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The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to view a briefing series on alternative transportation fuels. The potential impacts of alternative transportation fuels on U.S. and global greenhouse gas emissions have been a dominant concern. Unless the carbon dioxide emissions generated by the processing of these fuels can be permanently sequestered and stored, the greenhouse gas footprint of these fuels is estimated to be approximately twice that of conventional gasoline. Options to reduce life-cycle carbon emissions are being explored but are presently uncertain. How national security, climate change, and local environmental impacts should be weighed and integrated into public policy decisions regarding these fuels remains controversial and unclear.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing to examine the energy, environmental, economic, and national security issues associated with liquid transportation fuels derived from coal. Coal-based fuels were first developed almost 100 years ago, but large-scale deployment has been limited. Germany used liquid coal fuels from the 1920’s until World War II and South Africa has had an active liquid coal industry since 1955. Desire to reduce dependence on foreign oil has driven interest in developing alternative transportation fuels including liquid coal in the United States, which has the largest known recoverable coal reserves of any country in the world. Liquid coal, however, raises significant questions about costs, benefits, and impacts in terms of energy security, climate change, land and water resources, and public health.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing to examine the economic, energy, environmental, and national security issues associated with fuels derived from hydrocarbon deposits known as “tar sands” (the term “oil sands” is also widely used, especially in Canada) and “oil shale.” North America has among the world’s largest concentrations of both of these deposits. Canadian oil sands have already become a significant fuel source, while commercial oil shale development is much less advanced. The future development of these resources face a number of questions regarding production costs, energy inputs, greenhouse gas emissions, and potential impacts on land and water resources. This briefing reviewed the range of costs, benefits, and impacts associated with these fuels, and their implications for policy decisions.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing to examine the economic, energy security, climate, and other environmental issues associated with biofuels—liquid fuels derived from plant, animal, or other organic matter (biomass). Expanded biofuels production in the United States and abroad presents several questions regarding the appropriate scale, direction, and regulation of biofuels development. This briefing discussed the current state of biofuels technologies in order to better understand the full range of potential benefits, costs, and impacts associated with these fuels.
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