WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) increased the biodiesel volume requirement for next year under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) today.
EPA’s action sets the 2013 volume at 1.28 billion gallons under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) which established the second phase of the Renewable Fuel Standards program. EISA mandates a one billion gallon minimum volume requirement for the biomass-based diesel category for 2012 and beyond.
The new limit “represents a modest increase from the industry's record production last year of nearly 1.1 billion gallons and puts the industry on course for steady, sustainable growth in the coming years,” according to the National Biodiesel Board.
Biodiesel is the only EPA-designated Advanced Biofuel being produced on a commercial scale across the country, the industry’s trade association noted. The EPA determined that it reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 percent when compared with petroleum diesel.
"This decision will continue to diversify our fuel supplies so that we're not so vulnerable to global petroleum markets and this endless cycle of price spikes,” said National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe. “The Renewable Fuel Standard is clearly working to do that, and the benefits of doing so are clear: We'll continue to create good jobs, expand our economy and reduce harmful emissions.”
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