by Ben Nuelle
Just in the nick of time the Environmental Protection Agency released the Renewable fuel standards. The numbers went up but some are still unhappy. EPA announced final volume requirements under the (RFS) program today for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016.
They also announced the final volume requirements for biomass-based diesel for 2014 to 2017. This rule finalizes higher volumes of renewable fuel than the levels EPA proposed in June. Acting assistant administrator of EPA?s Office of Air and Radiation Janet McCabe.
?The RFS program has been an important driver of that success by cutting carbon pollution, reducing dependence on foreign oil and sparking rural economic development,? Acting assistant administrator of EPA?s Office of Air and Radiation Janet McCabe said.
Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dineen said Monday?s decision by EPA drops the nation?s most successful energy policy on its head.
?It wasn?t about the numbers today. O.K. the numbers went up big deal. It is about the methodology the legal rational that EPA used to reduce the numbers from the statute in the first place. We think what EPA has done guts the program and represents a huge mistake for this nation?s economic, energy, and environmental future? Dineen said.
The final 2016 standard for cellulosic biofuel is nearly 200 million gallons, or 7 times more, than the market produced in 2014. The final 2016 standard for advanced biofuel is nearly 1 billion gallons, or 35 percent, higher than the actual 2014 volumes; the total renewable standard requires growth from 2014 to 2016 of more than 1.8 billion gallons of biofuel, which is 11 percent higher than 2014 actual volumes. Biodiesel standards grow steadily over the next several years, increasing every year to reach 2 billion gallons by 2017.
The RFS, established by Congress, requires EPA to set annual volume requirements for four categories of biofuels. The final rule considered more than 670,000 public comments, and relied on the latest, most accurate data available. EPA finalized 2014 and 2015 standards at levels that reflect the actual amount of domestic biofuel used in those years, and standards for 2016 (and 2017 for biodiesel) that represent significant growth over historical levels.
