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Johnson, Biofuels Caucus Co-Chairs Introduce Legislation to Showcase Environmental Benefits of Biofuels

 

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) introduced the Adopt GREET Act, a bill which would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update its greenhouse gas modeling for ethanol and biodiesel to more accurately reflect the environmental benefits of agriculture and biofuels.

The GREET model is a tool which examines the lifecycle impacts of vehicle technologies, fuels, products, and energy systems.

“It’s time for the bureaucracy to catch up to science,” said Johnson. “We know biofuels are an integral part of protecting our environment and building up our economies in rural America. Including the entire lifecycle from a farmer’s field to the fuel pump will allow consumers across this country, and the world, to better understand the benefits biofuels offer.”



Specifically, this bill would require the EPA to adopt the Argonne National Lab’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) Model for both ethanol and biodiesel. EPA would also be required to update its modeling every five years or report to Congress to affirm its modeling is current or otherwise explain why no updates were made.

Johnson introduced this bill with fellow Biofuels Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Rodney Davis (R-IL), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Angie Craig (D-MN). The Senate companion, S. 193, is led by Senators Thune (R-S.D.) and Klobuchar (D-MN).



This bipartisan, bicameral bill is also supported by POET, South Dakota Corn Growers Association, Growth Energy, American Coalition for Ethanol, National Corn Growers Association, and the Renewable Fuels Association.

Additionally, today, Johnson along with Reps. Cindy Axne (D-IA) and Rodney Davis (R-IL) led the introduction of the Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Investment and Market Expansion Act, which would expand access to higher blends of biofuels.

“Both the Adopt GREET Act and the Renewable Fuel Infrastructure Investment and Market Expansion Act encourage nationwide use of biofuels like ethanol and promote their proven environmental benefits as Congress and the Administration find ways to immediately decarbonize the transportation sector,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. “The bicameral and bipartisan support of each bill underscores the shared sentiment that biofuels’ role in reducing carbon emissions remains critical to some of today’s climate change challenges. We thank the Reps. Axne and Johnson for their continued bipartisan support on investing in the future of biofuels.”

“For more than a decade, EPA’s analysis of ethanol’s carbon footprint has relied on speculative theories and obsolete data,” said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “The legislation introduced today led by Congressman Johnson and the House Biofuels Co-Chairs will help ensure EPA’s renewable fuel regulations are based on sound science and current data. The Argonne National Laboratory’s GREET model is recognized globally as the gold standard for analyzing the lifecycle greenhouse gas impacts of low-carbon renewable fuels like ethanol, and the model is regularly updated to reflect efficiency improvements and technological advancements in the fuel production process. It’s time for EPA to replace its flawed analysis with the current GREET model, and this bill would bring scientific integrity and accuracy to the agency’s regulatory actions on renewable fuels.”

–Representative Dusty Johnson


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