Greenhouse Gas Reductions under Low Carbon Fuel Standards?

Stephen Holland, Jonathan Hughes () and Christopher Knittel

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2009, vol. 1, issue 1, 106-46

Abstract: A low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by limiting the carbon intensity of fuels. We show this decreases high carbon fuel production but increases low carbon fuel production, possibly increasing net carbon emissions. The LCFS cannot be efficient, and the best LCFS may be nonbinding. We simulate a national LCFS on gasoline and ethanol. For a broad parameter range, emissions decrease, energy prices increase, abatement costs are large ($80 - $760 billion annually), and average abatement costs are large ($307 - $2,272 per CO2 metric ton). A cost effective policy has much lower average abatement costs ($60 - $868). (JEL Q54, Q58)

JEL-codes: Q54 Q58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
Note: DOI: 10.1257/pol.1.1.106
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (170)

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Working Paper: Greenhouse Gas Reductions under Low Carbon Fuel Standards? (2007)
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