The EPA has finalized its 2011 percentage standards for the four categories of fuel under the agency's renewable fuel standard program, known as RFS2. After receiving a lot of criticism in the last few years, D.C. politicians have started to back off their lofty 2008 goals, and this is strongly reflected in the EPA's new biofuel standards, which drop the volume standards for all renewable fuels to 8.01 percent. The agency issued a press release on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010.

The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) amended the Clean Air Act to greatly increase the total required volume of renewable fuels each year, reaching a level of 36 billion gallons in 2022. To achieve these volumes, the EPA chose to calculate percentage-based standards for each year. Based on the standards, each producer and importer of gasoline and diesel determines the minimum volume of renewable fuel that it must ensure is used in its transportation fuel.

The final 2011 overall volume and standards are:

Cellulosic biofuel - 6.6 million gallons; 0.003 percent
Biomass-based diesel - 800 million gallons; 0.69 percent
Advanced biofuel - 1.35 billion gallons; 0.78 percent
Renewable fuel - 13.95 billion gallons; 8.01 percent

Based on an analysis of expected market availability, the EPA is finalizing a lower 2011 cellulosic volume than the statutory target. Overall, EPA representatives said the agency "remains optimistic that the commercial availability of cellulosic biofuel will continue to grow in the years ahead."

SOURCE: EPA press release