Table 1: Total Gallons of Renewable Fuel that Must be Blended with U.S. Motor Fuel in the Renewable Fuel Standard
|
Year
|
Billions of Gallons/Year Mandated by the RFS
|
Actual Volume in Billions of Gallons/Year, as Adjusted by EPA
|
|---|---|---|
|
2010
|
12.95
|
12.95[iii]
|
|
2011
|
13.95
|
13.95[iv]
|
|
2012
|
15.2
|
15.2[v]
|
|
2013
|
16.55
|
16.55[vi]
|
|
2014
|
18.15
|
16.28[vii]
|
|
2015
|
20.50
|
16.93[viii]
|
|
2016
|
22.25
|
18.11[ix]
|
|
2017
|
24
|
19.28[x]
|
|
2018
|
26
|
|
|
2019
|
28
|
|
|
2020
|
30
|
|
|
2021
|
33
|
|
|
2022
|
36
|
As stated above, production of cellulosic biofuels has fallen significantly (more than 90 percent) below Congressional mandates. Figure 1 (below) shows the discrepancy between Congressional mandates for cellulosic biofuel consumption (required by law) and actual mandates that were revised downward by EPA in each of the past several years (referred to as RVOs, or Renewable Volume Obligations). Meanwhile, corn ethanol production has easily reached its statutory mandate of 15 BG (as of 2017).[xi]
The RFS2 specifies that two different categories of renewable fuels – conventional ethanol and advanced biofuels – be used in increasing amounts through 2022. Both must be produced from “renewable biomass” to qualify as RFS-approved feedstocks, defined in the 2007 energy bill as one of the following:
- Planted crops and crop residue harvested from agricultural (non-forested) land cleared or cultivated at any time prior to December 19, 2007,
- Planted trees and tree residue from actively managed tree plantations on non-federal land cleared at any time prior to December 19, 2007,
- Animal waste material and animal byproducts,
- Slash and pre-commercial thinnings that are from non-federal forestlands, but not forests or forestlands that are ecological communities, old growth forests, or late successional forests,
- Biomass obtained from the immediate vicinity of buildings and other areas regularly occupied by people, or of public infrastructure, at risk from wildfire,
- Algae, or
- Separated yard waste or food waste, including recycled cooking and trap grease.
However, while Congress enacted protections for native grasslands, wetlands, and other sensitive acres, the EPA has failed to properly implement and enforce these regulations.[ii] This has led millions of acres of wildlife habitat and other sensitive land to be converted into biofuel feedstocks production – primarily corn and soybeans.[iii] This land conversion, driven by farmers responding to government mandates and subsidies, has also caused GHG emissions, water pollution, soil erosion, etc. to increase.
Table 2 (below) distinguishes conventional ethanol from advanced biofuels by comparing their statutory definitions, volume requirements, and providing examples of each. The table also specifies the percentage reduction in GHG emissions that each fuel must achieve to qualify as an RFS2-approved biofuel. Table 3 (below) further describes the three different categories (cellulosic biofuels, biomass-based diesel, and “other” advanced biofuels) that make up the 21-billion-gallon advanced biofuels mandate. Hence, the advanced biofuels are sometimes referred to as a “nested” mandate.
Table 2: Types of Biofuels Mandated in the RFS
| Type of Biofuel | Annual Production Mandate by 2022 | Definition of Biofuel | Examples | Minimum Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional ethanol | 15 billion gallons/year | Ethanol derived from corn starch | – Corn starch ethanol | 20%, but due to a grandfathering clause, nearly every ethanol facility was able to circumvent this minimal requirement |
| Advanced biofuels (subdivided into other categories – see advanced biofuels table definitions) | 21 billion gallons/year | “Renewable fuel, other than ethanol derived from corn starch, that has lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) that are at least 50% less than baseline GHG emissions” | – Cellulosic ethanol – Ethanol from non-corn feedstocks such as sugar – Ethanol from waste materials such as crop residues, food waste, animal waste, etc. – Biodiesel from soybeans, other vegetable oil, animal fats, etc. – Biogas from landfills – Butanol from renewable biomass such as corn (approved for a certain facility in MN – Gevo) | 50% |
Table 3: Types of Advanced Biofuels Mandated in the RFS
| Type of Biofuel | Annual Production Mandate by 2022 | Definition of Biofuel | Examples | Minimum Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cellulosic ethanol | 16 billion gallons/year | Renewable fuel derived from any cellulose, hemicellulose, or lignin | – Ethanol produced from agricultural residues (corn stover, for instance), forest residues, food or municipal solid waste, perennial grasses, etc. Corn kernel fiber cellulosic ethanol was also recently approved by EPA. | 60% |
| Biomass-based diesel | At least 1 billion gallons/year, set annually by EPA | Biodiesel produced from vegetable oil or “a diesel fuel substitute produced from nonpetroleum renewable resources [including] animal wastes, including poultry fats and poultry wastes, and other waste materials, or municipal solid waste and sludges and oils derived from wastewater” | – Biodiesel produced from soybeans, corn oil, other vegetable oil, animal fats, used cooking oil, etc. – Other diesel fuel substitutes produced from municipal solid waste, animal wastes, etc. | 50% |
| “Other” advanced biofuels | 4 billion gallons/year | Any other fuel that meets the definition of an “advanced biofuel” | – Ethanol from non-corn feedstocks such as sugar – Butanol from renewable biomass (including butanol derived from corn, which was recently approved by EPA for a certain facility – Gevo – May also include biomass-based diesel (see above) | 50% |
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