The EPA (www.epa.gov) 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 the EPA to annually determine the standard — which applies to refiners, importers, and non-oxygenate blenders of gasoline — by Nov. 30 for the following year.
The RFS program, which formally began last September, is intended to: create new markets for farm products; increase energy security; and promote the development of advanced technologies that would greatly expand renewable and alternative fuels. According to the EPA, it also serves to help inform the greenhouse gas regulation that EPA and federal partners are developing under an Executive Order issued by President Bush in May.
For more information on the RFS Notice of 2008 Requirement, visit www.epa.gov/otaq/renewablefuels.
Courtesy of Flow Research
