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Current Methods for Life Cycle Analyses of Low-Carbon Transportation Fuels in the United States

Completed

Topics

Low carbon fuel standards, such as the Federal Renewable Fuel Standard and the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard, are major U.S. programs for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation fuels. These standards rely on life cycle assessment (LCA) as a tool to estimate fuel GHG emissions. However, current LCAs differ notably in how they are implemented, with disagreements pertaining to data quality, modeling approaches, and key assumptions. This methodological assessment aims to develop a reliable and coherent approach for applying LCA to low carbon fuel standards.

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About Past Events

Description

An ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will assess current methods for estimating lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with transportation fuels (liquid and non-liquid) for potential use in a national low-carbon fuels program. In carrying out its assessment, the committee will identify the general characteristics and capabilities of GHG emissions estimation methods that would be commonly needed across various types of low-carbon fuels programs applied at a national level. The committee will include these considerations:
• GHG emissions over the entire lifecycle of a given transportation fuel, including feedstock generation or extraction, feedstock conversion to a finished fuel or blendstock, distribution, storage, delivery, and use of the fuel in vehicles.
• Potentially significant indirect GHG emissions.
• Key assumptions, input parameters, and data quality and quantity, including spatial variability, for application of lifecycle GHG emission models
• Needs for additional data, methods for data collection, standardized inputs for lifecycle analyses, and model improvements.

Collaborators

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Committee Membership Roster Comments

There has been a change in committee membership with the appointment of Jeremy I. Martin.

Sponsors

Breakthrough Energy

Staff

Camilla Yandoc Ables

Lead

CAbles@nas.edu

Kyra Howe

KHowe@nas.edu

Ray Wassel

RWassel@nas.edu

Robin Schoen

RSchoen@nas.edu

John Holmes

JHolmes@nas.edu

Brent Heard

BHeard@nas.edu

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