Fuel Ethanol at a Key Economic and Technological Junction in the USA

Increased domestic crude production in the USA during the last five years, and the delayed success of second generation bio fuels within the renewables sector has changed the relative significance of ethanol as a domestic source of transportation fuel. Here, we trace how the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 have led to an increase in the production of both crude and first generation ethanol in the last decade. We subsequently evaluate the current status of second generation bio fuels, and their prospects within the transportation energy landscape of the USA.