Biomass: Producer Choices, Production Costs and Potential

The U.S. fuel ethanol program is a result of a series of government policies enacted over more than three decades that have provided subsidies, tax incentives, and mandates. Corn ethanol is frequently described as a first generation biofuel. When the original policies were implemented, a primary goal was to find an alternative use for corn grain that was often in “surplus”. Critics of the corn ethanol program have posited concerns about the economics, welfare implications, sustainability, and environmental consequences of using grain for fuel (d