by Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) After renewable biofuels appeared to be effectively shut out of President Joe Biden’s plan for infrastructure, leaders in the ethanol industry and their advocates on Capitol Hill are trying to make the case that biofuels can accelerate moves to a low-carbon economy.
In a briefing Friday to congressional staff and journalists, staff from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) laid out an aggressive policy agenda that first began with requiring the EPA to reestablish its focus on the Renewable Fuels Standard by rejecting refiner exemption requests; restore 500 million gallons of biofuel use from 2016; finalize blend volumes for both 2021 and 2022; and ensure biofuel blend volumes continue to grow after 2022. At the same time, RFA is calling for the adoption of a national low-carbon fuels standard (LCFS) that would require a reduction in average carbon intensity on an annual basis across the transportation sector.