The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed increases in the 2012 percentage standards for advanced biofuels and renewable diesel fuel is another important step in helping the U.S. achieve a sustainable energy future, the Diesel Technology Forum said Wednesday, June 22.
EPA is proposing to mandate the blending of 15.2 billion gallons of renewable fuel into the U.S. fuel supply, and increased the proposed mandate for advanced biofuels by 48 percent to 2 billion gallons as part of the agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard program.
“The growing use of advanced biofuels and renewable diesel fuel underscores the expanding role clean diesel technology will continue to play as we move to a more sustainable energy future,” says Allen Schaeffer, DTF executive director. “The proposed increase to one billion gallons of biomass-based diesel and two billion gallons of advanced biofuels will play a significant role in reducing emissions and our dependence on foreign oil production.”
Schaeffer says today’s diesel engine and equipment makers increasingly are welcoming high-quality bio-based fuels into most diesel engines in blends of five percent to 20 percent.
“The innovation and growth in biofuel technology is happening at a rapid pace,” he says. “Thanks to advanced refining and fuel processing technologies, the next generation of renewable diesel fuels produced with these technologies further enhances the benefits of clean diesel technology. EPA’s proposal supports the growing use of lower carbon fuels and will help clean diesel technology to power the U.S. economy in an increasingly sustainable manner.”
