BIO responds to ‘false claims’ by American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers

The executive VP of the Biotechnology Industry Organisation’s (BIO) Industrial and Environmental Section, Brent Erickson, has issued a statement in response to what he called ‘false claims’ made by the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) president Charles Drevna in regard to cellulosic biofuels.

Erickson’s statement was sent to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power chairman Ed Whitfield and ranking member Bobby Rush. Below is the sum of his thoughts:

‘In a letter to House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee leaders, AFPM president Charles Drevna falsely states that ‘cellulosic [biofuel] still does not exist.’ The facts contradict this statement. Blue Sugars, a company focused on commercialising cellulosic technology, has recently reported registering the first Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) for cellulosic biofuel with the EPA. More companies are now working with EPA to register their cellulosic biofuel production on a commercial basis and generate these RINs. And numerous other companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to produce cellulosic biofuels and scale up projects from pilot to demonstration and finally commercial production levels. For instance, INEOS Bio is commissioning a cellulosic biorefinery in Florida and ready to start production of cellulosic ethanol from vegetative waste.

 ‘BIO has mapped the biorefineries constructed by these companies during their path toward commercial production and assembled photographic evidence of the progress that US advanced biofuel companies are making. We welcome Members of Congress and the American public to see for themselves.

‘While the advanced and cellulosic biofuel portions of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) were signed into law in 2007, the rules to implement the law came into effect only in July 2010. But, in that relatively short period, advanced biofuel producers have made rapid progress in bringing homegrown technology and energy to the marketplace. Advanced biofuel producers must follow the same regulatory rules as other US fuel producers – and many additional ones. They are committed to achieving the nation’s energy security goals, while the refinery industry appears singularly committed to protecting its market share.

 ‘The RFS has levelled the playing field for new companies to enter a very tightly integrated fuel market, which has allowed the domestic biofuels industry to create more than half a million jobs and $50 billion (€40.9 billion) in new activity to the nation’s economy. The RFS has ensured that these new biofuels contribute to a cleaner, healthier environment and directly reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign oil.’