WASHINGTON, D.C. – Consumer Reports today praised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s proposal to strengthen and expand its Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program .
The proposed rule seeks to increase the amount of biofuels that fuel producers must blend into their fuel between the years 2023-25. The changes to the rule also propose the inclusion of electricity developed from renewable biomass into the RFS program.
Consumer Reports has a new hub of information about low carbon fuels (LCFs) at cr.org/lcf, including fact sheets, survey data, and other tools to inform consumers and policymakers about the ways that LCFs could help reduce transportation emissions.
Chris Harto, Consumer Reports senior policy analyst for transportation and energy, said “Renewable, low carbon fuels can be an important piece of the decarbonization puzzle by lowering emissions from the hundreds of millions of existing vehicles already on the road, which will continue to operate for decades. These proposed changes by EPA help establish a vision for the future transportation fuel market for these vehicles, and they will provide consumers with more options to reduce their carbon footprint.”
Dylan Jaff, Consumer Reports policy analyst, said, “We are encouraged to see that these changes establish a new regulatory program for the development of renewable electricity, as this is a critical step in achieving widespread emissions reductions. While the changes focus specifically on electricity developed from renewable biomass, this expansion of the RFS program will help increase innovation in the transportation fuel market, leading to the development of more, cleaner fuel alternatives.”
EPA unveiled its proposal today and asked for public comment on ways to shape the program. CR will be submitting formal comments on the proposal.