National Biodiesel Board testifies on EPA Renewable Fuel Standard volumes

Members of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) testified at today’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing on its proposed volumes for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), supporting the EPA’s increases but also calling for a larger change in the final rule.

“We appreciate that EPA has improved the numbers and that the volumes increase with time; however, the volumes remain well below what the industry can produce, and they are far from an aggressive approach to expanding biodiesel production and thereby significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Rhode Island Newport Biodiesel owner and NBB member Bob Morton said, according to his planned testimony. “There is little we can do regarding 2014 and 2015, but we can take a more aggressive stance in 2016 and 2017.”

Biodiesel is a clean-burning alternative to standard diesel fuel that can be used in existing engines. It is made from a variety of substances, including used cooking oil and animal fats. The proposed RFS will raise volumes to 1.9 billion gallons in 2017, with volumes increasing by 100 million gallons per year until then.

“We are poised to expand production and continue building this industry with the right policy signals, but we need stronger biodiesel and Advanced Biofuels volumes in the final rule to make that happen,” NBB Vice Chairman Ron Marr said.