Washington, DC – December 1, 2022 – The RFS Power Coalition today commended the Environmental Protection Agency for its inclusion of electricity in the program, beginning in 2024. The Coalition, formed in 2018, has been advocating for this step and will continue to engage the EPA in the implementation of the electricity portion of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
“This is a momentous day, nearly 15 years in the making. We are thrilled that the EPA included electricity in the RFS program,” said Carrie Annand, Executive Director of Biomass Power Association. “This action ensures that low-carbon power for electric vehicles – a sizable and fast-growing part of the U.S. automotive sector – will continue to be available to reduce carbon emissions from transportation. It will also ensure that electricity generators are able to receive compensation for the valuable service they provide. We urge the EPA to review and approve the biomass and other pending pathways before the electricity program goes into effect in January 2024.”
“Biogas electricity producers are pleased about the inclusion of electricity in the RFS,” said Patrick Serfass, Executive Director of the American Biogas Council. “Our members will finally be able to participate in the program, after waiting several years for responses on pending applications. We are encouraged by the proposed changes to the equivalency value, which will more accurately reflect the power being used by our nation’s electric fleet. That said, we are disappointed that the EPA does not allow the electricity producer to generate the RIN. This decision goes against years of precedence, and we are concerned this will adversely affect biogas producers.”
“With the inclusion of electricity in the RFS, resource recovery facilities will finally receive credit for the negative carbon fuel we provide for transportation every day,” said Tequila Smith, Covanta’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “Many of the facilities we operate are owned by municipal governments, who have invested in the responsible disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW). We are excited to continue our work with the EPA to finalize pathway approval to fully participate in the eRIN market.”
The proposed increase in cellulosic category volumes appears reasonable given the cumulative capacity of potentially qualifying electricity producers. The Coalition will provide comments on the proposal and looks forward to working with EPA on the implementation of the electricity program.
About the RFS Power Coalition
The RFS Power Coalition is a group of organizations dedicated to activating the renewable electricity pathway of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The Coalition is led by the Biomass Power Association, American Biogas Council, and the waste-to-energy industry. The coalition represents domestic biomass power producers who use organic fuels like forest residues, biogas-to-electricity producers like dairy farmers and wastewater treatment facilities, and local governments converting post recycled waste to renewable energy. Biomass, biogas and waste-to-energy qualify as renewable transportation fuels that should be included in the D3 cellulosic and D5 advanced fuel categories of the RFS. Learn more at https://rfspower.com.