The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) wrote to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), urging the agency to deny a petition submitted in February by the petroleum industry to make changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RPS) program.
According to BIO, the retroactive changes proposed by the oil industry would ‘undermine the [biofuel] industry's progress in commercializing advanced biofuels.’
‘The Renewable Fuel Standard is the key policy supporting rapid commercial development of advanced biofuels,’ says Brent Erickson, executive vice president for BIO's industrial and environmental division. “Companies have made measurable progress in moving from concept to demonstration scale in their drive to open commercial facilities and make a significant contribution to energy security.
“Progress may not have been as fast as anyone would like, but the changes to the RFS that petroleum interests are requesting are solely designed to impede further progress,” he continues. “Commercial-scale advanced biofuels projects are just starting to come online, and it makes little sense to disrupt this progress now. We ask that EPA continue its consistent implementation.”
