Industry battling million-dollar anti-RFS campaign

Most readers of Biodiesel Magazine have by now seen that the oil industry and other renewable fuel standard (RFS) opponents are pulling out all the stops trying to discredit the program. The National Biodiesel Board has aggressively responded, publishing op-eds and letters in more than 20 publications including USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, the Houston Chronicle, National Journal, the Baltimore Sun and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

When the Philadelphia Inquirer published a column in September parroting the oil industry’s talking points suggesting that the RFS is a broken policy, NBB worked quickly to get a response published by CEO Joe Jobe. “The Energy Information Administration says the United States is already producing more oil than it has in the past two decades, yet pump prices remain near record highs. .... Only through diversification of, and competition in, our transportation-fuel markets can we lower prices. The renewable fuel standard is working and has helped biodiesel grow from a niche fuel annually into a commercial-scale industry with plants nationwide.”

Many NBB members have published their own letters or op-eds as well, and all biodiesel stakeholders are encouraged to do the same. We have the facts on our side: We’re the first EPA-designated advanced biofuel to reach 1 billion gallons of annual production. We’ve surpassed RFS volume requirements in each year of the program while supporting thousands of jobs nationwide. We’re reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 percent compared with petroleum. And we’re helping consumers by diversifying the fuel supply and displacing imported diesel fuel.
As RFS critics spend millions of dollars on public relations suggesting the RFS is not working, it is critical that the biodiesel industry step up and spread the word about its benefits. For help, please don’t hesitate to call NBB’s offices, and don’t forget to check out NBB’s Fueling Action website at www.biodiesel.org/policy/fueling-action-center for the latest on how you can help support strong biofuels policy for growing the biodiesel industry.