Wednesday
May 13, 2009
The Facts Behind a Low Carbon Fuel Standard
A Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) could impede American energy security by restricting certain resources for use (such as Canadian oil products), and would be redundant given the proposed cap on carbon dioxide emissions in climate change legislation currently being considered in Congress. Consumers would also be paying for less efficient fuel.
By restricting the use of Canadian crude oil, an LCFS would increase our reliance on oil imports from unstable regions of the world. At the same time, Canada’s resources would be directed toward overseas markets, putting American refiners and energy producers at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace.
Not only would an LCFS be costly, potentially redundant, and counterproductive to our national energy security goals, but studies have found that an LCFS may actually increase carbon emissions.