CATF Statement on EPA’s Final 2020 RFS Biofuels Requirements

The Clean Air Task Force argues that the EPA's 2020 RFS regulations fail to meet the goals of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 by prioritizing food-based biofuels over advanced and cellulosic alternatives. The organization highlights that the 2020 mandate for advanced biofuels was reduced to 25% (5.04 billion gallons) and cellulosic biofuels to less than 3% (0.54 billion gallons) of a revised 20-billion-gallon total, leading to habitat loss and negative climate impacts.

• The EPA's final 2020 RFS rule significantly reduces the required volumes of advanced and cellulosic biofuels compared to the original schedule set by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. While advanced biofuels were intended to be 50% and cellulosic biofuels 35% of a 30-billion-gallon mandate, the final rule sets advanced biofuels at 25% (5.04 billion gallons) and cellulosic biofuels at less than 3% (0.54 billion gallons) of a revised 20-billion-gallon total.
• The reliance on first-generation biofuels derived from food crops, such as soy biodiesel and corn ethanol, to meet RFS mandates has caused the loss of millions of acres of forests, grasslands, carbon-rich wetlands, and wildlife habitat, negatively affecting air, water, soil, and climate.

APA

Lewis, J. (2019). CATF Statement on EPA’s Final 2020 RFS Biofuels Requirements. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2019/12/catf-statement-on-epas-final-2020-rfs-biofuels-requirements/

Chicago

Lewis, Jonathan. CATF Statement on EPA’s Final 2020 RFS Biofuels Requirements. Clean Air Task Force, 2019. https://www.catf.us/2019/12/catf-statement-on-epas-final-2020-rfs-biofuels-requirements/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Lewis |first1=Jonathan |title=CATF Statement on EPA’s Final 2020 RFS Biofuels Requirements |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=19 December 2019 |url=https://www.catf.us/2019/12/catf-statement-on-epas-final-2020-rfs-biofuels-requirements/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{lewis2019catf, author = {Lewis, Jonathan}, title = {{CATF Statement on EPA’s Final 2020 RFS Biofuels Requirements}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2019}, month = dec, url = {https://www.catf.us/2019/12/catf-statement-on-epas-final-2020-rfs-biofuels-requirements/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }