Course: BFM 101 Biofuels Fundamentals

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Issues and Opportunities Related to Bioenergy Deve…
Diverse Stakeholders in Bioenergy Development

The “Triple Bottom Line” Approach to Bioenergy Development
The “Triple Bottom Line” Approach to Bioenergy Development

It is clear that a mix of concerns and opportunities surround biofuel development. Likewise, successful approaches to development must attend to multiple dimensions of public concern.  Daniels (2004) suggests that socio-economic measures need to be combined with social variables to derive a more comprehensive representation of communities.

The triple bottom line approach is increasingly used to evaluate the full set of costs and benefits of businesses, but it is useful in communities as well. The triple bottom line considers the long-term environmental, economic, and social impacts of a proposed development, industry, or process.  Businesses are using this approach to acknowledge that it is short-sighted to base decisions solely on the criteria of short-term profitability and financial performance of a business. For a business enterprise to be sustainable and enduring, it must also meet environmental and social performance objectives – the ‘triple bottom line’ [3]. Communities, as well, are using sustainability criteria in their planning processes, using approaches such as ‘The Natural Step’ to guide development [4]. Communities are also pursuing energy generation options to promote economic development, energy independence, and energy cost savings [5].

Listed below are examples of questions that community decision makers might consider when evaluating impacts and opportunities associated with: (1) production of dedicated bioenergy crops and/or harvesting of woody biomass (supply chain), (2) collection, refining, and processing of biomass for ethanol, co-generation, heating or electricity generation (industrial development).

For a more complete list of questions associated with issues and opportunities associated with bioenergy production, see the discussion guides for the Community Assessment Tool.

Production of Biomass
Environmental Questions:

- How will bioenergy crop production and harvest activities affect nutrient availability and soil organic matter of agricultural soils?
- How will bioenergy crop production and harvest activities affect groundwater or surface water quality or quantity?
- How will bioenergy crop production and harvest activities affect biodiversity conservation?
- Will bioenergy crop production and harvest activities reduce or increase the amount of carbon sequestration occurring from cropland?

Economic Questions:

- Will growing or harvesting bioenergy crops require specialized equipment and/or new skills?
- How long will it take for land owners/managers to realize a profit on their investment?
- Will the biomass market be volatile? Are there any reasons to suspect volatility?
- How will increased production of bioenergy crops affect the commodity prices of other crops and/or the availability of feed crops?

Social Questions:

- Could there be potential conflicts around the use of agricultural land for energy crop production?
- How will potential improvement in economic security of land owners affect the community as a whole?
- How will the increased production of biomass affect the landscape and people’s relationship to the landscape?

Collection, Refining, and Processing of Biomass
Environmental Questions:

- How will biomass collection and energy production affect traffic, road construction, and rail use?
- Will biomass collection and energy production emit any particulate matter, dust, or emissions that could affect the health of humans or animals?
- Will biomass collection and energy production produce any waste products?  Will these be recycled or used for another purpose?
- Will biomass collection and energy production produce additional greenhouse gas emissions (from the transportation and processing/burning activities)?
- Is there potential with the facility for energy conservation or co-generation? What will be the energy balance of electrical production?

Economic Questions:

- Will there be new jobs created from a biomass refining facility? Will these jobs pay a living wage?
- How will biomass refining affect community economic development? (For example, job creation, increased spending, induced economic impact.)
- What is the anticipated tax revenue from a bioenergy facility?
- Will land prices change due to the facility?
- Will there be a cost to the community for biomass refining?
- Is the project eligible for TIF financing?
- Must the community supply services (water, sewerage, other) or develop additional infrastructure?

Social Questions:

- How will aggregation of materials and/or conversion activities affect the community’s emergency response capacity? Are there risks of fire or hazardous spills?
- Will the facility cause any noise disturbance?
- How would such a bioenergy facility change the quality of life for community residents?

Resources provided by the eXtension Farm Energy Community of Practice at http://www.extension.org/ag+energy

Issues and Opportunities Related to Bioenergy Deve…
Diverse Stakeholders in Bioenergy Development