Although climate change has largely been removed from the federal policy agenda of the United States in the near term, the continued reliance on fossil fuels as a dominant energy source leaves many analysts to conclude that climate policy will eventually reappear on that agenda. We present a...

During the past half century, per-acre maize yields have increased due to improved cultivars, better management, and favorable weather.  Recent US biofuel legislation, e.g., revised Renewable Fuel Standard, has increased the demand for bio-fuel and added competition for available cropland. ...

We present results from an application of the Biofuel Breakeven program (BioBreak) to 14 US cellulosic ethanol markets that vary by feedstock and location.  BioBreak estimates the economic costs of cellulosic biofuel production for each market and identifies the necessary conditions to sustain...

This paper provides an overview of the economics of biofuels. It starts by describing the remarkable growth of the biofuel industry over the last decade, with emphasis on developments in the United States, Brazil and the European Union, and it identifies the driving role played by some critical...