California Vote On Emissions

A vote on carbon emissions policies in the state of Califormia taking place today is being closely watched by the US biofuels industry.

The state's 2006 climate change law requires a 10% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

The US ethanol industry is being treated unfairly it says, because the calculations used to evaluate emissions assumes that for every acre of land utilised to grow crops for biofuel, one third of an acre of pristine land is used.

That assumption does more damage to the carbon footprint of biofuels than that of natural gas, crude oil or electricity as no such effect on the environment is taken into account for indirect emissions for those products, they say.