Clean Fuels, RFS stakeholders send letter to President Biden on RFS biobased diesel volumes

Clean Fuels Alliance America and 75 industry stakeholders delivered a letter June 8 to President Joe Biden, urging him to ensure that U.S. EPA substantially increases the biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuels volumes in the Renewable Fuel Standards for 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Clean Fuels was joined in the letter by several national industry associations and their members, including 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 investments in the industry’s expansion.

EPA is expected to finalize the RFS volumes by June 14.

“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 letter states. “The low volumes threaten the ability of new market sectors, like marine and aviation, to decarbonize in the near term.”

“The undersigned have asked EPA to annually increase the biomass-based diesel volumes by 500 million gallons,” the letter continues. “Given the demonstrated increase in production in the first four months of this year, the request is very conservative. 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.”

Kovarik continued, saying, “EPA must follow through on its promise of an upward trajectory for RFS volumes. As capacity and production grows, the economic benefits will increase—unless EPA fails to get the RFS volumes right.”

The letter can be accessed here.