Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, both Iowa Republicans, are demanding the Environmental Protection Agency raise 2024 and 2025 renewable volume obligations for biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuels.
The lawmakers joined Representative Randy Feenstra, also an Iowa Republican, in a letter to President Biden and EPA Administrator Michael Regan. The letter states, “For the biomass-based diesel industry to continue to grow, it needs certainty and predictability, and this requires RVOs that adequately reflect the growth potential of biomass-based diesel production.” The agency last year set RVOs at levels that the lawmakers say fail to align with market conditions and production outlook, contributing to biodiesel plant closures in the Midwest, including in Carroll County, Iowa.
The letter also touted reduced emissions of renewable fuels. According to a life cycle analysis completed by the Argonne National Laboratory using the GREET model, 100 percent biodiesel reduces emissions 74 percent compared to petroleum diesel.
