14 • January 17 - 30, 2014 • The Log EPA Proposes Reducing Ethanol Mandate
After negative reports on bio- fuel’s effect on environment and engines, agency proposes lowering Renewable Fuel Standard.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — The Obama Administration proposed to reduce the amount of ethanol in the nation’s fuel supply for the first time on Nov. 15, acknowledging that the biofu- el law championed by both political parties in 2007 is not working as expected.
While the proposal highlights the
government’s struggle to ramp up pro- duction of homegrown biofuels that are cleaner-burning than gasoline, it is unlikely to mean much for consumers at the pump. However, it is expected to make it less likely for boaters to inad- vertently refuel with a high-ethanol blend that could damage their vessel’s engines and fuel system components. The change would reduce by almost 3 billion gallons the amounts of ethanol and other biofuels blended into gasoline in 2014 than the law requires.
The 2007 law tried to address global
warming, reduce dependence on for- eign oil and prop up the rural economy by requiring oil companies to blend billions of gallons of biofuels into their gasoline each year. But politicians who wrote the law didn’t anticipate fuel economy to improve as much as it has in recent years, which reduced demand for gasoline. Meanwhile, next-generation biofu-
els, made from agricultural waste such as wood chips and corncobs, have not taken off as quickly as Congress required and the administration
Proposed Reductions — The Obama Administration's proposed reduction on the amount of ethanol in the nation's fuel supply is expected to make it less likely for boaters to inadvertently refuel with a high-ethanol blend that could damage their vessel's engines.
expected. President Barack Obama has cham- pioned biofuels since his days repre- senting Illinois in the Senate, and his administration has resisted previous calls to lower biofuel volumes or repeal the law. EPA officials said they were still committed to alternative fuels as part of a comprehensive energy strategy. If the EPA stuck to the volumes mandat- ed by law, the amount of biofuel required would generate more ethanol than many engines can safely handle, officials said. “We have made great progress in
recent years, and EPA continues to support the RFS goal of increasing bio- fuel production and use,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, referring to the 2007 law called the Renewable Fuel Standard. Biofuel supporters, however, said
the proposal marked a departure for the Obama administration. “This is the first time that the Obama administration has shown any sign of wavering,” said Brooke Coleman, executive director of the Advanced Ethanol Council. Bob Dinneen, the head of the
Renewable Fuels Association, the Washington group that lobbies on behalf of the ethanol industry, said the announcement is ill-timed as the country is currently harvesting a record corn crop. He said the industry may sue if the proposal is not altered. “This is exactly the wrong time to be
reducing the required volumes of renewable fuels,” Dinneen said. The ethanol mandate created an unusual alliance between oil compa- nies, which have seen ethanol cut into their share of the gasoline market, and environmental groups that oppose planting more corn for fuel. A recent AP investigation found that corn-based ethanol’s effect on the environment is far worse than the government pre- dicted or admits. The oil industry lobbied hard for a
reduction and is pleading with Congress to completely repeal the law. Jack Gerard, president and CEO of
the American Petroleum Institute, said the EPA’s move is a step in the right direction, but “ultimately, Congress must protect consumers by repealing this outdated and unworkable program once and for all.”
thelog.com
David J. Shuler photo.
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