[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4481 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4481

To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to 
 update the modeling used for lifecycle greenhouse gas assessments for 
       corn-based ethanol and biodiesel, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 6, 2020

   Mr. Thune (for himself, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Grassley, and Ms. Ernst) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
               Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to 
 update the modeling used for lifecycle greenhouse gas assessments for 
       corn-based ethanol and biodiesel, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Adopt the Greenhouse Gases, 
Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation Model Act'' or 
the ``Adopt GREET Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF ADMINISTRATOR.

    In this Act, the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
the Environmental Protection Agency.

SEC. 3. LIFECYCLE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM CORN-BASED ETHANOL.

    (a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), not later than 90 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, 
the Administrator shall update the methodology used by the 
Environmental Protection Agency in lifecycle analyses with respect to 
greenhouse gas emissions that result from corn-based ethanol.
    (b) Requirements.--
            (1) First update.--In carrying out the first update 
        required under subsection (a), the Administrator shall adopt--
                    (A) the most recent Greenhouse gases, Regulated 
                Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation model 
                (commonly referred to as the ``GREET model'') developed 
                by Argonne National Laboratory; or
                    (B) the methodology described in the study by the 
                Office of the Chief Economist of the Department of 
                Agriculture entitled ``The greenhouse gas benefits of 
                corn ethanol-assessing recent evidence'' and published 
                on March 25, 2019.
            (2) Subsequent updates.--In carrying out the second and 
        each subsequent update required under subsection (a), the 
        Administrator shall--
                    (A) as necessary, adopt, review, or update a 
                methodology determined to be appropriate by the 
                Administrator; or
                    (B) adopt a methodology described in subparagraph 
                (A) or (B) of paragraph (1).
    (c) Report.--If the Administrator fails to carry out subsection 
(b)(2) before the applicable deadline described in subsection (a), the 
Administrator shall submit to the Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
and Forestry, Energy and Natural Resources, and Environment and Public 
Works of the Senate and the Committees on Agriculture, Energy and 
Commerce, and Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 
Representatives a report describing the reasons for the failure to 
carry out subsection (b)(2), which may include a determination by the 
Administrator that the methodology adopted or updated in a previous 
update under subsection (a) remains the most current methodology based 
on available data, research, and technology.

SEC. 4. LIFECYCLE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM BIODIESEL.

    (a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), not later than 90 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, 
the Administrator shall update the methodology used by the 
Environmental Protection Agency in lifecycle analyses with respect to 
greenhouse gas emissions that result from biodiesel.
    (b) Requirements.--
            (1) First update.--In carrying out the first update 
        required under subsection (a), the Administrator shall adopt 
        the most recent Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and 
        Energy use in Transportation model (commonly referred to as the 
        ``GREET model'') developed by Argonne National Laboratory.
            (2) Subsequent updates.--In carrying out the second and 
        each subsequent update required under subsection (a), the 
        Administrator shall--
                    (A) as necessary, adopt, review, or update a 
                methodology determined to be appropriate by the 
                Administrator; or
                    (B) adopt the methodology described in paragraph 
                (1).
    (c) Report.--If the Administrator fails to carry out subsection 
(b)(2) before the applicable deadline described in subsection (a), the 
Administrator shall submit to the Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
and Forestry, Energy and Natural Resources, and Environment and Public 
Works of the Senate and the Committees on Agriculture, Energy and 
Commerce, and Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 
Representatives a report describing the reasons for the failure to 
carry out subsection (b)(2), which may include a determination by the 
Administrator that the methodology adopted or updated in a previous 
update under subsection (a) remains the most current methodology based 
on available data, research, and technology.
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