BIO Urges EPA to Get the Renewable Fuel Standard Back on Track

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today urged the Environmental Protection Agency to correct the flawed methodology in its proposed rule for the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard. The agency today unveiled a proposed consent decree to settle lawsuits regarding EPA’s delays in taking action on the 2014 and 2015 rules and will seek stakeholder comment, as required by the Clean Air Act, before determining whether to sign the decree and to submit it to the court for approval. Separately, the agency committed to re-propose volume requirements for 2014 that reflect the volumes of renewable fuel that were actually used in 2014.

Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO’s Industrial & Environmental Section, stated:

“To continue making visible progress in commercializing advanced biofuels, our member companies need stable policy. The changes EPA proposed in 2013 to the Renewable Fuel Standard program and the delay in taking final action on the rule have chilled investment in advanced biofuels, even as the first companies began to successfully prove this technology at commercial scale.

“Today, EPA has set out a timeline to get this program back on track. The agency must take strong action to reverse the damaging proposal to change the methodology of the program in order to comply with the requirements of the RFS.”