Marking 20 years of the Renewable Fuel Standard in the US

Growth Energy has commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which opened fuel markets to competition from home-grown biofuels produced from US farm crops.
Joining Growth Energy in celebration of the August 8th birthday were leaders from across the heartland, who have helped to make the RFS America’s single most successful policy for increasing US energy security.
Since the RFS became law in August 2005, American biorefineries have produced more than 250 billion gallons of ethanol. In that same time period, American ethanol plants have purchased 92.7 billion bushels of corn, driving more than $425 billion (€364 billion) of revenue to American farmers.
“The RFS is the foundation of America’s bioeconomy,” saidGrowth Energy CEO Emily Skor.
“It supports hundreds of thousands of rural jobs and has shielded an entire generation of drivers from volatility in global oil markets. More than 10 percent of US fuel supplies now come from renewable sources like ethanol, representing billions of gallons in savings.
“As part of a drive toward US energy dominance, the US EPA recently proposed to set biofuel blending at the highest volume in the history of the programme. Those numbers aren’t yet final, and the EPA still needs to address petitions from refiners seeking to skirt the RFS, but if we remain on a growth trajectory, the benefits to American motorists and farmers are overwhelming.”