(Photo by Randi Hausken on Flickr)
The Environmental Protection Agency’s recent announcement of an increased Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2009 shows the federal government’s commitment to biofuels. The 2009 RFS features a 23% increase over the 2008 standard, requiring the production of 11.1 billion gallons of renewable fuels. This minimum production standard will include 500 million gallons of biodiesel. The latest draft of the 2009 RFS is a 10.2% increase over the first version of the standard. The EPA’s ruling will be applicable to American ethanol producers, refiners and importers as soon as a more detailed report is given at the end of this year.
Two aspects of the revised 2009 RFS show that the EPA is setting firm boundaries for biofuel production well into the future. The renewable fuel requirements will apply to four categories of fuel including biomass diesel, cellulosic biofuel, advanced biofuel and total renewable fuel. The definition of a renewable fuel applied under the 2009 RFS was expanded to take emissions from refining and land use into account to meet air quality standards.
The 2009 RFS falls under the legislative mandates of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, designed to encourage domestic production of traditional and renewable energy. In terms of the federal government’s commitment to renewable energy, the 2009 RFS shows that biodiesel and ethanol are seen as solutions to America’s thirst for fuel. The economic benefit of encouraging greater biodiesel production is clear as hundreds of new producers and thousands of new employees benefit from government subsidies.
The larger question arising from this announcement is whether the 2009 RFS and the wholesale commitment to biofuels is the responsible path. The escalation of “renewable fuels” under the EPA’s 2009 mandate overshadows the government’s half-hearted efforts at cleaner electricity, hybrid vehicles and eco-friendly fuels. The silver lining on the 2009 RFS is that the EPA provides credits and production waivers for cellulosic biofuel refiners which will hopefully ease the strain on food crops around the world. The EPA and the federal government will need to extend similar credits to producers in other areas of renewable energy production to ensure a sustainable, clean and prosperous future.
