Biodiesel concerned about RFS comment extension

The National Biodiesel Board says the EPA’s decision Tuesday to extend by 60 days the public comment deadline on the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS-2) will “provide additional hardship to the U.S. biodiesel industry. The NBB says the Renewable Fuel Standard was supposed to be in place at the beginning of THIS year and the extension “could further delay its implementation.”Senate Ag Committee member Chuck Grassley told ag reporters this morning, “There’s no doubt that the issue EPA’s dealing with is very complex, so I supposed we ought to have some appreciation for the extra time they’re taking. However, the delays threaten the viability of the biodiesel industry.” The public comment period has been extended from July 27th to September 25th (2009).

The Iowa Republican says biodiesel is under real pressure, “There’s a certain date by which we have to have a rule in order to set the mixture of biodiesel by the year 2010 under RFS.”

The NBB says biodiesel is the only fuel in the marketplace available in commercial volumes to meet the RFS requirement of using 500 million gallons of “biomass-based diesel” in 2009, as the law requires – and, that the EPA should require those volumes be produced and be used by “obligated parties” this year.

Meanwhile, biodiesel’s green house gas (ghg) profile as outlined in the proposed RFS-2 is high because it takes land use decisions made outside the US into consideration.

In the climate change bill that passed the House last week, indirect international land use calculations for the RFS, as part of the 2007 Energy law, were removed. The bill’s fate in the Senate, though, is uncertain.

National Biodiesel Board

Senator Charles “Chuck” Grassley