GRFA: Commit to biofuels policies to achieve COP21 targets
June 15, 2016
BY The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance
On June 13, Bliss Baker, the President of the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance, called on parties to the climate agreement reached at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to take immediate action to significantly reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector and incorporate increased biofuels blending as part of their national plans. Of the 195 parties that adopted the agreement in Paris, 177 have now demonstrated their commitment by officially signing the agreement.
Baker noted that the transportation sector produces an estimated 25 to 30 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and that low-carbon transport fuel alternatives to crude oil like ethanol and biodiesel are a cost-effective and immediately available option for countries to adopt.
“The GRFA is encouraged by the support for strong action to address climate change coming out of COP21,” he said. “But if we are to have any hope of meeting the ambitious targets laid out in that agreement, substantial action is going to have to be taken soon. Biofuels represent a significant step in the right direction that governments can take today.”
Of the 162 intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) submitted to date, more than 60 recognized the advantages of biofuels-supportive policies by including them in their carbon emission reduction plans.
Advertisement
Baker pointed out that in addition to the parties to the agreement at COP21, third-party groups like the B Team coalition of chief executives and the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition have expressed their support for strong public emissions reduction policies that will provide the predictability necessary for the private sector to be able to develop long-term plans.
“Introducing biofuels supportive policies to reduce emissions from the transportation sector in the short and medium term just makes sense,” Baker said. “The biofuels industry will have a significant role to play in international efforts to transition away from carbon-intensive fossil fuels in the transport sector, and the GRFA looks forward to working with governments to develop policies to achieve those goals.”
Advertisement
Related Stories
The U.S. Department of Commerce has disbanded an advisory committee that provided the agency with private sector advice aimed at boosting the competitiveness of U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency exports, including ethanol and wood pellets.
Iowa’s Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program on March 25 awarded nearly $3 million in grants to support the addition of E15 at 111 retail sites. The program also awarded grants to support two biodiesel infrastructure projects.
Effective April 1, Illinois’ biodiesel blend requirements have increased from B14 to B17. The increase was implemented via a bipartisan bill passed in 2022, according to the Iowa Soybean Association.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on March 31 visited Elite Octane LLC, a 155 MMgy ethanol plant in Atlantic, Iowa, to announce the USDA will release $537 million in obligated funding under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program.
The U.S. EPA on March 24 asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to dismiss a lawsuit filed by biofuel groups last year regarding the agency’s failure to meet the statutory deadline to promulgate 2026 RFS RVOs.
Upcoming Events
