The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is the most successful federal clean fuels policy to date, reducing emissions of harmful tailpipe pollutants, slashing greenhouse gas emissions, improving energy security by reducing petroleum imports, lowering consumer fuel prices, creating good-paying jobs in rural America, and boosting the farm economy by adding value to the crops produced by American farmers.
Established in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the RFS requires oil refiners to blend annually increasing volumes of renewable fuels like ethanol into the fuel supply. By creating marketplace certainty and predictability, the RFS single-handedly spurred a surge of investment in renewable fuel production facilities across the country. Farmers pooled their resources and worked with local banks to build biorefineries in their communities. Major grain processing corporations, transportation companies, fuel marketers, and technology providers also made substantial investments in renewable fuels.
The RFS ensures renewable fuels are able to gain access to a fuel market that had been monopolized for nearly a century and would otherwise be closed to competition. That's why the RFS remains so important today.
RFA advocates for the protection and timely implementation of the RFS to ensure that biofuels like ethanol continue to play a critical role in decarbonizing the transportation sector and reducing the reliance on fossil fuels. Compliance can be strengthened through:
- Timely EPA action on Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs)
- Future RVOs should reflect increased production capacity for advanced biofuels like sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and cellulosic biofuel from corn kernel fiber, encourage the use of technologies like carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), and align with incentives and other policies that promote innovation in low-carbon fuels.
- Increased EPA transparency regarding criteria and justification for granting Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs) to maintain RFS integrity.
- Ensure fair and transparent pricing for Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs)
RFA RFS News Releases RFA RFS Library
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