Member press release: RFS Power Coalition Commends Rep. John Garamendi for Introducing Bill Requiring EPA Action on eRINs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The RFS Power Coalition today commended Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) for introducing H.R. 5899, the “Biomass and Biogas for Electric Vehicles Act” late last week. If passed, this bill will require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finally process the outstanding project and pathway applications for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) which have been waiting for EPA’s action for many years. The bill will finally allow biogas, biomass, and waste to energy projects to generate credits when they fuel hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles or charge battery electric vehicles.
“I have long supported a utility-scale subsidy for biomass electricity to incentivize proper forest management and much-needed hazardous fuels reduction in fire-prone states like California. As California and neighboring states face increasingly severe and year-round fire seasons, this will help to reduce the artificially high levels of biomass on our forestlands due to man-made climate change, drought, invasive species like bark beetle outbreaks, and years of mismanagement,” said Congressman Garamendi (D-CA) in a press release announcing the bill. “Renewable electricity from biomass and biogas helps reduce our nation’s greenhouse gas emission and transition to a clean energy economy. While these measures alone will not solve the climate crisis or prevent all catastrophic wildfires, they are undoubtedly part of the solution. That’s why I’m introducing the ‘Biomass and Biogas for Electric Vehicles Act.’”
“We greatly appreciate Rep. Garamendi for his focused attention on getting the EPA to implement the electricity program in the RFS,” said Carrie Annand, executive director of Biomass Power Association. “The members of the RFS Power Coalition are power producers who use farm, forest and municipal solid waste – all qualifying feedstocks under the RFS – to supply power to electric vehicles, and they deserve credit for this contribution. Participation in the RFS represents stability for many of our members, as well as a reliable low-carbon fuel source for our nation’s growing electric vehicle fleet.”
“Thanks to Rep. Garamendi for the timely release of this bill, which requires the EPA to process applications from biogas power producers that have been pending since 2015,” said Patrick Serfass, executive director of the American Biogas Council. “If we want to decarbonize transportation while creating a host of other economic and environmental benefits, biogas has to be a part of the solution. We look forward to working with Rep. Garamendi, and we urge Congress to pass this bill as soon as possible.”
The introduction of this bill follows closely President Biden’s recognition of renewable energy as a “valuable” forest product, and commitment to policies that will support the use of “wood waste materials to produce advanced biofuels, biochar, heat and power.” These statements were made in President Biden’s proclamation recognizing National Forest Products Week.
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Media contact:
Maureen Walsh
tel: +1 202.681.6092
email: maureen@dc-groupllc.com
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 Energy Recovery Council, the trade associations that represent, respectively, domestic biomass power producers who use organic fuels like forest residues, biogas-to-electricity producers like dairy farmers and wastewater treatment facilities, and waste-to-energy producers. All three fuels – biomass, biogas and biogenic waste – qualify as renewable transportation fuels that should be included in the D3 cellulosic and D5 advanced fuel categories of the RFS. https://rfspower.com
