Today in BIofuels Opinion: But also there has been so much more attention paid to assessing penalties instead of how to solve [indirect land use change].

Lee Lynd, co-founder of Mascoma: With indirect land use change, the most important thing to realize is that ILUC is avoidable. But also there has been so much more attention paid to assessing penalties instead of how to solve it. Imagine if you are in a mine shaft, and it collapses, and the miners trapped inside grab picks and shovels to try to dig out. Imagine there’s a committee of the miners who say that they are going to penalize certain picks and shovels because they use a disproportionate share of oxygen. But they are the only way out.”

Jacques Losique-Beaudry, Department of Energy: “The EPA is in possession of our best models of indirect land use change, but they are not going to be ready for the political forces that surround the issue for years to come, if ever.”

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