Renewable fuels

2/8/08 -- EPA is raising the 2008 renewable fuels standard (RFS), which determines how much non-petroleum fuel will power your vehicle, to 7.76 percent. The move is in response to the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), which President Bush signed in December.

Last November, EPA announced a RFS of 4.66 percent, based on previous law, that mandated at least 5.4 billion gallons of renewable fuels be blended into the nation's transportation fuels this year. However, EPA is now increasing the standard to 7.76 percent to comply with the new minimum of 9.0 billion gallons of renewable fuel that EISA requires.

2007-11-30 -- GM Statement from Alan Adler, manager, Biofuels Communications:

The cost-benefit analysis of E85 ethanol prepared by the Pardee Rand Graduate School and cited in the Friday, Nov. 30 edition of USA Today fails to take into account several positive factors of the renewable fuel made from 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

E85 is not yet widely available in the United States – less than 1 percent of fueling stations offer it today – and prices vary widely. Some gasoline stations peg the price of E85 to gasoline, so when gasoline goes up or down in price, E85 rides with it. Elsewhere, especially in regions where ethanol is more widely available, the price of E85 is as much as a dollar a gallon less.

11/27/07 -- Today, the EPA is setting a new renewable fuels standard (RFS) of 4.66 percent to meet the 2005 Energy Policy Act's mandate that at least 5.4 billion gallons of renewable fuels be blended into transportation gasoline in 2008. Based on the standard, each party determines the minimum volume of renewable fuel that it must ensure is used in its motor vehicle fuel.

The standard for 2007 was 4.02 percent, equating to roughly 4.7 billion gallons. The overall volume target increases every year, reaching 7.5 billion gallons in 2012. The Energy Policy Act requires EPA to annually determine the standard -- which applies to refiners, importers and non-oxygenate blenders of gasoline -- by Nov. 30 for the following year.

National Poll Shows Strong Bipartisan Support for Renewable Fuels Like Ethanol

Washington, D.C. (Oct. 30, 2007) – Americans of all stripes agree: We want greater use of renewable fuels like ethanol. According to a new national poll released today by the Renewable Fuels Now Coalition, 74 percent of Americans believe we should increase our use of domestically produced renewable fuels like ethanol.

In addition, 87 percent of Americans maintain the federal government should actively support the development of a renewable fuels industry in this country, and 77 percent think Congress should encourage oil refiners to blend more ethanol into their gasoline products.