BioFuels Journal

Washington - Biodiesel is delivering the vast majority of Advanced Biofuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard and is poised for continued growth with strong policy, National Biodiesel Board Vice President of Federal Affairs Anne Steckel said in prepared testimony set to be delivered at a congressional hearing Wednesday.

“Biodiesel and renewable diesel are the unsung heroes of the RFS Advanced Biofuel program,” Steckel planned to tell a House panel.

“If you take away one thing from my testimony today, I hope it is the following – while there are certainly areas that could be improved, the RFS has made tremendous progress in developing Advanced Biofuels and delivering them to American consumers.

"Biodiesel and renewable diesel have made up the vast majority of Advanced Biofuels in the RFS, including filling more than 90 percent of the category in the last two years.”

Steckel’s prepared testimony, which can be found here, was to be delivered to the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Power at a hearing titled, “The Renewable Fuel Standard – Implementation Issues.”

Steckel planned to call for the EPA to strengthen its recently announced RFS proposal, which includes a biodiesel volume of 2.1 billion gallons in 2018, just 100 million gallons higher than the 2017 volume finalized last year.

The industry already appears poised to exceed 2.1 billion gallons of RFS production this year, she notes.

“There remains significant untapped production capacity on the ground today, and biodiesel producers across the country will tell you they stand ready to invest and expand and hire with strong, stable policy,” her testimony reads.

“However, we continue to believe the agency is underestimating the volume of biodiesel that can be delivered.”

Biodiesel – made from a diverse mix of resources such as recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and animal fats – is the first and only EPA-designated Advanced Biofuel to reach commercial-scale production nationwide.

According to the EPA, biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 57 percent to 86 percent compared with petroleum diesel.

The RFS – a bipartisan policy passed in 2005 and signed into law by President George W. Bush – requires increasing volumes of renewable fuels in the U.S. fuel stream.

The law requires increasing volumes of Advanced Biofuels in the coming years.

Under the law, Advanced Biofuels must reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent compared to petroleum fuels NBB is the U.S. trade association representing the biodiesel and renewable diesel industries, including producers, feedstock suppliers, and fuel distributors.

For more information, please contact Ben Evans at 202-737-8801 or [email protected]

See Related Websites/Articles:

• National Biodiesel Board

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