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Appendix D: Descriptions of Agency Activities Presented at the Forum on Biofuels and Sustainability
Pages 69-86

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From page 69...
... D Descriptions of Agency Activities Presented at the Forum on Biofuels and Sustainability1 1Presentations are available online at http://sustainability.nationalacademies.org/Forum.shtml 69
From page 70...
... Federal and state governments are encouraging the use of ethanol. Initially energy crops, such as switchgrass, willow, and poplar, were targeted as sources of bio-energy, recently crop residues, especially corn stover and wheat straw, have been identified as a source of cellulosic biomass.
From page 71...
... Participating scientists contribute their time and resources out of their base funding to projects falling under ARS Soils, Bioenergy and Global Change National Programs.
From page 72...
... The FML project goals are as follows: • Understand how current and projected land uses affect the ecosystem services provided by Midwestern landscapes • Provide spatially explicit information that will enable EPA Regions and Programs to articulate sustainable approaches to environmental management in the Midwest • Develop web-based tools depicting alternative futures so users can evaluate trade-offs affecting ecosystem services. The alternative-futures research approach will involve the following steps (Liu et al.)
From page 73...
... 3. Scenario Analysis Using models of agronomy, hydrology, biogeochemistry and habitat suitability, the following ecosystem services (and well-being effects)
From page 74...
... The landscape analysis methods developed for the FML Study will be implemented as a webbased environmental decision toolkit (EDT) , similar to other toolkits previously created under EPA's Regional Vulnerability Assessment Program (ReVA)
From page 75...
... Studies that evaluate long term site productivity have provided insight into repeated removal of biomass and effects on nutrient cycling, and studies that evaluate the needs of wildlife and the hydrological cycle have provided insight into how biomass removal strategies either impact or can improve these other values. Understanding trends and conditions of the forest resource in order to provide accurate feedstock assessment information for local, regional, and national planning is critical because wood used for energy is available for biofuels only in the context of other forest products and values.
From page 76...
... The potential for reestablishing forest energy crops on marginal crop land or as longer term conservation areas will likely be part of the future dialog to meet land owners needs and provide longer term options for the country. Biodiversity considerations will help guide where expanded wood energy crops can provide multiple benefits, or may limit how and where they are planted.
From page 77...
... Sustainability requires careful consideration of the local nature of woody biomass, and how it fits into a large scheme of cellulosic crops and residues that may be available for biofuels. Finally, R&D using life cycle analysis is demonstrating the net energy impacts considering the full continuum beginning with growing forests through energy production in order to fully consider benefits and trade-offs of various feedstocks for bioenergy, and for evaluating biofuels as compared to the fossil fuels they replace.
From page 78...
... Implementing research and demonstration projects on the ground frequently involves National Forest System and other public land managers, or State Forestry and Environmental Agencies. Local collaborative groups in many areas are helping build consensus about how bioenergy projects fit into the local and regional business options for achieving land management objectives.
From page 79...
... A synthesis of results from Sun Grant and DOE research is being used to populate a suite of GIS tools for future biomass development planning to address these questions in the context of other lifecycle costs and impacts for biofuels. The Sun Grant Centers are currently in the process of integrating multi-modal transportation maps with agricultural feedstock production maps.
From page 80...
... FUNDING LEVELS (CURRENT OR PROPOSED) : $0 currently.
From page 81...
... received funding from the US DOT to conduct biobased R&D with a focus on addressing DOT priorities. This project is coordinated by the 5 regional sun grant universities and the NBB and is addressing a wide range of research items necessary to develop biofuels as a significant, sustainable contributor to the national energy needs.
From page 82...
... . Meeting this goal will require: significant and rapid advancements in biomass feedstock and conversion technologies; availability of large volumes of sustainable biomass feedstock; demonstration and deployment of large-scale integrated biofuels production facilities; and biofuels infrastructure development efforts.
From page 83...
... A central focus of feedstock production efforts is to establish and maintain Regional Biomass Energy Feedstock Partnerships in collaboration with USDA, the Sun Grant Initiative universities, and other regional partners. Collaborating in this manner will be crucial to overcoming specific geographic issues of varying climatic conditions, soil types, water quality, and land usage.
From page 84...
... Development of replicated field trials across regions to determine the impact of agricultural residue removal and to evaluate the feasibility of various energy crops; and 4) Analysis of the sustainability of producing specific biomass feedstocks, an effort being addressed by the Regional Feedstock Partnerships, USDA, and OBP analysis efforts.
From page 85...
... Estimated annual funding levels for research and development activities related to ecosystems services and sustainability: FY 2007 and 2008 funding for biofuels research directly related to sustainability is approximately $5 million. Total Biomass Program Funding supporting all R&D efforts is approximately $150M in FY07.


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