A bipartisan group of 36 senators asked the head of the Environmental Protection Agency Thursday to increase the amount of biodiesel set to go into the nation’s fuel supply next year.
In a letter led by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., the senators asked EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to ramp up the amount of biodiesel required to be put into the market next year.
The proposal put forward by the EPA calls for 100 million more gallons of biodiesel going into the fuel market in 2017 for a total of 2.1 billions gallons. The senators want to see 2.5 billion gallons, an increase of 500 million.
“We have made great progress through the [Renewable Fuel Standard] in diversifying our nation’s fuel supply while creating and sustaining jobs, generating tax revenues and improving energy security,” the letter states.
“We urge you to continue to support higher [renewable volume obligations] for biodiesel to encourage additional development and use of this fuel.”
In May, the EPA announced 18.8 billion gallons of renewable fuel would be added to the nation’s gasoline in 2017. The majority of that biofuel is corn ethanol, with biodiesel making up a smaller proportion.
The senators argued that the biofuel industry is capable of increasing output and has been one of the most successful renewable fuels in the marketplace. In the letter, they argued that more than 47,000 jobs are supported by the biodiesel industry.
“This industry has the production capability to push far past the limits the EPA has set for biodiesel in the Renewable Fuel Standard,” the senators argued. “We believe it is clear that these fuels offer the best opportunity for growth in the near future.”
