Blunt, 38 colleagues urge EPA to raise biofuel volumes in Renewable Fuel Standard

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) led a bipartisan delegation in seeking increased volume obligations and to ensure compliance for biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuel in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final rule for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

“While these proposed increases are encouraging, these volumes continue to underestimate the existing potential of the biodiesel and renewable diesel industries in our states,” the senators wrote in an Aug. 23 letter sent to EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler.

The EPA on June 26 proposed raising the biomass-based diesel volume to 2.43 billion gallons for 2020 and to increase the advanced biofuel volume to 4.88 billion gallons for 2019. The EPA is required under section 211 of the Clean Air Act to set renewable fuel percentage standards every year, according to the agency’s proposed rule published in the July 10 Federal Register.

The EPA’s proposed rule regards the annual percentage standards for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel that apply to gasoline and diesel transportation fuel produced or imported in the year 2019, according to the rule.

However, the lawmakers wrote, “We believe the biodiesel industry can do more and that EPA should demonstrate more confidence in the RFS program’s ability to drive growth.”

Joining Sen. Blunt in signing the letter were U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), John Hoeven (R-ND), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Pat Roberts (R-KS), John Thune (R-SD), and Patty Murray (D-WA).

The senators said that increasing biomass-based diesel and advance biofuel volumes could spur investment in capacity, as well as new fuel development.

Additionally, the lawmakers wrote that it’s critical that the EPA’s final rule “appropriately account for any small refiner economic hardship exemptions” that the agency might grant during 2019. Without such a provision, the EPA wouldn’t be able to ensure compliance with the renewable volume obligations (RVOs), they wrote, noting that each increase of 500 million gallons in biodiesel production supports roughly 16,000 American jobs.

“We have made great progress through the RFS in diversifying our nation’s fuel supply while creating and sustaining jobs, strengthening local economies, generating tax revenues, and improving energy security,” concluded the senators. “We urge you to continue to increase annual RVOs for biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuels and to ensure that, once set, the annual RVOs are fully met.”