U.S. biofuel policy continues as a focus in Washington, with Reuters reporting Tuesday the White House has opted to push back the proposed levels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2021 and 2022 out of political considerations.
If the report is on the mark, the Biden administration appears to be trying to find a solution on biofuel policy that is acceptable to both refiners and biofuel supporters. That proved elusive for several years in the Trump administration.
But others maintain the recent court rulings are also a factor.
Meanwhile, Sens. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bob Menendez, D-N.J., have introduced the Corn Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act which would end the 15-billion-gallon conventional (primarily corn-based) ethanol requirement under the RFS. The measure frames the effort in a bid to reduce carbon emissions from transportation fuels by only removing the corn-based ethanol component and leaving the volume obligations in place for advanced and cellulosic biofuels and biodiesel.