In this week’s episode of R-Squared Energy TV, I answer questions on palm oil and hydraulic fracturing (fracking).
Some of the topics discussed are:
- The EPA decision to exclude palm oil from qualifying as renewable biomass under RFS2
- The Chinese influence over the palm oil trade
- The issue of trade-offs in our energy choices
- Agendas in the fracking debate
After I recorded the clip, I did some research on exactly how the EPA treats palm oil (I should have done it before recording the clip), and they say that “oil palm plantations would have to meet the criteria for existing agricultural land in order for their fruit and crop residue to qualify as renewable biomass under RFS2.” I am not sure about the requirements for qualifying as existing agricultural land, but that was my point in the video: There needs to be a mechanism to allow palm oil from previously existing plantations to qualify. And it sounds like there is such a mechanism.
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