US EPA finalizes 2017 renewable fuel volume requirements
24 November 2016
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the volume requirements and percentage standards that apply under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program in 2017 for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel. EPA also finalized the volume requirement for biomass-based diesel for 2018.
The volumes for all categories of renewable fuels have been increased. The final standards, shown below, meet or exceed the targets specified by Congress in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The percentage standards represent the ratio of renewable fuel volume to projected non-renewable gasoline and diesel volume.
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cellulosic biofuel (million gallons) | 33 | 123 | 230 | 311 | n/a |
| Biomass-based diesel (billion gallons) | 1.63 | 1.73 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.1 |
| Advanced biofuel (billion gallons) | 2.67 | 2.88 | 3.61 | 4.28 | n/a |
| Renewable fuel (billion gallons) | 16.28 | 16.93 | 18.11 | 19.28 | n/a |
| Cellulosic biofuel | 0.173% |
| Biomass-based diesel | 1.67% |
| Advanced biofuel | 2.38% |
| Renewable fuel | 10.70% |
The total renewable fuel volumes grow by 1.2 billion gallons from 2016 to 2017, a 6% increase. The 2017 percentage standard of 10.70% suggests that blending 10% of ethanol into gasoline (E10) is no longer sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the RFS program. The sub-categories have been increased as follows:
- Advanced renewable fuel (50% lifecycle carbon emissions reduction compared to petroleum-based fuels) grows by 700 million gallons between 2016 and 2017.
- Non-advanced or “conventional” renewable fuel (mostly corn-ethanol) increases in 2017 meet the 15 billion gallon congressional target for conventional fuels.
- The standard for biomass-based biodiesel (50% emission reduction) grows by 100 million gallons. The required volume of biomass-based diesel for 2017 is twice as high as the minimum congressional target.
- Cellulosic biofuel (60% emission reduction) grows by 35% over the 2016 standard.
- The advanced biofuel standard—comprised of biomass-based diesel, cellulosic biofuel, and other biofuel that achieves at least 50% lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reductions—increases by 19% over the 2016 standard.
The 2017 volumes were proposed in May 2016. Compared to the proposal, the final rule increases the conventional renewable fuel mandate by an additional 200 million gal to meet the statutory level of 15 billion gallons. The EPA also slightly lowered the 2017 cellulosic biofuel requirement and slightly increased the advanced biofuel category.
Source: US EPA