Klobuchar, Thune Urge Environmental Protection Agency to Update Modeling for Biofuel Emissions

  • Wednesday, 06 April 2022 11:08

Senator Amy Klobuchar

Apr 5, 2022

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Thune (R-SD) urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update its greenhouse gas modeling for biofuels. Specifically, the senators requested the EPA adopt the Argonne National Lab’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model. These long-overdue updates would permit consistent comparison between petroleum-based fuels, natural gas systems, electric generation, and renewable fuels.

“We urge you to adopt Argonne National Lab’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) Model. Adopting the GREET Model will not only permit the federal government to further standardize its comparison of GHG emissions for biofuels like ethanol, biodiesel, and sustainable aviation fuel, but enable over 50,000 registered GREET users to more readily compare renewable fuels to other sources of energy,”the senators wrote to EPA Administrator Michael Regan. 

“We applaud EPA for reviewing and updating its GHG modeling resources in accordance with its obligations under the RFS to ensure that accurate and reliable data can remain central to policies concerning energy consumption and reducing emissions,”the senators continued.“We hope that EPA will use the GREET Model as its primary resource for determining lifecycle GHG emissions of biofuels, which could immediately contribute to ongoing efforts to reduce energy emissions.”

The letter was also signed by U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and Mike Rounds (R-SD).

Last February, Klobuchar and Thune introduced theAdopt GREET Act, bipartisan  legislation  that would require the EPA to update its greenhouse gas modeling for ethanol and biodiesel. Their bill would require the EPA to update its modeling every five years, or report to Congress to affirm its modeling is current, or otherwise explain why no updates were made.

Klobuchar has been a strong advocate for investing in renewable fuel infrastructure, increasing American biofuel production, and upholding the Clean Air Act’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). She recently introduced  theHome Front Energy Independence Actwith Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), bipartisan legislation to expand the availability and production of American biofuel, following President Biden’s ban on importing Russian oil.

In February, she and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) led  a bipartisan letter urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prioritize the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by maintaining the blending requirements for 2022; denying all pending Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs); eliminating proposed retroactive cuts to the renewable volume obligations (RVOs); and setting 2021 RFS volumes at the statutory levels.

Klobuchar and Grassley also introduced  bipartisan legislation in December to provide certainty to biofuel producers by preventing the EPA from retroactively reducing RVO levels once finalized.

The full text of the letter is available HERE  and below:

Dear Administrator Regan:

We write in response to the decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review the scientific methodology and modeling used in the transportation sector pursuant to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to accurately ascertain the GHG emissions of land-based biofuels . In support of this effort and the need for stakeholders to have a consistent and well-vetted standard through which all biofuels may be compared, we urge you to adopt Argonne National Lab’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) Model. Adopting the GREET Model will not only permit the federal government to further standardize its comparison of GHG emissions for biofuels like ethanol, biodiesel, and sustainable aviation fuel, but enable over 50,000 registered GREET users to more readily compare renewable fuels to other sources of energy.

As presented during the March 1, 2022, EPA workshop, the GREET Model has provided annually updated lifecycle “well-to-wheels” analysis for an expanding universe of energy sources since 1995. Importantly, the GREET Model permits consistent comparison between petroleum-based fuels, natural gas systems, electric generation, and renewable fuels derived from a variety of technology pathways, accounting for the lifecycle carbon intensity of key farming inputs. We ask that EPA utilize the GREET Model as the baseline GHG determination for biofuels so that stakeholders may have the opportunity to readily compare the GHG intensity of competing energy sources and policymakers may have a fuller picture of how to decarbonize the energy and transportation sectors.

The GREET Model has been among the most widely utilized sources of GHG data, underpinning research that finds corn ethanol can currently achieve 46 percent lower lifecycle carbon intensity than gasoline. This environmental benefit will only increase as biorefining and fuel technologies improve, the agriculture sector advances operational efficiencies and produces higher yields of renewable feedstock per acre, and as biofuel operations are paired with carbon capture projects. Updated and consistent GHG modeling can provide a positive feedback loop that drives continued progress to lower carbon intensity at both the farm and fuel level. From “field-to-tailpipe,” the reduction of carbon intensity provided by biofuels deepens as consumers select higher blends of biofuels like E15, E30, E85, and B20 for their energy needs.

We applaud EPA for reviewing and updating its GHG modeling resources in accordance with its obligations under the RFS to ensure that accurate and reliable data can remain central to policies concerning energy consumption and reducing emissions. We hope that EPA will use the GREET Model as its primary resource for determining lifecycle GHG emissions of biofuels, which could immediately contribute to ongoing efforts to reduce energy emissions.

Thank you for the timely consideration of our request and your assistance to enable homegrown biofuels to serve as a solution to our nation’s growing energy challenges.

Read the original press release here