NBB submits RFS comments

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to strengthen its proposal for biodiesel volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

In its comments submitted to the agency on the pending RFS rule, NBB cited compelling benefits of increased biodiesel production and significant additional capacity for growth in the industry.

'The growth and expansion of the US biodiesel industry in recent years represents a tremendous success story under the RFS,' the Board says. 'Today, nearly 2 billion gallons of biodiesel and renewable diesel displace an equivalent amount of petroleum diesel. This has resulted in significant reductions in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, while creating thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in economic impact across the nation.'

'The industry now has production plants in nearly every state in the country making fuel from an increasingly diverse mix of feedstocks, including recycled cooking oil, plant oils such as soyabean oil, and animal fats,' the comments state. 'In short, the biomass‐based diesel programme has exceeded expectations and is achieving the goals that Congress outlined in creating the RFS. As a result, it warrants additional volume growth to meet the objectives of Congress in expanding renewable fuel use in the diesel market and in promoting advanced biofuels under the programme.'

NBB's comments follow a recent letter from 36 US senators calling for increased biodiesel volumes, and add to thousands of comments submitted by biodiesel supporters to the EPA in recent weeks. The comment period on the EPA's pending proposal closed at midnight on 27 July.

'The EPA's proposal is an improvement over its initial draft, but the agency can and should do much better,' says Anne Steckel, NBB VP of federal affairs. 'We have presented credible, compelling reasons for increasing biodiesel use under the RFS, and we hope the EPA carefully reviews our comments and those of thousands of other biodiesel supporters who have weighed in.'

Biodiesel falls under the 'Biomass-based Diesel' category of the RFS, which is a subset of the overall 'Advanced Biofuels' category. The EPA proposal, which is slated to be finalised in November, would gradually raise biodiesel volumes by about 100 million gallons per year to a standard of 1.9 billion gallons in 2017. The overall Advanced Biofuel standard would rise to 3.4 billion gallons in 2016.

NBB had requested more aggressive growth to a biodiesel standard of 2.7 billion gallons by 2017, along with additional growth in the overall Advanced Biofuel category.