Regional water implications of reducing oil imports with liquid transportation fuel alternatives in the United States.
نویسندگان
چکیده
The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is among the cornerstone policies created to increase U.S. energy independence by using biofuels. Although greenhouse gas emissions have played a role in shaping the RFS, water implications are less understood. We demonstrate a spatial, life cycle approach to estimate water consumption of transportation fuel scenarios, including a comparison to current water withdrawals and drought incidence by state. The water consumption and land footprint of six scenarios are compared to the RFS, including shale oil, coal-to-liquids, shale gas-to-liquids, corn ethanol, and cellulosic ethanol from switchgrass. The corn scenario is the most water and land intense option and is weighted toward drought-prone states. Fossil options and cellulosic ethanol require significantly less water and are weighted toward less drought-prone states. Coal-to-liquids is an exception, where water consumption is partially weighted toward drought-prone states. Results suggest that there may be considerable water and land impacts associated with meeting energy security goals through using only biofuels. Ultimately, water and land requirements may constrain energy security goals without careful planning, indicating that there is a need to better balance trade-offs. Our approach provides policymakers with a method to integrate federal policies with regional planning over various temporal and spatial scales.
منابع مشابه
Reducing the U.S dependency on oil and gas imports, implications for its policies in the international system
This paper aims to firstly explain the significance of the U.S oil independency and its consequences on the U.S foreign strategy in international politics. Secondly, the implications of this energy policy on the U.S foreign policy in the international system context is examined. The hypothesis to address these inquiries is postulated using neo-realism theory. Accordingly, following oil independ...
متن کاملFuels With a High Enthalpy of Evaporation in Si Engine
The increasing use of fuels derived from oil, deepens concern about the fact that non-fossil fuels have to be considered as the fuels of the future. Among the alternatives, hydrogen produced from the abundant sources of water, seems to be one of the best, but it suffers drawbacks with regard to combustion, storage and transportation. The other alternatives are ammonia, produced from unlimited s...
متن کاملReducing Petroleum Consumption from Transportation
The United States consumed more petroleum-based liquid fuel per capita than any other OECDhigh-income country—30 percent more than the second-highest country (Canada) and 40 percent more than the third-highest (Luxemburg). This paper examines the main channels through which reductions in U.S. oil consumption might take place: (a) increased fuel economy of existing vehicles, (b) increased use of...
متن کاملIncreased Automobile Fuel Efficiency and Synthetic Fuels: Alternatives for Reducing Oil Imports (Part 7 of 14)
متن کامل
I Evaluation of Natural Gas as an Alternative Fuel in
The energy issue in transportation for the next 20 years is not one of adequate supply but rather it is a combination of overdependence on imported petroleum and of managing a transition to economically, strategically and environmentally desirable energy sources. More than a quarter of all energy consumption in the United States is attributable to transportation, as is nearly two-thirds of all ...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید
ثبت ناماگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید
ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Environmental science & technology
دوره 47 21 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2013