Biofuels and biogas unite in call for cellulosic targets

Leading US advocates for advanced liquid and gasified biofuels have united to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to stand behind President Trump’s commitment to driving investment in the next generation of ‘homegrown’ fuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

Leaders of the American Biogas Council, Advanced Biofuels Business Council, Biotechnology Innovation Organisation , and Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas have co-signed a letter to EPA administrator Scott Pruitt. They call on Pruitt to reverse track on 2018 goals and waiver credits that would suppress demand for cellulosic fuels.

“Over the last decade, the RFS drove a manufacturing boom across America’s heartland during one of the most challenging global recessions in history,” the letter states.

“Advanced and cellulosic biofuels are poised to drive the next American manufacturing wave. However, our ability to achieve success will depend largely on careful administration of the RFS in several key areas”

The letter argues that the RFS needs to continue being administered in a ‘forward looking manner’, and that alternative compliance mechanisms should not be administered in such a way as to undercut interest among obligated parties in securing D3-eligible liquid or gasified fuels.

In the close of the letter, the representatives of the US biofuel and biogas industries note: “The RFS is a proven tool for promoting growth. And notwithstanding volatile global oil prices and RFS policy uncertainty, the United States remains poised to lead the world in the development and commercial deployment of the most innovative fuels in the world. These cutting-edge projects are being developed in many of the same rural areas that produce clean, American-made biofuels today.”