USDA Biofuels Strategic Production Report

 

 

 

 

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is developing a comprehensive regional strategy to help recharge the rural American economy.  The strategy targets barriers to the development of a successful biofuels market that will achieve, or surpass, the current U.S. Renewable Fuels Standards (RFS2), as set out in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA).  The RFS2, implementation provisions of which are detailed in the Environmental Protection Agency’s RFS2 Final Rule (March 26, 2010 Federal Register), becomes effective on July 1,

2010.   The RFS2 will create new market opportunities for American agriculture to help fulfill its mandate: the American economy will be using 36 billion gallons (bg) of renewable

transportation fuel per year in its transportation fuel supply by 2022.

 

USDA is uniquely positioned, given its detailed knowledge of the agriculture sector, to understand and support the goals of RFS2 at an agricultural regional level.  When President Obama established a Biofuels Interagency Working Group (BIWG) it was intended to coordinate the federal government’s efforts on the nation’s first comprehensive biofuel market development program.  The BIWG is using existing authorities and new policies to support the development

of next-generation biofuels, increase flexible fuel vehicle use, and assist in retail marketing efforts.  The Working Group is co-chaired by the Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The BIWG brings together and engages in inter-agency policy discussions on the growing biofuels industry.

 

As part of that larger conversation, USDA’s objectives for this report include: providing the practical knowledge from the field that can enhance various models for biofuel production, identify challenges and opportunities, and help develop solutions to this massive undertaking.  In addition, USDA hopes that this report spurs discussions and is looking forward to feedback from Congress, states, industry, science, and all concerned citizens and stakeholders.

 

This report is the work of multiple agencies at USDA, including Rural Development, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Forest Service, and the Farm Services Agency, as well as the Office of the Chief Economist and its Office Energy Policy and New Uses, among others, to assess:  existing eligible feedstock supply and land availability, current and potential

infrastructure capacity, and current and potential regional consumer demand. The report relies on the work of other agencies as inputs, though the analytical approach was developed by USDA. This is an interim product subject to revision given more inputs, including the work of the Biofuels Interagency Working Group.

 

 

Over the last 60 years, the percentage of the U.S. population directly involved in production agriculture in America has gone from 15 percent to less than two percent, but the average farmer produces food for 155 people today, as compared to his counterpart 60 years ago who produced food for only 25 people.  This increase in efficiency in agriculture and farming, and the resulting sharp decrease in the number of hands needed to meet a growing demand, by its very nature, requires that the rural economy diversify.  Growing a domestic biofuels market is part of overall USDA rural strategy to help rebuild rural America.

 

Beijing Chinese Translation Service Company has translated many documents about USDA Biofuels Strategic Production Report.

 

美国农业部（USDA）生物燃料生产战略报告

 

美国农业部为2022年达到可再生燃料标准的生物燃料目标而规划的各地区路线图

 

 

美国农业部（USDA）正在拟订一份全面的地区战略，以帮助重振美国乡村经济。这套战略以解决生物燃料市场成功发展的障碍为目标，从而达到、甚或超越美国当前的可再生燃料标准（RFS 2，即可再生燃料标准第二阶段）中对这一市场的要求，这项标准是2007年《能源独立与安全法》（Energy Independence and Security Act，EISA）所订立的。可再生燃料标准第二阶段于2010年7月1日起效，它的实施条款在美国环境保护署（Environmental Protection Agency）的《可再生燃料标准第二阶段最终规则》（PFS2 Final Rule，见2010年3月26日《联邦纪事》（Federal Register））中详细列出。可再生燃料标准第二阶段将为美国农业创造新的市场机遇，以帮助达到这项标准订立的强制性目标，也就是到2022年使美国每年交通运输燃料供给中的可再生燃料达到360亿加仑（bg）。

鉴于美国农业部对美国农业部门的详尽了解，因而，在按照农业区域层级的角度来理解并支持可再生燃料标准第二阶段的目标方面，它便占据着独有的地位。在奥巴马总统组建“生物燃料跨机构工作组”（Biofuels Interagency Working Group，BIWG）时，其意在于协调联邦政府在贯彻美国第一套全面的生物燃料市场发展计划方面的工作。这支工作组正在运用现有的权限和新的政策，以支持开发下一代生物燃料、扩大弹性燃料车的使用，并为零售方面的营销工作提供协助。它由美国农业部与美国能源部的部长、以及环境保护署署长共同担任组长，并且组织、参与了各机构间对不断成长的生物燃料行业展开的政策讨论。

 

美国农业部这份报告的目标，也属于那一场规模更大的对话的一部分。这些目标包括提供实地总结出的实际知识、以增强生物燃料生产的各种模式，也包括辨识挑战与机遇，并帮助拟订解决方案来完成这项重任。此外，美国农业部希望这份报告能够激发起大家的讨论，并期待国会、各州、产业部门、科学部门以及关注这一问题的所有公民和利益相关者做出反馈。

 

这份报告旨在评估现有的合格原料供应情况与土地可用性、当前和潜在的基础设施能力，以及当前和潜在的地区消费需求。它是美国农业部下属多家机构共同的工作成果，其中包括乡村发展署（Rural Development）、自然资源保护局（the Natural Resources Conservation Service）、林务局（Forest Service）、农业服务署（Farm Services Agency）以及首席经济师办公室（Office of the Chief Economist）及其能源政策与能源新兴用途办公室（Office Energy Policy and New Uses）。此外，这份报告也借鉴了其它机构的工作成果，当然，对这些成果采用的分析方法是由美国农业部拟订的。这份报告只是一件过渡期的产物，在获得更多资料（包括生物燃料跨机构工作组的成果）后，我们还会对它做出修订。

 

在过去60年间，美国直接参与农业生产的人口在美国总人口中所占比例从15％减少到不足2％，但今日平均每个农民能够生产可供155人消费的粮食，而60年前的农民人均仅能生产可供25人消费的粮食。农业与耕作的效率得到提高，因此，在满足不断增长的需求时，所需要的人手就大幅减少。从效率提高的本质上说，这便为乡村经济提出了多元化的要求。发展国内生物燃料市场，正是美国农业部帮助建设美国乡村的全面战略之一部分。

 

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