WASHINGTON, D.C. — Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuels trade association, applauded Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) for introducing the bipartisan Adopt GREET Act today. The bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use Argonne National Lab’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) Model for greenhouse gas modeling of ethanol, biodiesel, and all approved fuel pathways under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
“Biofuels are playing a crucial role in helping our nation meet our energy and climate goals,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. “As a country, we can’t afford for renewable, affordable biofuels to be held back by outdated and inaccurate modeling. Years of rigorous, peer-reviewed research have shown that corn ethanol already cuts greenhouse gas emissions nearly in half compared to gasoline. Unfortunately, EPA’s outdated model fails to fully capture the enormous decarbonization potential of ethanol. Growth Energy and its members applaud Senators Thune and Klobuchar for sponsoring this commonsense legislation. It’s past time for the EPA to implement sound science and fully recognize biofuels’ outsized role in creating our clean energy future.”
Background
Last Congress, Senators Thune and Klobuchar introduced the Adopt GREET Act to require EPA to update its greenhouse gas modeling for only ethanol and biodiesel. The version of the legislation introduced today will broaden this instruction to apply to any approved pathway under the Renewable Fuels Standard program. Further, EPA will be required to update its modeling not later than every five years, and it would have to also adopt the GREET model for any future-established pathways.