WASHINGTON — The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) released the following statement regarding an ad campaign that is being launched by Smarter Fuel Future to call on Congress and the administration to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). "The oil industry thinks it's being slick by engaging in a consistent and relentless misinformation campaign that is based on false assumptions, straw dogs, and half-truths," said RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen. "There is nothing that Big Oil is spouting with this latest wave of scare tactics that we haven't seen before. Once again the petroleum industry is making patently false assumptions about the relationship between food and fuel. In 2014, a record corn crop sent prices to four-year lows, and more grain was available globally for food and feed use than ever before. In fact, less than 3 percent of the global grain supply that year was used for ethanol. "The Big Oil misinformation campaign also makes spurious claims about ethanol's impact on the environment. Lifecycle analyses by the Department of Energy and others, including the University of Illinois, the International Energy Agency, and Life Cycle Associates have shown that, since the final RFS rule was implemented, grain ethanol produced today reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent compared to fossil fuels — even when hypothetical land use emissions are taken into account. Ethanol production from last year reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 40 million metric tons — the equivalent of removing 8.4 million cars from the road. These facts show that investment in biofuels in general and ethanol in particular is critical if we are serious as a nation about creating a future where our energy is cleaner, more secure, and more affordable. "Congress and the administration should pay little heed to Big Oil's latest smoke and mirrors campaign. Instead of repealing the RFA, the administration, through the Environmental Protection Agency, needs to break down the supposed 'blend wall' and implement the RFS the way Congress intended."
