Low Carbon Fuel Standard Expert Workgroup

This page last reviewed May 19, 2011

This page provides information regarding ARB's Low Carbon Fuel Standard Expert Workgroup (EWG).

On April 23, 2009, the California Air Resources Board (ARB/Board) approved the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) regulation. As part of the Board Hearing, the Board approved Resolution 09-31 (Resolution). The Resolution includes a number of provisions related to ongoing work on the LCFS. One such provision relates to land use and indirect effect analysis of transportation fuels.

The Board-approved resolution reads: "BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board directs the Executive Officer to convene an expert workgroup to assist the Board in refining and improving the land use and indirect effect analysis of transportation fuels and return to the Board no later than January 1, 2011 with regulatory amendments or recommendations, if appropriate, on approaches to address issues identified. This workgroup should evaluate key factors that might impact the land use values for biofuels including agricultural yield improvements, co-product credits, land emission factors, food price elasticity, and other relevant factors. The Executive Officer shall coordinate this effort with similar efforts by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), European Union, and other agencies pursuing a low carbon fuel standard."

Workgroup Information

• Subgroup Membership List (PDF)
• Expert Workgroup Guidelines (PDF)
• Expert Workgroup Member's Information (PDF)
• Requirements for Subgroup Draft Work Plans (PDF)
• LCFS Proposal for an Expert Workgroup (PDF)
• Solicitation Letter  for the LCFS Expert Workgroup (PDF) and Application (PDF) (Closed)

Meeting Archive 

Subgroup and Independent Reviewer Final Reports 

• ARB Staff Cover Report (PDF)

The subgroup reports posted below are "final versions".  ARB staff is posting these documents as submitted by the subgroups.  Although many of the topics discussed in these documents have been discussed at Expert Workgroup meetings, these documents are products of the subgroups and not of the Expert Workgroup as a whole.

• Elasticity Values subgroup (PDF)
• Land Cover Types subgroup (PDF)
• Emission Factors subgroup (PDF)
• Co-Product Credits subgroup (PDF)
• Time Accounting subgroup (PDF)
• Food Consumption subgroup (PDF)
• Uncertainty in LUC Estimates subgroup (PDF)
• Indirect Effects of Other Fuels subgroup  (PDF)
• Comparative and Alternative Modeling Approaches subgroup (PDF)

The independent reviewer reports posted below are "final versions".  ARB staff is posting these documents as submitted by the reviewers.  Although many of the topics discussed in these documents have been discussed at Expert Workgroup meetings, these documents are products of the reviewer and not of the Expert Workgroup.

• Biofuels Policy and the Empirical Inputs to GTAP Models by Steve Berry - Yale University (PDF)
• GTAP-BIO-ADV and Land Use Emissions from Expanded Biofuels Productionby John Reilly - MIT (PDF)

• RFA comments on the EWG final reports (PDF)
• Comments from the Environmental groups on the EWG final reports (PDF)

Stakeholder Comments

Please send your comments to ARB.

1. June 17, 2010: Third EWG written comments (PDF)
2. April 8, 2010: Second EWG written comments (PDF)
3. February 26, 2010: First EWG written comments (PDF-4.2Mb)

Related Links

• U.S. EPA Renewable Standard Program (RFS II)
• NESCAUM: Northeast /Mid-Atlantic Regional Low Carbon Fuels Initiatives
• European Union Commission: Renewable Energy

Related Publications and Reports

• July 2010: Land Use Changes and Consequent CO2 Emissions due to US Corn Ethanol Production: A Comprehensive Analysis, Revised Final Report, by Wallace Tyner, Farzad Taheripour, Qianlai Zhuang, Dileep Birur, Uris Baldos, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University (PDF). 
• April 2010: Land Use Changes and Consequent CO2 Emissions due to US Corn Ethanol Production: A Comprehensive Analysis, by Wallace Tyner, Farzad Taheripour, Qianlai Zhuang, Dileep Birur, Uris Baldos, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University (PDF).
• Effects of US Maize Ethanol on Global Land Use and Greenehouse Gas Emissions: Estimating Market-mediated Responses, by Thomas Hertel, Alla Golub, Andrew Jones, Michael O'Hare, Richard Plevin, Daniel Kammen, Bioscience, March 2010 (PDF).
• Global Trade and Environmental Impact Study of the EU Biofuels Mandate by Perrihan Al-Riffai, Betina Dimaranan, David Laborde, March 2010, IFPRI (PDF-1.33mb).

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