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The RFS—a bipartisan policy passed in 2005 and signed into law by President George W. Bush—requires increasing vol- umes of renewable fuels to be blended into the U.S. fuel stream. The law is divided into two broad categories: Conventional Biofuels, which must reduce green- house gas emissions by at least 20%, and Advanced Biofuels, which must have a 50% reduction. Biodiesel is the first and only Advanced Biofuel to reach commer- cial-scale production nationwide and has made up the vast majority of Advanced Biofuel production under the RFS to date. NBB, a U.S. trade association repre- senting both biodiesel and renewable diesel, initially requested more aggres- sive growth to a Biomass-based Diesel standard of 2.7 billion gallons by 2017, along with additional growth in the over- all Advanced Biofuel category. "We will continue working with the Administration toward stronger standards moving forward that drive innovation and productivity," Jobe said. "We certainly think the biodiesel and overall Advanced Biofuel standards could and should have been higher. The production capacity is there, and we have surplus fats and oils that can be put to good use." API: EPA MUST DO MORE TO PROTECT CONSUMERS FROM HIGH ETHANOL EPA must do more to ensure Americans have access to fuels they want and can safely use in their vehicles until Congress can repeal or significantly reform the outdated Renewable Fuel Standard, API President and CEO Jack Gerard said fol- lowing EPA's release of the 2014, 2015, and 2016 RFS mandates. "EPA has taken a significant step in the right direction by using its waiver authority to lower ethanol mandates, acknowledging the market limitations of the ethanol blend wall," Gerard said. "However, the agency must do more to protect consumers. EPA's final rule relies on unrealistic increases in sales of higher ethanol fuel blends despite the fact that most cars cannot use them. Motorists have largely rejected these fuels." The Congressional Budget Office found that consumers could see rising fuel prices if EPA attempts to force more than 10% ethanol into gasoline. API asked EPA to set the final ethanol mandate to no more than 9.7% of gasoline demand to help avoid the 10% ethanol blend wall while meeting strong consumer demand for ethanol-free gasoline. "It's confusing that the adminis- tration is pushing corn ethanol at the same time they pursue a climate agenda in Paris to lower greenhouse gas emis- sions," Gerard said. "Data from EPA, Environmental Working Group, and numerous academics show corn etha- nol emits more greenhouse gases than gasoline. Furthermore, the White House recently assigned the environmental ben- efits of the RFS at $0 but the economic costs as high as $595 million annually. "Finally, we are concerned that EPA is mandating more biodiesel for 2014 and 2015. Obviously, refiners have already made their compliance decisions for these years. EPA needs to provide the 14 month lead time specifically required by Congress before increasing biodiesel mandates. "Today's announcement makes clear that, in order to protect consumers, Congress must step in to repeal or signifi- cantly reform the RFS. Members on both sides of the aisle agree this program is a failure, and we are stepping up our call for Congress to act." RFA: EPA'S FINAL RFS RULE PUTS FUTURE OF BIOFUELS & CLIMATE POLICY IN HANDS OF OIL INDUSTRY The Renewable Fuels Association has been steadfast in calling on EPA to allow the vol- umes contained in the RFS statute to drive market place change. RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen released the following statement on the day the final RFS volumes were announced on Nov. 30: "EPA's decision turns our nation's most successful energy policy on its head. When EPA released its proposed RFS rule in May, the agency claimed it was attempting to get the program back on track. Today's decision, however, fails to do that. It will deepen uncertainty in the marketplace and thus chill investment in second-generation biofuels. Unlike Big Oil, the ethanol industry does not receive billions in tax subsidies and the RFS is our only means of accessing a market- place that is overwhelmingly and unfairly dominated by the petroleum industry. Today's decision will severely cripple the program's ability to incentivize infrastruc- ture investments that are crucial to break through the so-called blend wall and cre- ate a larger market for all biofuels. "There is simply no reason for EPA to adopt API's blend wall narrative. Data shows that EPA, in its initial RFS pro- posal, understated the likely market for E85 and non-ethanol conventional biofu- els in 2016 by at least 440 million gallons. Calendar of Events JANUARY, 2016 National Biodiesel Board Conference & Expo January 25-28 Tampa Bay Convention Center Tampa, FL Registration: http://biodieselconference.org/2016/ FEBRUARY, 2016 Western Petroleum Marketers Association Convention February 16 – 18 The Mirage Hotel Las Vegas, NV 801-263-9762 Email: info@wpma.com The NATSO Show 2016 February 22-25 The Disney Yacht & Beach Club Lake Buena Vista , FL Contact: Susan Taylor 703-739-8572 MARCH, 2016 NTEA/Work Truck Show March 1-4 Indiana Convention Center Indianapolis, IN Contact: 800-441-6832 Registration: http://www.ntea.com/worktruckshow/ DATELINE BREAKING NEWS 4 JANUARY 2016 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com