGURE 1 Net lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by lifecycle component with 100 year time horizon and 2% discount rate.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

FIGURE 2 Net lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by lifecycle component with 30 year time horizon and 0% discount rate.

FIGURE 2 Net lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by lifecycle component with 30 year time horizon and 0% discount rate.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

analysis by EPA will allow narrowing of uncertainty concerns for the final rule. In addition to this sensitivity analysis approach, we will also explore options for more formal uncertainty analyses for the final rule to the extent possible.

Because lifecycle analysis is a new part of the RFS program, in addition to the formal comment period on the proposed rule, EPA is making multiple efforts to solicit public and expert feedback on our proposed approach. EPA plans to hold a public workshop focused specifically on lifecycle analysis during the comment period to assure full understanding of the analyses conducted, the issues addressed and the options that are discussed. We expect that this workshop will help ensure that we receive submission of the most thoughtful and useful comments to this proposal and that the best methodology and assumptions are used for calculating GHG emissions impacts of fuels for the final rule. Additionally, between this proposal and the final rule, we will conduct peer-reviews of key components of our analysis. As explained in more detail in the section VI of the proposal, EPA is specifically seeking peer review of: our use of satellite data to project future the type of land use changes; the land conversion GHG emissions factors estimates we have used for different types of land use; our estimates of GHG emissions from foreign crop production; methods to account for the variable timing of GHG emissions; and how the several models we have relied upon are used together to provide overall lifecycle GHG estimates.

Each component of our analysis is discussed in detail in the preamble and the Draft Regulatory Impact Analysis that accompany the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The proposed rule is an important opportunity to seek public comment on EPA’s entire lifecycle GHG analysis, including questions about land use modeling, and the choice of which time horizon and discount rate is most appropriate for this analysis.


PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL): Information not available


PROJECT PERIOD: Information not available


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED): Information not available.


FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: www.epa.gov/otaq/renewablefuels/index.htm

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: Multi-scale Assessment of Environmental and Economic Sustainability for Renewable Biomass Production Systems


AGENCY: USDA-Agricultural Research Service


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

The project utilizes multi-location field research to refine process-based models Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) and Agricultural Land Management Alternatives with Numerical Assessment Criteria (ALMANAC), allowing field-validated simulations of potential biofuel crop species. Field-level simulation is used to determine on-farm sustainability including production, profitability and economic risk, break-even biomass prices, nitrate and pesticide leaching, sediment and nutrient run-off, wildlife value, and soil carbon storage. Results are spatially-linked, allowing display of results through a geographic information system, providing capability to map results and conduct spatial analyses of biomass supplies and resulting economic and environmental impacts.

Field data are scaled to the watershed level with the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Analyses address offsite sustainability issues including water supply, river and reservoir sedimentation, and nutrient and pesticide loading and concentrations in rivers and reservoirs. The system will also ultimately assess the impact of biofuel feedstock production on hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. The approach emphasizes field-level detail that cannot be simulated using large-scale empirical models. Results at the local, regional, and national scales will be calculated with high accuracy by aggregating and routing simulations based on a field-parameterized, field-validated lowest unit.

Regional-scale economic analyses utilize Parallel Genetic Algorithm for Computation of Biophysical and Economic many-objective Pareto Sets (PGA-BIOECON), an analysis approach that dynamically links economic and physical simulation models. This provides an efficient mechanism for calculating optimal tradeoffs among objectives including farm profitability, policy efficiency, and ecological services. The system uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) to model producer behavior at the farm-level. PGA-BIOECON requires actual farm level data that has been obtained with a novel approach that uses Bayesian methods to generate synthetic microdata from Census of Agriculture individual records. This method preserves the statistical characteristics of the original farm survey data and allows economic modeling and mapping of results, yet preserves confidentiality of census records. The use of DEA allows the evaluation of non-market goods or “bads” (e.g., sediment or nitrogen run-off). Cap-and-trade marketing, permitting, and other incentive policies have also been modeled using DEA. To

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

characterize environmental quality or water quality, a Malmquist index approach is implemented in the model. In this approach, the weight that is attached to each metric used in assessing environmental quality is derived from the entire data set. This approach takes advantage of over a century of results in index number theory, and meets all the theoretical requirements for an index to accurately represent the underlying metrics. PGA-BIOECON uses SWAT as the primary model for simulation of the physical environment.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES, OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

The hybrid genetic algorithm that is the basis for PGA-BIOECON was developed as part of the USDA Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP). The publication of the algorithm is the first application in economics of methods that calculate a spread of points along the whole Pareto optimal front in multiple dimensions. Previously, only a single point at a time was estimated, and it was very difficult to include the interactions of variables in the search for multiple optima.

In the CEAP project, PGA-BIOECON is being applied to 12 watersheds to evaluate the trade-offs among farm profit, water quality, and program efficiency where conservation practices are adopted. This research is the first scientific attempt at assessing the environmental benefits that result from the public investment in agricultural conservation programs through the USDA Farm Bill Conservation Title.

Field-level simulations have been conducted for the entire Minnesota River watershed, and the results have been used to evaluate potential field-scale economic and environmental impacts for alternative crop production practices, and to generate regional biomass supply curves, and relate biomass supply to aggregate environmental impacts for a biomass gasification facility constructed at Morris, MN.

SWAT has been applied to the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB) for estimation of climate change induced stream flow, for calculation of sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus loads due to ethanol production under different scenarios in the UMRB. SWAT is also used as the primary model for the National Assessment Project, which provides an annual accounting of the environmental benefits obtained from USDA conservation program expenditures.

It is the intent of this project to link to the USDA Economic Research Service Regional Environment and Agriculture and Programming (REAP) model so that the effects of alternative bioenergy production systems on commodity prices can be evaluated, and these results used to help optimize income at the producer level.


PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL):

USDA-ARS Mandan, ND, Temple, TX, and Corvallis, OR, Texas A&M University, University of Minnesota-Morris, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

Service, Oregon State University, USDA-Economic Research Service, USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service.


PROJECT PERIOD: Long-term research, specific accomplishment timelines: 2007-2010.


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED): Recurrent USDA-Agricultural Research Service base funding.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT: Managing Agricultural Drainage Systems for Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Biofuels Production


AGENCY: USDA-Agricultural Research Service


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

The unique soil and climate of the Upper Mississippi River Basin (and the Lake Erie Basin) area provide the resources for bountiful agricultural production. Agricultural drainage—both surface and subsurface—is essential for achieving economically viable crop production. As agricultural producers strive to meet the demands of producing grain and biomass feedstocks for food, feed, renewable energy generation, more production will be required from each unit of land. This will likely cause the land currently not in production to be brought back into use with the consequent application of more agrichemical use in watersheds. The result will increase the potential for soluble pollutant delivery from agricultural production areas to surface and ground waters. Drainage practices alter hydrology, shortening the travel distance and time for water to move from the landscape into the stream networks, as well as increasing the volume of water moving to the streams. Consequently the water interacts less with the mineral and organic components of the soil, so there is less opportunity for biological and chemical interactions to process dissolved nutrients carried with the drainage water. Historically these were managed as free drainage systems, allowing all the water that reached the drain to flow freely to the receiving stream.

USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) research in Ohio documented significant reductions in drainage volume and nitrate load delivered offsite with alternative winter season drainage water management by raising the drainage outlet elevation. The advent of this concept of management led to the formation of a multi-agency USDA effort called the Agricultural Drainage Management Systems (ADMS) Task Force under the joint leadership of ARS, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). Task Force meetings have brought together many state and federal agencies to examine and develop ways to promote adoption of this practice in the Upper Midwest as the most promising practice for reducing the contribution from this region towards the size of the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico. This had led to adoption of drainage water management as a cost-shareable practice available to land owners and operators under the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Establishment of the ADMS Task Force also spawned the formation of a drainage industry-based Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition (ADMC), which has contributed important insights to the discussions and strategies developed by the Task Force. Understand-

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

ing the need for demonstration of this innovative technology and education of the agricultural community to enhance its adoption, the ADMC worked with ARS and University research scientists to draft a Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) proposal to establish demonstration sites in five Midwest states. NRCS provided funding for this CIG project, and the water quality and economic benefits of the DWM practice are being quantified, tested, and demonstrated at the field scale at more than 20 locations across the Midwest.

The primary objectives of the CIG project are to demonstrate reductions in flow and nutrient load to receiving streams, and to assess the potential yield benefit of crop season drainage water management through additional soil water available for crop use. Educational programs are being offered throughout the Midwest to promote the design and management of these innovative drainage systems, and the cost sharing programs that are available in some states as incentives for installation and management.

Field sites were selected on privately owned and managed cropland with existing subsurface drainage systems with two or more outlets. Each site drains at least 15 acres and was selected based on uniformity of soils, drainage design, and cropping management. Both outlets are equipped with a drainage water management control structure where flow and nitrate concentration are monitored. One outlet is maintained in a free drainage mode and the other outlet is elevated during the non-growing season to within 1 foot of the soil surface. All management inputs are uniform over the entire field allowing quantification of the hydrologic and water quality effects of the drainage water management practice. There are currently more than 20 monitored sites located on different soil types and cropping management systems across the Upper Midwest region in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, and Ohio. Geographic Positioning System referenced combine yield monitors record the spatial yield effects, and the growers provide complete input records so that an economic evaluation of the drainage water management practice can be made.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

  • Depending on local soil, climate and management conditions, annual subsurface drainage flows have been reduced 30 to 65 percent where drainage water management was applied.

  • Drainage water management practice standards have been revised for all Midwest states and approved for cost-share payments under EQIP.

  • A $1,000,000 CIG has been received to demonstrate and evaluate drainage water management in five states.

  • Education programs and materials have been developed and delivered to designers, installers, operators, and agency representatives.

PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL):

USDA-NRCS Columbus, OH, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Ser-

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

vice, USDA-Cooperative States Research, Education, and Extension Service, USDA Farm Service Agency, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, state-level Environmental Protection Agencies, The Nature Conservancy, Sand County Foundation, University of Minnesota, University of Illinois, Iowa State University, Ohio State University, Purdue University, North Carolina State University, Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition and private land owners and operators.


PROJECT PERIOD: USDA-ARS Columbus, OH research was in 1999, ADMS Task Force organized in 2003, ADMC organized in 2005, and USDA-NRCS-CIG grant received in 2006.


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED):

Recurrent USDA-Agricultural Research Service base funding. USDA-NRCS provided $500,000 in appropriated funds for the CIG, with matching funds came from various sources including salary and equipment donations. Now that the infrastructure exists as a result of the CIG, additional research funding on the order of $2,000,000 per year for five years is needed to collect, analyze, and interpret the data including model development and testing.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: Integrated Management Systems for Biofuel Production in the Western Corn Belt


AGENCY: USDA-Agricultural Research Service


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Integrated systems research by USDA-ARS (ARS) at the National Soil Tilth Laboratory in Ames, IA supports the development of a future sustainable biofuels industry by developing technologies and new interpretations to quantify agricultural system impacts on soil, air and water resources for agroecosystem in the upper Midwestern region. This region is dominated by corn and soybean production for livestock and ethanol production now, and which will be expected to support future biofuels production from cellulose. Embedded within these agricultural landscapes are remnant woodlands, grasslands, and water bodies that also provide significant ecosystem services for wildlife habitat and recreation.

The ARS Integrated Management Systems for Biofuel Production in the Western Corn Belt effort contributes to a USDA nationwide effort known as the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP). The overall goal of CEAP is to quantify the impact of agricultural conservation practices on water quality. ARS and university partners supported by the USDA Cooperative States Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) are conducting research and providing the technology needed for USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to assess the value of conservation practice supported by USDA Farm Bill Conservation Title programs. The ARS contributions are measuring and modeling environmental impacts of agricultural and conservation practices based on research at two ARS long-term watersheds in the South Fork of the Iowa River and the Walnut Creek watersheds in central Iowa that represent typical agroecosystems for the region, but which differ in current levels of ethanol and animal production. These watersheds provide a wide array of landscape-soil-cropping system combinations for the region that allow the effects of climatic variation and management changes to be assessed relative to temporal variations. These watersheds are part of the ARS nation-wide long-term research watershed network.

On-going measurements have been made since 2002 for nutrient (N and P), sediment, and pathogen loads at eight nested locations within watershed sub-basins. Water and carbon dioxide fluxes will be measured for corn and soybean fields in the spring of 2009. These data will be used to calibrate a modified Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) crop yield model to simulate the impacts of farming practices on water balance and crop harvest index to estimate the amount of soil by an integration of the ARS SQSTR carbon sequestration model with EPIC. The models will be spatially extended using combinations of

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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remotely sensed data acquired from RapidEye satellite and aircraft-based hyper-spectral sensors to quantify the spatial variation of cropping systems across the watersheds and regions. This approach will assess the spatial variation within fields that is induced by different soil types, and provide a real-time verification of actual biomass amounts by remote sensing. Estimates of the greenhouse gas fluxes (CO2 and N2O) from different cropping systems and soil management practices are made with ancillary experiments that are conducted on similar soils near Ames. This information is applied to the different types of farming practices that are observed for fifty fields within the South Fork watershed.

The State of Iowa integrated watershed approach provides a framework to assess the impacts of changing soil management practices (e.g., removal of crop residue, changing nitrogen management, and changing crop rotation sequences) across a large-scale that can be challenged with multiple scenarios for weather and soils. Collection of extensive and intensive information across a watershed supplies data that are placed into a GIS-based SQL database for use in several different analyses. The Parallel Genetic Algorithm for Computation of Biophysical and Economic many-objective Pareto Sets (PGA-BIOECON) approach will contribute to the integration of components into an assessment of sustainability and ecosystem services.

Funding to conduct landscape-scale experiments on biofuel crop production under management control is needed to exploit fully the potential of this monitoring and modeling effort. Several additional field-scale sub-watersheds have been identified that could provide a sequence of experiments aimed at assessment of crop management for biofuel production and its impacts on multiple soil, water, and air quality endpoints.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

Research accomplishments have focused on assessments of watershed-scale processes and effectiveness of conservation practices as distributed under current policy incentive structures.

  • An assessment of nitrate, phosphorus, and bacterial contaminants has shown each contaminant to be uniquely timed, highlighting the complexity of watershed assessments. These assessments are pointing the way towards contaminant-specific conservation targeting strategies in tile-drained watersheds.

  • In the Iowa River’s South Fork watershed, significant water quality challenges remain despite an 80% rate of conservation-practice adoption. The key reasons for this are: (1) legacy impacts of past agricultural practices; (2) specific gaps in time of conservation effectiveness under the corn-soybean rotation; and, most importantly for nitrate loads; and (3) current conservation systems do not address the tile drainage pathway, which delivered about 70 percent of the stream discharge during a four year assessment period.

  • Linkage with a local watershed group is in place and has provided multiple technology transfer opportunities. At the regional scale, linkage with

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

Heartland Region Water Quality Initiative has facilitated transfer of research results to extension educators and state agency personnel across EPA Region 7.

PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL):

USDA-ARS, Ames, IA and Beltsville, MD. Collaborations are established with local and state USDA-NRCS offices, and multiple academic departments at Iowa State University. Initial discussions are underway with U.S. Geological Survey-Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center for aquatic and terrestrial assessments. We have various collaborations with state agency and NGO stakeholder organizations, both agricultural and environmental. One of these projects is a collaboration to develop Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE2) planning tool using LIDAR-based topographic data, which should become available for the South Fork watershed within the next year. We have established a strong partnership with the South Fork Watershed Alliance.


PROJECT PERIOD: On-going long-term research-specific USDA-ARS accomplishment timelines: 2007-2012.


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED): Recurrent USDA-ARS base funding.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: Renewable Energy Assessment Project (REAP)


AGENCY: USDA-Agricultural Research Service


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Recently crop residues, specifically corn (Zea mays L.) stover, have been identified as a primary feedstock for second-generation lingo-cellulosic biofuel production. However, success for cellulosic-based biofuels production will depend on science-based guidance that guides the sustainable harvest crop residues so that croplands will still be protected from erosion, and enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) so that the projected increases in crop productivity needed to meet market needs can be achieved. The Billion Ton Biomass Report and other publications have considered the potential water and wind erosion effects of stover harvest. However, research over the past century has shown conclusively that prevailing crop production practices often result in loss of SOC, even without stover removal. Loss of SOC has negative effects on crop productivity because of reduced soil quality.

The Renewable Energy Assessment Project (REAP) research objectives are: (1) Determine the impacts of residue removal on soil quality constituents for different cropping systems used across the United States; (2) Develop algorithms for estimating the amount of crop residue that can be sustainably harvested for different ecological regions; (3) Provide guidelines for developing management practices supporting sustainable harvest of residues; and (4) Contribute to the development of decision support tools by USDA-NRCS and others describing the economic trade-off between residue harvest and the unintended consequences of residue harvest. Delivery of these products to farmers and the emerging biomass conversion industry will promote sustainable corn stover and other crop residue harvest in a manner that preserves the capacity of our soil resource to produce food, feed, fiber, and fuel now, and in the future.

In 2008, the USDA-ARS REAP efforts were enhanced through the U.S. Department of Energy-Sun Grant Regional Partnership with researchers at Cornell University, University of Tennessee, South Dakota State University, Oklahoma State University, and Oregon State University and administered by the Cooperative States Research Extension and Education Service (CSREES). The partnership’s objective are complimentary with the USDA-ARS national REAP efforts.

Grain and stover yield, changes in soil quality indicators, strategies for stover harvest (e.g., single- or multiple-pass operations), and feedstock quality and en-

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

ergy values are being determined. Greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient leaching measurements are being gathered where possible. Additional research sites are being added, and the USDA-ARS network of long-term research sites are being modified as needed to broaden the application of the research. Individual farmers as well as corporations including Monsanto Inc., John Deere, Inc., and POET are working cooperatively with REAP and Sun Grant Regional Partnership team members. An interdisciplinary approach is used that includes soil and plant scientists, engineers, economists, and rural sociologists from the various participating institutions are leveraged by the core activities to address broader aspects of sustainable feedstock production. The REAP effort is also supported by the USDA-ARS nation-wide research watersheds and greenhouse gases and carbon flux networks.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

  • The ARS process-based carbon sequestration model (CQESTR) has been adapted to predict the impact of removing residue at different rates. This model is being adapted for use with remote sensing technology and interface with the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) watershed model.

  • The ARS REAP team has developed preliminary algorithms to estimate the minimal biomass inputs needed to maintain SOC for long-term soil sustainability at selected sites in the upper Midwest States region.

  • Using the REAP approach, four single-pass corn stover harvest scenarios have been investigated to find the optimal harvest strategy for residue harvest. A single-pass harvesting system is being developed to gather corn grain and stover simultaneously in one harvest pass. USDA-ARS contributes soil quality assessments, Iowa State University equipment engineering, and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provides stover residue quality measurements.

  • Core information being developed for the REAP database is being prepared for entry into the (DOE) Knowledge Development Framework databases.

  • Results from the USDA-ARS REAP and Sun Grant Regional Partnership have been presented through a wide variety of media, with more than 30 entries made to the Agricultural Research Information System (ARIS) since 2005.

PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL):

USDA-ARS at Akron, CO, Ames, IA, Auburn, AL, Beltsville, MD, Booneville, OR, Brookings, SD, Corvallis, OR, Dawson, GA, Florence, SC, Fort Collins, CO, Lincoln, NE, Mandan, ND, Morris, MN, Orono, ME, Pendleton, OR, Prosser, WA, Pullman, WA, Saint Paul, MN, Sidney, MT, Stoneville, MS, University Park, PA, Watkinsville, GA, and West Lafayette, IN partners with university colleagues at 24 locations across the U.S., Monsanto Inc., Idaho and Oakridge National Laboratories, John Deere, Inc., and many other local agricultural, bioenergy industries including the Chippewa Valley Ethanol Cooperative.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

PROJECT PERIOD: On-going long-term research; specific USDA-ARS accomplishment timelines have been developed for 2007-2012.


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED): Recurrent USDA-Agricultural Research Service base funding. Partial additional funding is provided by the Sun Grant Initiative to support ARS partners.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: Improved Bioenergy Plants and Production Technologies for the Central USA


AGENCY: USDA-Agricultural Research Service


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

The long-term objectives of this project are the development of improved perennial grasses and management practices to optimize the abundant and dependable supplies of biomass to biorefineries. The focus of the research is on switchgrass and other warm- and cool-season grasses that are adapted to grazinglands in the U.S. central states ecoregions. The specific objectives being addressed are: (1) Provide improved plant materials, and (2) Develop management practices and sustainable systems that maintain quality stands over multiple years of harvest; optimize biomass and net energy yield; optimize economic return for producers; and provide beneficial environmental services such as erosion control and carbon sequestration.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

This location has conducted switchgrass research since 1935, with bioenergy research becoming an emphasis in 1990. This long-term research program has developed improved genetic materials in concert with the production systems needed to realize their yield potential. The unit’s breeding and genetics thrust has resulted in the release of two improved switchgrass cultivars, two improved big bluestem cultivars, and three improved indiangrass cultivars, all with biomass energy potential. Switchgrass cultivars specifically developed for bioenergy will be released in late 2009.

We have developed agronomic practices and management information for the production and utilization of improved switchgrass used as a biomass energy crop, including seeding rates and seedbed preparation, herbicide tolerance, seed quality and seed dormancy, nitrogen fertility rates, harvest management, and mycorrhizal requirements.

We have developed baseline environmental and economic performance information for switchgrass grown for biomass energy. A large-scale study conducted on 10 farms in three states and five production years demonstrated that switchgrass biomass could be produced for bioethanol production with an average farm cost of $60/ton which would result in a farm gate cost of $0.64 per gallon of ethanol.

We demonstrated the effects of switchgrass composition differences due to maturity at harvest and genetic interactions on potential bioenergy conversion for

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

both biomass to ethanol conversion and thermochemical conversion to biogases or bio-crude.

We have determined the fundamental genetic underpinnings for switchgrass to advance improvement of this species including verification of principal ploidy levels; cytogenetic behavior as diploids—enabling diploid quantitative genetic models to be used; demonstrated a gametophic self-incompatibility system; demonstrated that lowland and upland tetraploid ecotypes are completely cross-compatible; demonstrated significant high parental source heterosis for biomass yield; designed a breeding system for producing F1 hybrids; and developed a publically available, complete EST genomic profile in collaboration with ARS scientists at Albany, CA.

We applied the Plant Adaptation Region concept to classify plant germplasm by ecogeographic regions, and validated the concept as a mechanism for defining adaptation regions for switchgrass cultivars based on origin of ecological types.

Our study on net energy sustainability demonstrated that switchgrass could produce 13 times more energy in the form of ethanol than would be required as energy from petroleum, and produced 540% more renewable energy than nonrenewable energy consumed on marginal land, when properly managed.

We have demonstrated that within five years of production, significant amounts of carbon are sequestered in soils growing switchgrass, with accrual rates of 1.1 and 2.9 Mg C ha–1 yr–1, in the 0-30 cm and 0-120 cm, respectively. With this level of soil carbon sequestration, switchgrass production can have an environmentally positive greenhouse gas profile.

We have also improved upon the switchgrass cultivars Trailblazer and Shawnee, and have new bioenergy-specific cultivars to be released in 2009. Other native grass cultivars with biomass energy potential include our Bonanza and Goldmine big bluestem, and Chief, Scout, and Warrior indiangrass.


PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL):

USDA-ARS Lincoln, NE. Production systems and genetic performance research is done in collaboration with USDA-ARS Temple, TX and Mandan, ND, and University of Nebraska, Iowa State University, and University of Illinois. Genetic improvement research is conducted by ARS in cooperation with the ARS Western Research Center in Albany, CA, and local partnerships with private seed growers.


PROJECT PERIOD: Ongoing long-term research, with specific accomplishment timelines: 2008-2013.


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED): Recurrent USDA-Agricultural Research Service base funding, with $1,000,000 per year, with half of the funding appropriated to bioenergy and half to forage and pasture.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: Land-use, Soil Health, and Water Quality Changes with Woody Energy Crop Production in Wisconsin and Minnesota


AGENCY: U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Institute for Applied Ecosystem Studies (NRS-13), Rhinelander, WI


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Short rotation woody crops (SRWC) such as Populus species and hybrids (hereafter referred to as poplars) are renewable energy feedstocks that can potentially be used to offset electricity generation and natural gas use in many temperature regions, such as Wisconsin and Minnesota. Highly productive poplars grown primarily on marginal agricultural sites are an important component of our future Midwest energy strategy. Additionally, poplars can be strategically placed in the landscape to conserve soil and water, recycle nutrients, and sequester carbon. These purpose-grown trees are vital to reducing our dependence on nonrenewable and foreign sources of energy used for heat and power. Establishing poplar genotypes that are adapted to local environmental conditions substantially increases establishment success and productivity. But, it is difficult to predict field trial success in landscapes where the crop has not been previously deployed. Our overall goal is to merge our knowledge of poplar biology with large-scale spatial analysis to predefine zones of potential plant adaptation that are ecologically sustainable and economically feasible across the landscape.

The project builds on SRWC research conducted at the IAES in Rhinelander since 1968, as well as decades of poplar genetics research in Minnesota that has led to commercial poplar production on >10,000 ha in the state. Along with empirical data on poplar growth and productivity collected in both states, we will first combine key climatic and soil properties with land ownership and use constraints to develop a GIS-based spatial analysis protocol to identify candidate core areas for potential establishment. We will then construct a comprehensive poplar database and apply that information within the candidate core areas. Our final task is to evaluate land-use, soil health, and water quality changes within these areas to synthesize the environmental and social constraints on woody energy crop development within the region.

Our approach is novel in that it integrates genetics and landscape ecology, so that sustainable crop development can be more rapid, precise, and efficient. This type of approach has never been conducted for woody energy crop production. Landowners and industrial representatives will use the results of the study to evaluate trade-offs of woody energy crop production versus other uses, while

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

researchers will benefit from the development of the protocol and availability of the soil and water synthesis that is currently not available in this region.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

Decades of information relating to short rotation woody crop production; however, there are no results from the project described above as it was initiated in March 2009.


PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL):

Research Team

Ronald S. Zalesny Jr.,*,1 Deahn M. Donner,1 David R. Coyle,2 Brian R. Sturtevant,1 Eric J. Gustafson,1 Neil D. Nelson,1 and Don E. Riemenschneider1

Collaborators (Regional Experts)

Richard B. Hall (Iowa State University, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Ames, IA)

Bill Berguson (University of Minnesota–Natural Resources Research Institute, Duluth, MN)

Raymond O. Miller (Michigan State University, Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, Escanaba, MI)

Mark D. Coleman (University of Idaho, Department of Forest Resources, Moscow, ID)

Brian J. Stanton (GreenWood Resources, Inc., Portland, OR)


PROJECT PERIOD: March 2009-September 2011 (current funding); October 2011-? (ongoing with additional funds)


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED):

$169,020:

Wisconsin Focus on Energy Environmental and Economic Research and Development Program

$ 3,000:

University of Wisconsin–Madison

$102,000:

U.S. Forest Service NRS-13

$274,020:

Total

1

U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Institute for Applied Ecosystem Studies (IAES)

2

University of Wisconsin, Department of Entomology

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: Impacts of Harvesting Forest Residues for Bioenergy on Nutrient Cycling and Community Assemblages in Northern Hardwood Forests


AGENCY: U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Institute for Applied Ecosystem Studies (NRS-13), Rhinelander, WI


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

The most readily available source of woody biomass to the logger is through whole-tree harvesting that removes what has been traditionally left as slash (i.e., fine woody debris-FWD). This material has potential to be used as energy feedstock. However, a critical element of managing for biodiversity is maintaining woody debris on the forest floor. Woody biomass is important for nutrient cycling, providing seed beds, and creating habitat structure for wildlife. Researchers recognize the link between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, but this relationship is not well understood. A change in species may have cascading effects across trophic levels, and cause shifts in the size, distribution, and vertical zonation of vegetation over large areas. Our goal is to investigate the impact of FWD removal on nutrient availability and above and belowground community assemblages on rich soils under regenerating northern hardwood stands in Wisconsin.

Land managers are concerned with removing FWD in this system because of the existing lack of large woody debris and structural diversity (e.g., understory shrubs). We will manipulate the amount of fine woody debris removed after timber harvest (e.g., 0, 65 and 100 percent ) at 9 sites within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest to compare soil carbon-nitrogen availability and other important soil physical and chemical characteristics, as well as community change (i.e., the abundance and diversity of plant, arthropod, and vertebrate assemblages) across treatments. We will test several hypotheses including: (1) soil carbon and nitrogen will decrease on sites with less woody residue, thus lowering carbon sequestration rates and nitrogen availability for regeneration, and increasing soil acidity, which could influence plant and insect communities, (2) non-native and early successional plants will increase on sites with less woody residue due to site disturbance associated with harvesting techniques, (3) seed dispersing arthropod abundance (primarily ants) will decline, while the abundance of species associated with early successional plants (e.g., invasive root-feeding weevils) will increase on sites with less woody residue, influencing overall plant diversity and forest health, and (4) frog and salamander numbers will decline on sites with less woody residue due to microclimate temperature and moisture changes, and a change in insect community assemblages.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

Investigating several trophic levels simultaneously during an experimental study will help determine the underlying mechanisms behind the change in diversity effects. Study results can be used by policy makers to evaluate the trade-offs of harvesting woody biomass on pubic lands for energy against other values, and propose a set of management guidelines that can provide energy feedstocks while maintaining biodiversity and forest health.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

There are no results from the project described above as we are currently establishing plots and harvesting will be conducted during winter 2009-2010.

PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL):

Research Team

Deahn M. Donner,1 Matthew St. Pierre,2 Ronald S. Zalesny Jr.,1 Christine A. Ribic,3 David R. Coyle,4 and Dan Eklund2


PROJECT PERIOD: July 2008-September 2011 (current funding); October 2011-? (ongoing with additional funds)


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED):

$144,155:

Wisconsin Focus on Energy Environmental and Economic Research and Development Program

$ 3,500:

University of Wisconsin–Madison

$302,000:

U.S. Forest Service, Chequamegon–Nicolet National Forest

$ 80,000:

U.S. Forest Service, Institute for Applied Ecosystem Studies (NRS-13)

$529,655:

Total

1

Institute for Applied Ecosystem Studies, Northern Research Station, Rhinelander, WI

2

Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Rhinelander, WI

3

U. S. Gelogical Survey, WI Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, University of WI–Madison, WI

4

Department of Entomology, University of WI–Madison, Madison, WI

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: Impact of Rapid Land-Use Change in the Northern Great Plains: Integrated Modeling of Land-Use Patterns, Biophysical Responses, Sustainability, and Economic and Environmental Consequences (aka “Biomass for Energy and Ecosystem Services”)


AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey in Partnership with University of Minnesota


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

We are evaluating the effects of an expanded agricultural base for biofuels and concurrent changes in climate on ecosystem sustainability across the Northern Great Plains (Figure 1). This research tests whether land use patterns driven largely by economic considerations will be sustainable. We are projecting alternative landscape futures at annual time steps through 2050, analyzing the results to estimate effects on ecosystem processes and services. Socioeconomic drivers, such as national policy and programs, commodity prices, and biofuel demand, are being incorporated to develop multiple scenarios that variously emphasize production of corn, soybeans, switchgrass, and mixed prairie species. We also are addressing management practices (e.g., tillage and residual biomass in soils) that we expect to have appreciable impacts on soil organic carbon, soil erosion,

FIGURE 1 The four ecoregions of the study area.

FIGURE 1 The four ecoregions of the study area.

Source: U.S. Geological Survey.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

and, subsequently, water quality. Each scenario is being implemented for current climate conditions, low-change conditions, and high-change conditions, as defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. We are using the model FOREcasting SCEnarios of Land Cover Change (FORE-SCE) to develop annual maps of landscape change; the General Ensemble biogeochemical Modeling System (GEMS) to model biogeochemical response to land cover and land use; the Better Assessment Science Integrating Point & Nonpoint Sources (BASINS) model to estimate associated levels of soil erosion and nutrient, pollutant (e.g., nitrate), and sediment loadings to major waterbodies; economic and econometric models to determine agricultural profitability and energy costs and benefits, and a synoptic landscape analysis to estimate quantity and quality of habitat for wildlife (amphibians, birds, pollinators). We will assess environmental quality and sustainability based on total carbon accounting, agricultural productivity, greenhouse gas emissions, sediment and nutrient loadings to waterbodies, and availability and quality of wildlife habitat.

Analyses and results are being conducted at multiple scales to provide information relevant for decisions at national, regional/state, and local levels. A web-enabled decision support tool, EcoServ, has been prototyped to estimate effects of land-management and climate changes on multiple and simultaneous ecosystem services (Figure 2). The tool integrates information from a set of sub-models and can query live databases across the internet, such as climate data from the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Currently, the EcoServ prototype performs local-scale analyses of responses in water storage, floristic quality, and amphibian and waterfowl habitat to changes in climate and land management. In development are submodels to provide estimates for additional ecosystem services related to soil erosion and sedimentation reduction, water quality (nutrient status), ground-water recharge, vegetation biomass, carbon sequestration, greenhouse gases, shorebirds, and pollinators.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES, OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

We are completing the first year of this multiyear project and do not yet have results to share beyond the prototype for the EcoServ model (Figure 2).


PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL):

U.S. Geological Survey, University of Minnesota, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS; national level), USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA; national, state, and county levels), Chinese Academy of Science, University of Maryland, and University of Nebraska.


Principle Contributions:

U.S. Geological Survey—Landscape projections, biogeochemical modeling and carbon accounting, greenhouse gas estimation, vegetation biomass

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×
FIGURE 2 The EcoServ model currently sits on the Google Earth background (A) and accesses a set of submodels focused on specific ecosystem processes and services. In the examples shown here, the model has dynamically queried the climate archive at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, to access precipitation and temperature data for a period specified by the user. EcoServ then used a submodel to run hydrologic simulations and created graphs showing actual precipitation plotted against estimated evapotranspiration and water level for a user-selected catchment (B). Water-level information was used in conjunction with data on wetland type within a wetland model developed for the Prairie Pothole Region to estimate suitable habitat for number of breeding pairs of different waterfowl species (C).

FIGURE 2 The EcoServ model currently sits on the Google Earth background (A) and accesses a set of submodels focused on specific ecosystem processes and services. In the examples shown here, the model has dynamically queried the climate archive at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, to access precipitation and temperature data for a period specified by the user. EcoServ then used a submodel to run hydrologic simulations and created graphs showing actual precipitation plotted against estimated evapotranspiration and water level for a user-selected catchment (B). Water-level information was used in conjunction with data on wetland type within a wetland model developed for the Prairie Pothole Region to estimate suitable habitat for number of breeding pairs of different waterfowl species (C).

Source: U.S. Geological Survey.

estimation, water quality, animal habitat estimation, ecosystem service valuation, and development of the EcoServ model.

University of Minnesota—Economic and econometric modeling, scenario development for landscape projections, ecosystem services valuation.

NASA—Funding support.

USDA NRCS—Funding support.

USDA FSA—Funding support and access to agricultural data previously unavailable for research.

Chinese Academy of Science—Web-enabled modeling for EcoServ

University of Maryland—Web-enabled modeling for EcoServ

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

University of Nebraska—Evapotranspiration modeling, ecosystem primary production, drought modeling, biogeochemical modeling.


PROJECT PERIOD: 2008-2012


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED): Funding across years is variable, incomplete, and highly leveraged. The funding level for FY2009 is approximately $685,000 (before USGS assessment of 45 percent), although $150,000 of this remains uncertain.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: Effects of Biofuel Development on Watershed Scale Hydrologic Flows: Scenario Testing


AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Background: Climate change, decreases in traditional energy sources, and land- and water-use changes due to population increase will affect natural systems. Biofuel development and related changes in conservation practices such as Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) set-asides could greatly alter the current agricultural/environment balance, especially in areas that may be stressed by future expansion of urbanization. The relative importance of these stressors is not well understood, which can hamper decision-making.

Objectives: To quantify the effects of potential biofuel development on watershed scale hydrologic flows using an existing coupled ground-water/surface-water model, and relate the degree of system change due to biofuel production to that resulting from potential land use and climate change (funded by others). The effects would be evaluated in terms of single stressors, and in combination.

Approach: The proposed work would take advantage of a new constructed fully coupled ground-water/surface-water model constructed for the Black Earth Creek (BEC) watershed previously funded by USGS and non-USGS funds. A coupled model is critical for characterizing the ranges of potential stress because the feedbacks between the unsaturated zone, surface-water, and ground-water, systems are explicitly included. Thus, future scenarios can be evaluated using the effects on both storm and base flows—entities important for understanding flooding, sediment transport, and environmental low-flows, as well as related ecosystem effects such as stream temperature.

Fully coupled models are not widely available, and the BEC model is notable for being one of the first coupled models developed using the new USGS code GSFLOW (Markstrom and others, 2008). The BEC watershed is well suited to assess the effects of biofuel development because it was developed to address issues common in Midwest biofuel regions (e.g., effects of Best Management Practices (BMP), cold-water fishery and flooding issues), encompasses topography endemic to the Midwest (glaciated and non-glaciated areas), and is located in an area with a long history of study and field data collection (Figure 1).

The current model is being run to assess the effects of potential climate change, as well as future mitigated and unmitigated urbanization. The work proposed here would extend the existing model scenarios to include: (1) conversion of various landscape categories (hillslopes, CRP, current BMP) to active agriculture typical of both corn and biennial crops such as switchgrass; (2)

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×
FIGURE 1 Black Earth Creek watershed location.

FIGURE 1 Black Earth Creek watershed location.

Source: U.S. Geological Survey.

increase of pumping for irrigation due to biofuel production, with and without expected climate change; and (3) high-capacity ground-water-withdrawal typical of a biofuel production plant. Landscape categories would be delineated using a combination of remote sensing, aerial photograph, and land-records analysis (Figure 2). Effects of CRP conversion would be assessed using the infiltration rates of Steuer and Hunt (2001) for an adjacent basin. Irrigation and biofuel plant water-withdrawal volumes simulated would encompass a range of reasonable literature values for the Midwest. A representative subset of all scenarios would be included in a USGS Scientific-Investigations Report being finalized in FY2010.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES, OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

We are still in the process of calibrating the GSFLOW model to properly simulate connections between groundwater and streams in relation to land use changes. The initial scenario to be tested is siting of a biofuels production plant near Black Earth Creek.


PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL):

U.S. Geological Survey—Wisconsin Water Science Center (WI WSC)

U.S. Geological Survey—Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Data Center

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×
FIGURE 2 Black Earth Creek land cover and stream network.

FIGURE 2 Black Earth Creek land cover and stream network.

PROJECT PERIOD: 2008-2010


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED): Landscape categories delineation, $15,000 (WI WSC and EROS)

Biofuel scenario model input/run/post-process, $35,000 (WI WSC)

References Cited

Markstrom, S.L., R.G. Niswonger, R.S. Regan, D.E. Prudic and P.M. Barlow, 2007, GSFLOW— Coupled Ground-water and surface water flow model based on the integration of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) and the Modular Ground-Water Flow model (MODFLOW-2005). U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods 6-D1.

Steuer, J.J., and R.J. Hunt, 2001, Use of a Watershed-Modeling Approach to Assess Hydrologic Effects of Urbanization, North Fork Pheasant Branch Basin near Middleton, Wisconsin: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 01-4113, 49 p.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: Estimation of Nutrient and Sediment Loading in the Mississippi River and Great Lakes Basins with Regional SPARROW Models


AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

There has been increasing expectations to develop and implement effective nutrient reduction strategies in the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) to reduce the size of the hypoxia zone in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Great Lakes Basin to limit the productivity in each of the Great Lakes. With support from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, SPARROW (a hybrid statistical ⁄mechanistic watershed model) models are being developed to explain spatial patterns in monitored stream-water quality (nutrient yields) in relation to human activities and natural processes that influence the transport of nutrients as defined by detailed geospatial information.

Results from SPARROW water-quality models are being used to describe where on the landscape nutrients originate, what are the sources of those nutrients, how watersheds rank throughout large basins in terms of their nutrient

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

loads delivered to downstream receiving waters (such as the Gulf of Mexico), and demonstrate techniques to place confidence in these rankings. These results will be one of several tools to help guide the allocation of federal funds among States to develop strategies to reduce nutrient loads to the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes.

SPARROW models can be used to estimate how changes in various management decisions should affect water quality and the downstream transport of nutrients, such as with increases in the acreage of corn crops associated with increased ethanol production, decreases in the amount of fertilizers applied to crops, or changes in releases from specific treatment plants.

Regional SPARROW models are being developed in different areas of the country to enable accurate predictions to be made at scales finer than those made with National SPARROW models and are being used to address more regional/ local issues.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

SPARROW models have been developed for the Great Lakes/Upper Mississippi River Basins and Entire Mississippi River Basin.

Results of the Mississippi River SPARROW model were used to describe where nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) originate from throughout the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin geographically and by land use.

Alexander, R.B., Smith, R.A., Schwarz, G.S., Boyer, E.W., Nolan, J.V., and Brakebill, J.W., 2008, Differences in phosphorus and nitrogen delivery to the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River Basin: Environmental Science and Technology, 42(3):822-830.

Results of the Mississippi River SPARROW model were used to describe where nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) originate from HUC8 watersheds throughout the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin. The HUC8 watersheds were ranked based on their relative contributions to the Gulf and method of placing certainty in those rankings was developed.

Robertson, Dale M., Schwarz, Gregory E., Saad, David A., and Alexander, Richard B., 2009, Incorporating Uncertainty into the Ranking of SPARROW Model Nutrient Yields from the Mississippi/ Atchafalaya River Basin Watersheds: Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 45(2):534-549.

PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL):

U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Water Science Center, Middleton, WI and National Center, Reston, VA.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region V and Office of Water.


PROJECT PERIOD: 2006-2010


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED): Funding across years is

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

variable and has been supplied by USGS, NAWQA and the U.S. EPA Office of Water. Four-year funding period includes the approximate sources:


USGS (NAWQA)—$510,000

EPA—$300,000


Additional funding will be required for report preparation for the Mississippi River Basin. Any additional dimensions to this work, such as enhancements to simulate and compare biofuels scenarios, would need additional funding.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: Estimated Forest Biomass Supply for the United States–Revision to the Billion Ton Supply Estimates


AGENCY: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, USDOE Oak Ridge National Laboratory


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

The 2005 report “Biomass as a feedstock for a bioenergy and bioproducts industry: The Technical feasibility for a billion ton annual supply” suggested that it may be technically possible to supply up to 1.3 billion tons of wood and agricultural biomass for bioenergy and bioproducts in the United States. This included 368 million tons from wood sources including forest sources, mill residues and urban wastes. Short rotation woody crops were estimated separately as an agricultural source.

It is the objective of a new project to revise these estimates and indicate the economic feasibility of providing forest biomass for bioenergy from each county in the United States Supply curves for forest biomass are being estimated for each county. Forest biomass resources include amounts from current logging residue, amounts from thinnings to mitigate fire hazard and reduce overstocking, amounts from other removals such as land clearing for development, mill residue, urban wood waste from construction and demolition, and conventionally source wood such as pulpwood. The supply curves indicate the amount of wood available at roadside, mill, or urban source at progressively higher costs per oven dry ton.

The estimation effort involves expertise from several disciplines—ecology, silviculture, forest operations and economics. A key concern in estimating amounts from logging residue and thinnings is to assure that the removal amounts are sustainable. Specifically how much logging residue must be left on harvest sites to provide nutrients and habitat? For thinnings, what is the number of years before thinning can recur for each forest type to allow for sustainable regrowth of forests?

Estimates of county level supply curves can be scaled up in at least two ways. Supply curves may be generated for delivery of amounts to any given point by adding transport costs to supply curves from surrounding counties. Supply curves may be added together to estimate state, regional or national level roadside cost supply curves.

Preliminary estimates of forest biomass supply have been used in the report by the Biomass Research and Development Board. These wood biomass supply estimates (along with county level agricultural biomass supply estimates) are being applied/used in the National Biorefinery Siting Project (described separately) to determine the sustainable level of biofuels production in the U.S., and specific

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

biofuels plant locations for optimal production of biofuels given (1) the location of feedstocks, (2) infrastructure to transport feedstock and biofuels and (3) the feedstock demands/costs of conversion technologies. The National Biorefinery Siting Project is funded by USDOE and is being organized by the Western Governors Association. Collaborators include USDA Forest Service, UC Davis, Kansas State University, USDOE Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and others.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES, OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

Forest biomass supply estimates provided for the Biomass Research and Development Initiative report on increasing feedstock production for biofuels suggest forest sources could provide 40 million oven dry tons (odt) per year and produce 4 billion gallons of liquid fuels by 2022. This 40 million odt estimate did not require use of traditionally sourced wood such as pulpwood. However it is likely that pulpwood sources would be used, in part, as demand increased to 40 million odt. It is important to note that the BRDi feedstock estimation project did not consider possible increasing wood biomass demand for electric power production which could increase wood biomass use well beyond 40 million odt per year. In this case it is likely, given our preliminary estimates of wood biomass supply, that notable amounts of conventionally sources wood—pulpwood—would be supplied for biofuels and electric power production.


PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL):

Members of the team revising the forest biomass supply estimates for the Billion Ton Supply Report.


Ken Skog, Patti Lebow—USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, WI

Marilyn Bufford—USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC

Bryce Stokes—USDOE, Washington, DC (formerly USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC)

Jamie Barbour, Dennis Dykstra—USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR

Bob Perlack—USDOE Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN


PROJECT PERIOD: 2007-2009


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED): Forest Service research contributions are funded from annual appropriations.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES RELATED TO BIOFUELS AND SUSTAINABILITY

TITLE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM: Discovery Farms


AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey


PROJECT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Agriculture has historically been cited as one of the primary causes of water-resource degradation, especially in Wisconsin. Nonetheless, agriculture plays a critical role in the way that we live, the food we eat, and the economics that drive our society. The water-quality implications of a shift toward bio-based energy— whether derived from traditional crops like corn and soybeans, non-traditional crops like switchgrass and woody residues, or manure—can be understood to some degree by extrapolating from our current understandings of the mechanisms by which agricultural practices affect water quality.

Wisconsin producers are facing difficult challenges to remain economically viable: new farm bills are threatening to take away subsidies, increasing fuel and fertilizer costs are limiting profitability, and legislation has been proposed that may significantly change the ways that producers have historically operated. In addition, producers are receiving increased pressure to be “environmentally friendly”: well contaminations, manure spills and numerous recent fish kills have all been linked to agriculture.

Bioenergy (in the forms of crop-based biofuels for transportation and biomass-based heat and power) are viewed regionally as an economic opportunity for the Midwest and, nationally, as an environmentally sustainable path to energy independence. At present, there is little empirical evidence to verify these assumptions or guide best practices.

The USGS is cooperating with the Discovery Farms program to collect data to help understand agriculture’s impact on the environment and work with producers to evaluate ways to minimize their impact in economically viable ways. The approach is field-based. Monitoring stations installed throughout Wisconsin on selected Discovery Farms represent diverse land characteristics, production schemes, and management styles. Monitoring stations are installed at sites in small, headwater streams, edges of fields, and in subsurface tiles to continuously measure runoff volume during storm-runoff periods, including snowmelt. Samples are combined to represent average concentrations over the duration of a storm; they are analyzed for total phosphorus, dissolved reactive phosphorus, suspended sediment, total dissolved solids, ammonium – N, nitrate + nitrite – N, Kjeldahl – N, and chloride.


RESULTS, OUTCOMES, OR IMPACTS TO DATE:

Two largely overlooked issues that affect agriculture’s impact on water

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

quality are weather conditions and the timing of nutrient applications (not just the total amount dictated by a nutrient management plan). The timing, amount, and intensity of rain are HUGE factors in determining runoff of sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Wintertime runoff is particularly important, generating 50 percent or more of total annual runoff. Therefore, the timing of manure applications for fertilizer matters much more than previously understood, no matter what kind of crop is being grown. Manure application to frozen and/or snow-covered ground in February and March is important to water-quality outcomes. During non-frozen ground conditions, especially April through June, water quality is also negatively impacted if runoff occurs before manure is incorporated into the soil. Ranges of sediment, nutrients lost from “typical” Wisconsin fields are 650 pounds of sediment/acre and 2 pounds per acre. Forms of P mostly dissolved P (largely bioavailable) in winter; mostly particulate P in summer.

FIGURE 1 Winter runoff of applied manure poses the greatest water-quality risks.

FIGURE 1 Winter runoff of applied manure poses the greatest water-quality risks.

Publications:

Stuntebeck, Todd D.; Komiskey, Matthew J.; Owens, David W.; Hall, David W., 2008, Methods of Data Collection, Sample Processing, and Data Analysis for Edge-of-Field, Streamgaging, Subsurface-Tile, and Meteorological Stations at Discovery Farms and Pioneer Farm in Wisconsin, 2001-7: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1015, 60 pp.

Komiskey, Matthew J., Stuntebeck, Todd D., Busch, Dennis, Frame, Dennis and Madison, Fred. Nutrients and Sediment in Surface Water Runoff from Frozen Ground Following Manure Applications. Submission pending, 2009.

PERFORMERS/OTHER PARTNERS (FEDERAL, STATES, OR LOCAL):

U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Water Science Center, Middleton, WI Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
×

University of Wisconsin Extension Sand County Foundation


PROJECT PERIOD: 2001-2010


FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED):

Annual Funding for the USGS portion has ranged between $250K to $350 K for the past five years with the University of Wisconsin Extension Discovery Farms program providing 50 percent, USGS 30 percent, Wisconsin DNR 10 percent, and Sand County Foundation 10 percent No decision has been made to expand to biofuels-related agricultural practices but costs to do so would be in the $150K to $250K range. Overall Discovery Farms annual budget approaches 1 million for all partners.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Description of Agency Activities on Biofuels and Sustainability." National Research Council. 2010. Expanding Biofuel Production and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Lessons for Sustainability from the Upper Midwest: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12806.
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Next: Appendix D: Brief Survey of State Biofuel Policies in the Upper Midwest »
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While energy prices, energy security, and climate change are front and center in the national media, these issues are often framed to the exclusion of the broader issue of sustainability--ensuring that the production and use of biofuels do not compromise the needs of future generations by recognizing the need to protect life-support systems, promote economic growth, and improve societal welfare. Thus, it is important to understand the effects of biofuel production and use on water quality and quantity, soils, wildlife habitat and biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, public health, and the economic viability of rural communities.

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