[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 79 (Thursday, May 21, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5860-S5861]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Bond, and Mr. 
        Thune):
  S. 1148. A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to modify a provision 
relating to the renewable fuel program; to the Committee on Environment 
and Public Works.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined today in 
introducing commonsense legislation with Senators McCaskill and Bond. 
The Renewable Fuel Standard Improvement Act, seeks to improve a number 
of provisions included in the expanded Renewable Fuels Standard that 
was enacted in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, EISA.
  Just a week ago, the Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, 
Representative Collin Peterson, introduced this legislation in the 
House of Representatives. It now has more than 44 bipartisan 
cosponsors. Because Chairman Peterson crafted such thoughtful 
modifications to the Renewable Fuel Standard, I want to give my Senate 
colleagues an opportunity to consider the bill. So, today I am 
introducing companion legislation in the Senate.

[[Page S5861]]

  A component of the new Renewable Fuels Standard was a requirement 
that various biofuels meet specified life-cycle greenhouse gas emission 
reduction targets. The law specified that lifecycle greenhouse gas 
emissions are to include direct emissions and significant indirect 
emissions from indirect land use changes. In the Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking released by the Environmental Protection Agency earlier this 
month, the EPA relies on incomplete science and inaccurate assumptions 
to penalize U.S. biofuels for so-called ``indirect land use changes.'' 
So, this bill ensures that the greenhouse gas calculations are based on 
proven science by removing the requirement to include indirect land use 
changes.
  The bill also includes a number of other commonsense fixes to the 
expanded Renewable Fuels Standard. Under EISA, the life-cycle 
greenhouse gas reduction requirements do not apply to corn ethanol 
plants that were in operation or under construction prior to the date 
of enactment. This grandfather provision does not apply to biodiesel 
facilities, however. The legislation I am introducing today would 
extend the same grandfathered treatment to biodiesel facilities.
  Finally, the bill includes a more inclusive definition of renewable 
biomass, and it expands the role of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture 
and Energy in administering the program.
  This bill goes a long way to rectifying a few provisions that are 
undermining and harming our efforts toward energy independence. I do 
not think it makes sense to impose hurdles on our domestic renewable 
fuels industry, particularly if it prolongs our dependence on dirtier 
fossil fuels, or increases our dependence on energy from countries like 
Iran and Venezuela.
  I would like to thank the cosponsors for their support. I look 
forward to Senate consideration of this important legislation.
                                 ______