| Summary/Abstract |
In a recent article, Santeramo and Searle (2019: Henceforth San-Sea) argued that the linkages between the soy oil and palm oil markets and their land use consequences could negatively affect the climate performance of the US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and California's Low Fuel Standard. To support their arguments, San-Sea estimated the own and cross-price elasticities for supplies of soy and palm oils in the US. These authors refer to a valid point that induced land use changes may negatively impact emissions savings due to biofuels. However, their estimated elasticities provide no new insight on this issue. In addition, their approach, findings, analysis, and conclusion are subject to several deficiencies and limitations. These authors provide no new evidence for the link between biofuel production and land use change due to substitution among vegetable oils. In what follows, we reflect on some important facts and concerns.
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