Biodiesel Stakeholders Send Letter To Biden Urging RFS Increase
Clean Fuels Alliance America and 75 industry stakeholders delivered a letter on June 8 to President Joe Biden, urging him to ensure that the Environmental Protection Agency substantially increases the biomass-based diesel (BBD) and advanced biofuels volumes in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2023, 2024 and 2025. Clean Fuels was joined in the letter by several national industry associations and their members, including the American Soybean Association, 22 state soybean associations, Diesel Technology Forum, National Energy and Fuels Institute, National Oilseed Processors Association, North American Renderers Association and U.S. Canola Association.
The letter points out that EPA’s proposed volumes fall far below the industry’s current production and, if finalized, would undermine ongoing investments in the industry’s expansion. EPA is expected to finalize the RFS volumes by June 14.
“EPA must substantially increase the RFS’ biomass-based diesel volumes to account for actual production,” the letter urges. “The proposed RFS volumes simply do not provide sufficient market space for the fuels that are produced and available now to help numerous industries decarbonize their transportation footprint. The low volumes threaten the ability of new market sectors, like marine and aviation, to decarbonize in the near term.”
The signatories asked EPA to annually increase the biomass-based diesel volumes by 500 million gallons. “Given the demonstrated increase in production in the first four months of this year, the request is very conservative,” the letter continues. “As your administration reviews the RFS rule for 2023, 2024 and 2025 before its final release on June 14, we ask that you ensure a true upward trajectory for the program’s volumes to further facilitate the growth of homegrown, low-carbon, advanced biofuels.”
Kurt Kovarik, vice president of federal affairs with Clean Fuels, added, “Our members, agriculture partners and fuel users have all made significant investments to grow the industry, and those investments are already paying off. In the first months of 2023, the clean fuels industry increased biodiesel and renewable diesel production by more than 200 million gallons.”
The additional biodiesel and renewable diesel gallons produced in the first four months of this year have filled three times over the increase in BBD volumes that EPA proposed for the entire year, CFAA said in an accompanying press release. “In fact, the additional biodiesel and renewable diesel gallons generated in the first four months of 2023 have filled the total volume increase that EPA proposed for the entire three-year rule period–2023, 2024 and 2025.”
“EPA must follow through on its promise of an upward trajectory for RFS volumes,” Kovarik continued. “As capacity and production grows, the economic benefits will increase–unless EPA fails to get the RFS volumes right.”
The letter is available for download on cleanfuels.org.
