[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 19338]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        RENEWABLE FUEL STANDARD

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today, I, along with several other 
Senators, will be meeting with EPA Administrator McCarthy concerning a 
proposal from EPA to waive the renewable fuel standard, or RFS. If the 
proposed rule is made final, it would undermine one of the biggest 
policy tools we have to support energy independence, to lower 
greenhouse gas emissions, and stabilize our rural economy.
  The renewable fuel standard was created in 2002 to drive growth in 
the biofuels industry. Why is that so important? When biofuels are 
contributing to our domestic fuel supply, we use less petroleum-based 
energy. Gasoline blended with ethanol burns more cleanly, so cars are 
generating less greenhouse gas; And with a steady, predictable market 
for biofuels, there is now a healthy biofuels industry that supports 
hundreds of thousands of jobs.
  Each year the Environmental Protection Agency sets volume standards 
for renewable fuels that requires refiners to blend certain levels of 
biofuels into the fuel supply. RFS levels have been steadily increasing 
by law since Congress updated the renewable fuels effort in 2007.
  The renewable fuel standard has worked well. The United States needs 
to be less reliant on other countries for its energy. Growth in the use 
of biofuels--particularly corn-based ethanol--is one of the few, 
meaningful steps we have taken. And it is working. Last year, we used 
13.3 billion gallons of ethanol to displace 465 million barrels of oil. 
That is 12 percent of the total U.S. crude oil imports.
  Not only do biofuels play an important role in energy independence, 
they have the added benefits of being good for the environment. The 
renewable fuel standard promotes the adoption of biofuels explicitly 
because they reduce greenhouse gas emission.
  Many of my colleagues may know that in Illinois we grow a lot of 
corn. Not surprisingly, we also happen to be one of the largest 
producers of corn-based ethanol--the biofuel most often cited as not 
being as ``green'' as other biofuels. But even ethanol is required to 
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent.
  A recent study by Argonne National Lab found that, on average, 
ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 24 percent. In 2012, 
ethanol reduced emissions from cars and trucks by 33.4 million tons. 
That is the equivalent of taking 5.2 million cars off the road.
  But it is not just ethanol. Advanced biofuels reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions even further. They are required to reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions by at least 50 percent. That is why groups like the American 
Lung Association have supported the development and use of biofuels. 
And while many advanced biofuels are just beginning to come online, 
others--like biodiesel--are getting closer to really hitting their 
stride.
  An added benefit of growth of biofuels in States like Illinois is the 
effect it has had on our rural economy. The use of biofuels has helped 
create an additional market for crops, but it also has created an 
emerging industry in rural communities. There are now 14 ethanol plants 
and 5 biodiesel plants operating in Illinois. Steady biofuels 
production in Illinois means new jobs in communities that were having 
trouble economically even before the recession. Those 14 ethanol plants 
have led to 5,400 direct jobs in Illinois and payroll exceeding $250 
million.
  EPA issued a draft rule last month that would waive the statutory RFS 
levels for 2014 below levels even required in 2012. By waiving the 
standard as proposed, the rule not only threatens the current biofuels 
industry, but it will significantly slow or stop more advanced biofuels 
coming to the market. In effect, what EPA has proposed would stop any 
new growth in the industry.
  Today, most gasoline is blended with 10 percent ethanol, more 
commonly referenced as E-10. Some think of this level as a ``blend 
wall'' because to increase the blend ratio, we need more investment in 
infrastructure like gas pumps that deliver it. But if we get stuck at 
E-10, that effectively shuts down for many biofuels. Corn-based ethanol 
already is produced at levels to completely saturate the market at E-
10, leaving little room for growth advanced cellulosic ethanol.
  Part of the reason for creating the RFS was to help create incentives 
to push past barriers like the blend wall. EPA has already approved a 
pathway to doing just that in the form of E-15. But instead of using 
RFS to help push through infrastructure hurdles to biofuel growth, 
EPA's proposal would enshrine this market barrier as the true ceiling 
for much of our biofuels growth.
  And EPA's proposed rule is already reverberating through the market. 
Investments in biofuels, particularly advanced biofuels, are already 
starting to slow, based on the proposed rule. I heard from a company in 
Illinois that had recently announced new investments in their plant. 
They are now re-thinking their expansion plans. That means if EPA's 
proposed waiver is adopted, we may never realize the full benefits of 
RFS that Congress intended. We will freeze our progress on reducing 
greenhouse gas emission. We will limit a tool in securing our energy 
independence. And we will stymie the growth of an industry that is 
playing an important role in rural economies.
  That is why I am working with like-minded Senators on both sides of 
the aisle to urge the EPA to reconsider this rule before it is 
finalized. We have come too far to take this giant step backward. 
Biofuels are an important part of our energy future and the right path 
for our country.

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