Biodiesel Industry Statement on EPA RFS2 Volume Requirements

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) expressed support Tuesday for the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed 2012-2013 volume requirements for renewable fuels.

The proposal calls for increasing the biomass-based diesel program from 800 million gallons in 2011 to 1 billion gallons in 2012 and almost 1.3 billion gallons in 2013. (Biodiesel makes up nearly all U.S. biomass-based diesel production.) Because it qualifies as an advanced biofuel, biodiesel is also eligible to exceed the biomass-based diesel targets and help meet general advanced biofuels requirements under the program.

“This proposal represents a careful and responsible approach to growth that is consistent with the resources that we know are available for sustainably producing biodiesel,” NBB CEO Joe Jobe said. “As America’s first advanced biofuel being produced on a commercial scale nationwide, we have done extensive research to assess the various feedstocks that are used to make biodiesel, including agricultural oils, recycled cooking oil, animal fats, algae and camelina. We are confident we can meet these targets and we anticipate that we will likely exceed them. In doing so, we will continue to improve the environment, create jobs, and reduce the nation’s dangerous reliance on foreign oil.”

Biodiesel is a renewable, clean-burning diesel replacement that is reducing U.S. dependence on foreign petroleum, creating green jobs and improving our environment. Made from an increasingly diverse mix of feedstocks, it is the only commercial-scale fuel used across the U.S. to meet the EPA’s definition as an advanced biofuel. Its production, distribution and use will support more than 31,000 U.S. jobs in 2011 and replace nearly 1 billion gallons of imported petroleum diesel. Biodiesel is used in existing diesel engines and meets strict specifications of ASTM D6751.