On May 5, 2009, EPA issued an NPRM proposing revisions to the National Renewable Fuel Standard program (commonly known as the RFS program). The 549 page propsal addresses changes to the RFS program as required by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA). The revised statutory requirements establish new specific volume standards for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel that must be used in transportation fuel each year. The revised statutory requirements also include new definitions and criteria for both renewable fuels and the feedstocks used to produce them, including new greenhouse gas emission (GHG) thresholds for renewable fuels. The regulatory requirements for RFS will apply to domestic and foreign producers and importers of renewable fuel.
Comments on the NPRM will be due 60 days after the proposal is published in the Federal Register.
EPA will hold a public hearing on June 9, 2009 at the Dupont Hotel in Washington, DC. EPA will also hold a public workshop on June 10-11, 2009 at the Dupont Hotel in Washington, DC to present details of their lifecycle GHG analysis.
Docket Reference: EPA-HQ-OAR-2005-0161.
EPA contact: Julia MacAllister, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, 734-214-4131, macallister.julia@epa.gov.
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