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Energy security, environmental concerns, and unstable oil prices have been the driving trifecta of demand for alternative fuels in the United States. The United States’ dependence on energy resources, often from unstable oil-producing countries has created political insecurities and concerns. As we try to gain energy security, unconventional oil becomes more common, flooding the market, and causing the major downshift of the usual unstable oil prices. Meanwhile, consumption of fossil fuels and the consequent CO 2 emissions have driven disruptions in the Earth’s atmosphere and are recognized to be responsible for global climate change. While the significance of each of these three factors may fluctuate with global politics or new technologies, transportation energy will remain the prominent focus of multi-disciplined research. Bioenergy future depends on the price of oil. Current energy policy of the United States heavily favors petroleum industry. In this review, the current trend in microbial lipids as a potential biofuel is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]