US biofuel subsidies questioned

Policies to support biofuels in the United States are costly and do not help much towards alleviating dependency on imported petroleum or reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, a think-tank warns.

It suggests that political support for biofuels has stemmed from a combination of “powerful interests,” including those of “agriculture, the national security community, and a significant proportion of the environmental community”.

But the money could be better spent elsewhere, according to the report’s authors, who argue that the benefits of biofuels – reduced dependence on imported oil and CO2 cuts – could be attained in other ways at a cheaper price.
EurActiv