Comments on the Renewable Fuel Standard Assessment White Paper: Agricultural Sector Impacts

EESI advocates for the continued implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), asserting that it is essential for displacing petroleum-based fuels and fostering the growth of advanced and cellulosic biofuels. The document argues that conventional ethanol provides the necessary infrastructure and economic foundation for the emerging cellulosic industry. EESI contends that factors other than the RFS—such as the 2012 Midwest drought, global meat demand, and commodity market speculation—are the primary drivers of corn and soybean price volatility. The organization highlights the RFS's role in rural economic development, job creation, and the reduction of toxic aromatic emissions in urban areas, while supporting the EPA's 2012 decision to deny a waiver request for the standard.

• The success of the advanced and cellulosic biofuels industry is heavily dependent on the existing infrastructure, marketing, and distribution systems established by conventional ethanol production.
• The RFS contributes to public health by reducing the use of aromatics in transportation fuels, which are linked to toxic air emissions and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s) in urban areas.
• While the RFS may exert some upward pressure on corn and soybean prices, other factors have a larger aggregate impact, specifically the 2012 drought in the Midwest and Great Plains, volatile petroleum and natural gas prices, increasing global demand for meat and dairy, and speculative investment in commodity markets.
• The RFS has positively impacted the U.S. economy by increasing the value of agricultural output and creating jobs through the construction of over 200 ethanol plants and the anticipated need for 400 additional biorefineries to meet 2022 goals.
• EESI supported the EPA's denial of the 2012 waiver request, arguing that granting it would have provided little relief to food producers while creating devastating uncertainty for investors in the emerging advanced biofuel industry.
• Cellulosic biofuels offer specific rural advantages, including the ability to be produced on marginal land and the use of perennial grasses as buffers to reduce soil erosion and clean up water supplies.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2013). Comments on the Renewable Fuel Standard Assessment White Paper: Agricultural Sector Impacts. https://www.eesi.org/files/042913_EESI_comments_on_white_paper.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Comments on the Renewable Fuel Standard Assessment White Paper: Agricultural Sector Impacts. 2013. https://www.eesi.org/files/042913_EESI_comments_on_white_paper.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Comments on the Renewable Fuel Standard Assessment White Paper: Agricultural Sector Impacts |date=29 April 2013 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/042913_EESI_comments_on_white_paper.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2013comments, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Comments on the Renewable Fuel Standard Assessment White Paper: Agricultural Sector Impacts}}, publisher = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2013}, month = apr, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/042913_EESI_comments_on_white_paper.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }