Many different factors must be addressed in order to successfully commercialize biofuels. In this subtask, we examine non-technical challenges in the commercialization process, including the influence of taxation, regulations, policies, environmental concerns and economics. Our previous work identified taxation policy as the most significant single influence for achieving increased biofuels usage, but we also identified some taxation approaches that are far more successful than others. The relative importance of environmental factors in driving biofuels also varies regionally. Unfortunately, the information from any one region is frequently difficult to access in other regions. As a result, policy decisions are sometimes made on the basis of incomplete information.

The overall objective of this project area is to provide governments and decision makers with improved information and analyses on policy, regulatory, and infrastructure issues that will help them better implement biofuels. Over the past few years, biofuels markets have been established successfully is some regions but less so in others. The Task will provide information and analyses that identify the strategies and approaches that assist in the establishment of biofuels markets as well as those that serve as barriers to implementation. This subtask will focus on near- and medium-term issues that impact biofuels at present and are likely to do so over the next decade. The successful implementation of present biofuels is necessary to ensure a significant expansion of bio-based fuels in the future.

The Subtask on Policy, Markets and Implementation Issues is led by Manfred Wörgetter (Austria), John Neeft(The Netherlands) and Warren Mabee (Canada). The group will conduct several projects as described below.

Activities
The Subtask on Policy, Markets and Implementation issues continues to work to provide governments and policy makers with improved information that will help them identify and eliminate non-technical barriers to liquid fuels deployment. Warren Mabee is currently acting as the primary contact for queries regarding these issues, in addition to his work on a number of projects reviewing policy implementation and successes in North America. The Associate Task Leaders are active in the policy community and are working together with Kyriakos Maniatis of the EC to address policy and regulatory issues.

The Subtask will also conduct several projects to build on work carried out in the previous triennium. These projects will be detailed in this space following our successful meeting in Denver, CO on 28 April 2007.  We anticipate that future policy reports might include a vision document outlining realistic use of biofuels over future timeframes, and a review of the trade issues and opportunities for bioethanol and biodiesel.

For further information on this subtask, please contact Manfred Wörgetter, John Neeft or Warren Mabee.