WASHINGTON, D.C. – Growth Energy celebrated the 17th anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), signed into law on August 8, 2005, by outlining the biofuel sector’s top priorities for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) fast-approaching update to the program. Under a consent decree agreement reached with Growth Energy, EPA will be required to formally propose the 2023 RFS biofuel requirements no later than November 16, 2022. The rulemaking – called the Set – promises to usher in a new era for the RFS, marking the first year a baseline for biofuel volumes is not specified by Congress but must be set based on statutory factors like fuel costs, environmental benefits, and commercial production.
“The RFS remains America’s single most successful clean energy policy, but its full potential as a climate solution remains untapped,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “The Set marks a watershed moment for the program, and it’s vital that President Biden’s team fully embrace this opportunity to hold down fuel prices and rapidly decarbonize the transportation sector. Rural workers and farmers across the heartland are ready to lead the charge, and with a forward-looking RFS, we can finally break old patterns of reliance on expensive fossil fuels.”
As EPA staff works on the Set proposal, which is expected to cover, at a minimum, the 2023 and 2024 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs), Growth Energy is rallying industry stakeholders, biofuel advocates, and rural leaders across the country to educate policymakers on priorities for a successful Set (FACT SHEET here, FAQ here). Specifically, they are calling on EPA to:
- Ensure that bioethanol continues to play a growing role in driving climate progress, as Congress intended, by building on the 15 billion gallons of conventional biofuels set for 2022;
- Update EPA models to reflect the best available science on the contributions of low-carbon bioethanol to the nation’s climate goals;
- Set forward-looking requirements for advanced and cellulosic biofuels that will spur continued innovation and growth without favoring one technology over another;
- Protect the integrity of the RFS by rejecting improper exemptions and other efforts to cut, cap, or water down the incentive to ensure physical biofuel gallons actually reach the market; and
- Provide certainty and predictability to all stakeholders with timely, multi-year requirements that will drive growth.
“As we approach a new era for the RFS, Growth Energy is laser-focused on making sure the Set reflects Congress’s overarching directive to steadily expand the critical role biofuels play in mitigating climate change and lowering prices at the pump,” added Skor.