Clean Fuels critical of EPA’s final RFS biodiesel volumes

The Biden administration has increased the amount of biofuels that oil refiners must blend into the nation's fuel mix over the next three years, but the plan includes lower mandates for corn-based ethanol than it has initially proposed.
The US Environmental Protection Agency has finalised biofuel blending volumes at 20.94 billion gallons in 2023, 21.54 billion gallons in 2024 and 22.33 billion gallons in 2025.
That compares with the initial proposal announced in December of 20.82 billion in 2023, 21.87 billion in 2024, and 22.68 billion in 2025.
Clean Fuels Alliance America expressed disappointment with the EPA’s final Renewable Fuel Standards for 2023, 2024 and 2025.
The EPA finalised moderate increases in the biomass-based diesel and non-cellulosic advanced volumes each year but did not increase the overall renewable fuel market.
“EPA is undercutting the certainty that our industry hoped for from a three-year RFS rule,” said Kurt Kovarik, vice-president of federal affairs with Clean Fuels.
“US clean fuel producers, oilseed processors, fuel distributors and marketers have all made significant investments to grow the industry rapidly over the next several years. The industry responded to signals from the Biden administration and Congress aiming to rapidly decarbonize U.S. fuel markets, particularly aviation, marine, and heavy-duty transport, and make clean fuels available to more consumers. The volumes EPA finalised today are not high enough to support those goals.”