Development of baseline data and analysis of life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of petroleum-based fuels

Alternative transportation fuel options are currently being explored or implemented across the nation to (1) reduce climate change impacts from the release of greenhouse gases (GHGs), (2) reduce our reliance on foreign sources of energy, and (3) provide an economically-stable transportation fuel source to reduce price shocks to our economy. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is currently evaluating options to produce transportation fuels from coal, coal and biomass, and unconventional fossil energy resources. This study develops a comprehensive and transparent baseline for the life cycle GHG emissions from conventional petroleum-based transportation fuels sold or distributed in the United States in the year 2005. The scope of this study is depicted in Figure ES-1. The results of this study are necessary to benchmark the performance of alternative transportation fuels with respect to climate change impacts. The study goals and scope were aligned to meet the definition of "baseline lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions" as defined in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007), Title II, Subtitle A, Sec. 201.