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Special Committee on Domestic Biofuels

Chair: Sen. Pat Kreitlow
Vice-Chair:  Rep. Scott Suder
Legislative Council Staff: John Stolzenberg and Larry Konopacki
Member List

The Special Committee is directed to:  (1) evaluate the economic and environmental costs and benefits of domestically produced fuels derived from biomass; (2) review state and federal policies to promote the development of the industry and infrastructure for the production and distribution of such fuels; (3) recommend state policies to address any deficiencies in existing policies; and (4) recommend state policies to encourage minimum targets for ethanol-blended transportation fuel sales.

Recommendations to the Legislature
  • Report to the Legislature 2009-10, Special Committee on Domestic Biofuels.
  • 2009 Senate Bill 279 and 2009 Assembly Bill 408, relating to financial assistance related to bioenergy feedstocks, biorefineries, and conversion to biomass energy; the definition of the term agricultural use for the purpose of determining the assessed value of a parcel of land; requiring a strategic bioenergy feedstock assessment; creation of a bioenergy council; the agricultural and forestry diversification programs; biofuels training assessment; a study of regulatory burdens relating to biofuel production facilities; marketing orders and agreements for bioenergy feedstocks; exempting personal renewable fuel production and use from the motor vehicle fuel tax, the petroleum inspection fee, and business tax registration requirements; an income and franchise tax credit for installing or retrofitting pumps that mix motor vehicle fuels from separate storage tanks; offering gasoline that is not blended with ethanol to motor fuel dealers; state renewable motor vehicle fuels sales goals; required sales of renewable motor vehicle fuels; use of petroleum-based transportation fuels by state vehicles; use of alternative fuels in flex fuel vehicles owned by the state; use of public alternative fuel refueling facilities; duties of the office of energy independence; granting rule-making authority; requiring the exercise of rule-making authority; making appropriations; and providing penalties.
Recommendations to the Joint Legislative Council (May 20, 2009)
  • Results of the May 20 meeting.
  • Proposed Report to the Legislature, No. 2009-11, Domestic Biofuels.
  • WLC: 0431/1, relating to financial assistance related to bioenergy feedstocks, biorefineries, and conversion to biomass energy; the definition of “agricultural use” for purposes of determining the assessed value of a parcel of land; requiring a strategic bioenergy feedstock assessment; creation of a bioenergy advisory council; the agricultural diversification program; a biofuels training assessment; creation of a biofuels production facility regulation review council; exempting personal renewable fuel production and use from state taxes, fees, inspection requirements, and licensing requirements; an income tax credit for installing or retrofitting pumps that mix motor vehicle fuels from separate storage tanks; offering unblended gasoline to motor fuel dealers; state renewable motor vehicle fuels sales goals and required sales of renewable motor vehicle fuels; decreasing the use of petroleum-based transportation fuels by state vehicles, promoting the use of alternative fuels in flex fuel vehicles owned by the state, and promoting public alternative fuel refueling facilities; the duties of the office of energy independence; granting rule-making authority, making an appropriation and providing penalties.
  • Letter, from United States Senator Herb Kohl, dated June 9, 2009.
March 11, 2009
  • WLC: 0356/2, relating to financial assistance related to bioenergy feedstocks, biorefineries, and conversion to biomass energy.
  • WLC: 0357/2, relating to the definition of “agricultural use” for purposes of determining the assessed value of a parcel of land.
  • WLC: 0358/2, relating to requiring a strategic bioenergy feedstock assessment.
  • WLC: 0359/1, relating to creation of a bioenergy advisory council.
  • WLC: 0360/2, relating to the agricultural diversification program.
  • WLC: 0361/1, relating to a biofuels training assessment.
  • WLC: 0362/1, relating to creation of a biofuels production facility regulation review council.
  •  WLC: 0364/3, relating to exempting personal renewable fuel production and use from state taxes, fees, inspection requirements, and licensing requirements
  • WLC: 0365/2, relating to an income tax credit for installing or retrofitting pumps that mix motor vehicle fuels from separate storage tanks.
  • WLC: 0367/2, relating to offering unblended gasoline to motor fuel dealers.
  • WLC: 0368/4, relating to state renewable motor vehicle fuels sales goals, required sales of renewable motor vehicle fuels, granting rule-making authority, making an appropriation and providing penalties.
  • WLC: 0369/2, relating to decreasing the use of petroleum-based transportation fuels by state vehicles, promoting the use of alternative fuels in flex fuel vehicles owned by the state, and promoting public alternative fuel refueling facilities.
  • WLC: 0370/2, relating to duties of the office of energy independence.
  • Draft letters to Congressional Delegation and Governor Jim Doyle.
  • Memo No. 8, Background Information on the State Renewable Fuels Program in WLC: 0368/4 (March 11, 2009).
December 16, 2008 Meeting

  • WLC: 0356/1, relating to financial assistance related to bioenergy feedstocks, biorefineries, and conversion to biomass energy.

  • WLC: 0357/1, relating to the definition of “agricultural use” for purposes of determining the assessed value of a parcel of land.

  • WLC: 0358/1, relating to requiring a strategic bioenergy feedstock assessment. 
  • WLC: 0360/1, relating to the agricultural diversification program. 
  • WLC: 0363/1, relating to marketing orders and agreements for bioenergy feedstocks. 
  • WLC: 0364/1, relating to exempting personal biodiesel fuel production and use from state taxes, fees, inspection requirements, and licensing requirements. 
  • WLC: 0365/1, relating to an income tax credit for installing or retrofitting pumps that mix motor vehicle fuels from separate storage tanks. 
  •  WLC: 0367/1, relating to offering unblended gasoline to motor fuel dealers. 
  •  WLC: 0369/1, relating to decreasing the use of petroleum based transportation fuels by state vehicles, promoting the use of alternative fuels in flex fuel vehicles owned by the state, and promoting public alternative fuel refueling facilities. 
  • WLC: 0370/1, relating to duties of the office of energy independence. 
  •   Memo No. 5, Wisconsin Renewable Fuels Standard (Draft) (December 11, 2008).
  •   Memo No. 6, Policy Options on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Requirements for Transportation Fuels (December 11, 2008). 
  • Memo No. 7, Miscellaneous Policy Options and Discussion Topics (December 15, 2008).
November 18, 2008 Meeting
  • Memo No. 3, Neighboring States’ Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Incentives and Laws (October 17, 2008).
  • Memo No. 4, Potential Policy Options (November 11, 2008).
  • Executive Summary and Next Steps, Effects of Intermediate Ethanol Blends on Legacy Vehicles and Small Non-Road Engines, Report 1, Brian West, et. al. (October 2008).  [Pages 3, 17 to 21, and 71 to 73 were distributed to committee members.]
  • Presentation by Ron Lamberty, Vice President for Market Development, American Coalition for Ethanol.
  • Handout, Draft Recommendations from Domestic Biofuels Committee Chairs.
  • Testimony, from Paul DeLong, Administrator, Department of Natural Resources.
    • Handout, Global Warming Task Force, Forestry Policy Recommendations.
  • E-mail note from Public Member Peter Taglia to Senator Kreitlow.
October 14, 2008 Meeting

  • Memo No. 1., State Statutes Relating to Transportation Biofuels (October 8, 2008).

  • Memo No. 2., Assessment of Biomass in Wisconsin Available for Biofuels Production (October 8, 2008).  Reports referenced in this Memo:

    • Report, Biomass Feedstock Availability in the United States: 1999 State-Level Analysis, ORNL, April 1999, updated January 2000, M.E. Walsh, et al.

    • Report, Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry : The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply, ORNL TM-2005/66, April 2005, R.D. Perlack.

    • Report,  A Geographic Perspective on the Current Biomass Resource Available in the United States, NREL TP-560-39181, December 2005, A. Milbrandt.

    • Report, P.A. Porter, et al., Growing Wisconsin Energy : A Native Grass Pellet Bio-Heat Roadmap for Wisconsin, Agricultural Ecological Solutions, June 2008.  

    • Report, Assessment of Biomass Resources for Energy Generation at Xcel Energy’s Bay Front Generating Station in Ashland, Wisconsin, ECW Report Number 240-1, April 2007.

    • Report, Woody Biomass Resource Assessment for Presque Isle Power Plan – Final Report, ECW Report Number 242-1, August 2008.

    • Report, Wisconsin’s Biobased Industry : Opportunities and Advantages Study, Volume 2: Technical Analysis Report, ECW Report Number 237-1, June 2006.

  • IM-2008-09, Recommendations of the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming (August 15, 2008):

    • Report, Wisconsin’s Strategy for Reducing Global Warming, Final Report by the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming, July 2008. 

  • Overview and Key Findings; Optional Ethanol Blend-Level Investigation, Richard E. Shockey, et. al, Energy Environmental Research Center, University of North Dakota, Report 2007-EERC-11-02, November 2007.

    • Full Report, Overview and Key Findings; Optional Ethanol Blend-Level Investigation, Energy Environmental Research Center, University of North Dakota, Report 2007-EERC-11-02, November 2007, Richard E. Shockey, et. al.

    • Article, more miles for your gallon with mid-range ethanol blends (January 2008), by Kristin Brekke, Ethanol magazine.

  • PowerPoint presentation by Carol Werner, Environmental and Energy Study Institute, Washington, D.C.

    • Executive Summary, Advancing Commercial Scale Production of Low Carbon Biofuels, Environmental and Energy Study Institute, October 2008.

  • PowerPoint presentation by Maria Redmond, Office of Energy Independence, Madison.

  • PowerPoint presentation by Michael Wang, Transportation Technology R&D Center, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois.

September 16, 2008 Meeting

  • PowerPoint presentation by Larry Konopacki and John Stolzenberg, Wisconsin Legislative Council Staff.

  • PowerPoint presentation by Hoon Ge, MEG Corp., Golden Valley, Minnesota.

  • Report, Federal Financial Interventions and Subsidies in Energy Markets 2007, Executive Summary (April 2008), prepared by the Energy Information Administration.

  • CRS Report, RL33572, Biofuels Incentives:  A Summary of Federal Programs (updated July 29, 2008).

  • CRS Report, RL33763, Oil and Gas Tax Subsidies:  Current Status and Analysis (updated February 27, 2007).

  • Testimony, by Al Shea, Division of Air and Waste, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

  • PowerPoint presentation by Craig Waldvogel, US Oil Co. Combined Locks.

  • Article, Lean, green and not mean, Ribeirao Preto, The Economist, June 26, 2008, distributed at the request of Senator Cowles.

  • E-mail note from Public Member Peter Taglia to Sen. Kreitlow and the following attached documents :

·        Land Clearing and the Biofuel Carbon Debt, Joseph Fargione, et. al., Scienceexpress, February 7, 2008.

·        PowerPoint presentation, Lifecycle Assessment for EPA's Renewable Fuels Program, Presentation to North Central Bioeconomy Consortium, Bob Larsen, US EPA July 15, 2008.

·        Corn-based ethanol production compromises goal of reducing nitrogen export by the Mississippi River, Simon D.  Donner and Christopher J. Kucharik, Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, March 18, 2008. 

  • Article, Lean, green and not mean, Ribeirao Preto, The Economist, June 26, 2008, distributed at the request of Senator Cowles.
August 19, 2008 Meeting
  • Report, Wisconsin Biofuels and Alternative Fuels Use Report, 2008 Annual Report, Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence.
  • Report, 2007 Wisconsin Energy Statistics; Full Report and Highlights, Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence.
  • Report, Wisconsin Guide for Building Biofuels Facilities, Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence, April 2007.
  • Final Report, Wisconsin Consortium on Biobased Industry, May 2006.
  • Report, Securing a Clean Energy Future; Greener Fuels, Greener. Vehicles:  A State Resource Guide, National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, undated.
  • Presentation by Tim Donohue, Director, Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin Madison.  Handouts include:
    • Report, U.S. Department of Energy's Bioenergy Research Centers, An Overview of the Science (February 2008).
    • Handout, Biofuels & Greenhouse Gas Emissions:  Myths versus Facts.
    • Article, Guest Column:  Building the Next Generation of Biofuels (May 12, 2008).
    • Overview of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.
    • Handout, Development of a Sustainable Bioenergy Economy
    • Article, Foley & Donohue:  Support the next generation of biofuels (July 17, 2008).
  • Presentation by Judy Ziewacz, Executive Director, Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence.
  • Testimony by Gary Radloff, Director of Policy and Strategic Communications, Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
  • Handout by Gary Radloff, Director of Policy and Strategic Communications, Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
  • Presentation by R. Brooke Coleman, Executive Director, New Fuels Alliance, Boston.  Mr. Coleman's presentation included the following handouts:
    • Article, Food Prices Rise as Corporate Profits Soar, published by FoodPriceTruth.org.
    • Article, Food Fights and Rising Prices:  Renewing Our Fuel Standards and Our National Security, published by the Truman National Security Project (June 11, 2008).
    • Transcript, prepared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (May 19, 2008).