Joint Subcommittee Hearing Examines the Renewable Fuel Standard and the Future of Advanced Biofuels
(Washington, DC) – Earlier today the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittees on Environment and Oversight held a joint hearing discussing the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The RFS was signed into law in 2005 and expanded in 2007. The program aims to set annual standards that require a certain volume of renewable biofuel be included in the U.S. fuel supply. The RFS was created in an effort to reduce U.S. dependence on oil, improve economic security, spur rural economic development, and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) of the Environment Subcommittee said, “Our nation’s long-term economic and energy security is tied to our ability to diversify our energy portfolio and to transition to lower carbon energy sources. Biofuels have an important part to play in this energy future. It would be better if we were further along, but the renewable fuel standard has been and should continue to be a critical mechanism for fostering the development of this emerging industry.”
She continued later, “The potential of biofuels, especially advanced biofuels, in addressing climate change is real and it is something that we should be encouraging, not trying to undermine. Reducing carbon pollution from the transportation sector is critical in our fight against climate change and the economic costs of not acting are catastrophic.”
Mr. Brooke Coleman, Executive Director of the Advanced Biofuels Business Council testified before the subcommittees. He explained, “The point of the RFS is to drive plant production and new industries in this country. We have 210 ethanol plants alone, we have another 60,000 jobs and hundreds of biodiesel plants in this country alone, and now we’re getting that first wave of cellulosic plants that creates value-added agriculture. So we’re really seeing tremendous benefits inside the United States.”
Ranking Member Don Beyer (D-VA) of the Subcommittee on Oversight said, “The Renewable Fuel Standard helped push the technological limits and the capacity of industry to innovate our transportation fuels. The past ten years brought us increasing production of biofuels from both corn ethanol and advanced biofuels. This increase brings considerable advancements in how corn ethanol is produced, improving production efficiencies while decreasing both costs and greenhouse gas emissions.”
Members discussed in detail the current body of research on the lifecycle assessment of corn ethanol and what needs to be done in order to make the production process more efficient, sustainable, and economical. Dr. Terry Dinan from the Congressional Budget Office made it very clear that there would be little to no impact on food prices whether the RFS were repealed or continued as planned.
Ranking Member Eddie Bernice (D-TX) said in her statement for the record, “Now we must focus our attention on integrating these cleaner fuels into the market. This is precisely the role of the RFS. The law itself has not come without challenges. I look forward to eventually hearing from the Environmental Protection Agency on how they will ensure a more consistent release of volumetric standards for the RFS. If we expect the biofuels industry to grow and provide a larger portion of our domestic transportation fuel, we must give them the confidence that the market will welcome their product.”
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