Highlights how market expansion for biofuels and next generation fuels are key to success of the RFS.
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Growth Energy formally submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on pathways forward for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), highlighting the importance of next generation biofuels and how increased market access will play a critical role in the ultimate success of the RFS.
“The RFS has been the country’s most successful energy policy over the last forty years. Since the inception of the RFS, Growth Energy’s members and the ethanol industry have produced significant volumes of renewable fuel that have displaced 10 percent of U.S. transportation fuel, which has substantially helped reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil, improve our air quality, create thousands of jobs and revitalize rural communities nationwide. The industry has successfully built the foundation of the RFS with the first generation of grain-based ethanol production, and our members are poised to do the same in the next generation with advanced biofuels and cellulosic ethanol,” noted Buis in the comments submitted.
Furthermore, Growth Energy continues to advocate for additional pathways to meet the goals of the RFS including the new pathway for cellulosic biofuel from corn kernel fiber, as well as additional crop residues: “We believe that any renewable biomass meeting the 60 percent greenhouse gas threshold should be able to generate cellulosic RINs.”
Finally, Growth Energy’s comments addressed the unprecedented refusal by oil companies and refiners to use higher blends of biofuels to help meet the target goals for the RFS and have attacked the RFS, specifically calling for repeal. Growth Energy’s comments specifically mention, “Because of the oil industry’s unfounded reluctance to accept E15 and higher ethanol blends, they now wish to tear down and eliminate the RFS by falsely claiming the system is broken . . . the RFS has been the law of the land since 2007; the petroleum and other industries have had ample time to plan and adjust their business accordingly to accept higher ethanol blends to meet the volumes outlined in the final RFS to ultimately reach 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel by 2022.
The comments also addressed the issue of foreign ethanol producers, advocating that those who produce biofuels, generate RINs and importers of renewable fuel should be subject to U.S. jurisdiction to prevent fraud, and that E15 fuel should be treated the same as E10 fuel with regards to Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP).