US EPA

EPA is currently working on the third Biofuels Report to Congress. This report is responsive to Section 204 of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA). The Report to Congress focuses on the dominant biofuel sources in the US: (1) domestic corn ethanol from corn starch, (2) domestic biodiesel from soybean oil, (3) domestic biodiesel from fats, oils, and greases (FOGs), and (4) imported ethanol from Brazilian sugarcane. Chapters of the report were developed in close collaboration with scientists from USDA, DOE, USGS, and NOAA, but EPA retains lead authorship on all chapters. The report is currently undergoing internal peer review. EPA expects to release it for public comment and external panel peer review in Fall 2022. Peer review will be conducted under the framework of EPA’s Scientific Integrity Policy and follow procedures established in EPA’s Peer Review Handbook 4th Edition, 2015 (EPA/100/B-15/001) and the Office of Management and Budget’s "Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review."

In Feb 2022, nominations of peer review candidates were reviewed and accepted by EPA’s contractor, Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG) following the release of the Federal Register Notice. Relevant expertise includes economics, engineering, agronomics, land use change, remote sensing, air quality, biogeochemistry, water quality, hydrology, conservation biology, limnology, and ecology. ERG received and screened nominations to identify a pool of eighteen highly qualified candidates. In May 2022, EPA provided an opportunity for the public to comment on the selected candidate pool. After considering public comments on the candidate pool, ERG will select nine final peer reviewers whose combined expertise best spans the above disciplines.

In August 2022, a 3rd FRN was posted to review a few additional subject matter experts to serve on the peer review panel. A 15-day public review period was given to respond on this FRN.

Background

In 2007, Congress enacted the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) with the stated goals of "mov[ing] the United States toward greater energy independence and security [and] to increase the production of clean renewable fuels." In accordance with these goals, EISA revised the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program, which was created under the 2005 Energy Policy Act and is administered by EPA, to increase the volume of renewable fuel required to be blended into transportation fuel to 36 billion gallons per year by 2022. Section 204 of EISA directs EPA, in consultation with the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy, to assess and report triennially to Congress on the environmental and resource conservation impacts of the RFS Program.

The first report to Congress (RtC1) was completed in 2011 and provided an assessment of the environmental and resource conservation impacts associated with increased biofuel production and use (EPA/600/R-10/183F). The overarching conclusions of this first report were: (1) the environmental impacts of increased biofuel production and use were likely negative but limited in impact; (2) there was a potential for both positive and negative impacts in the future; and (3) EISA goals for biofuels production could be achieved with minimal environmental impacts if best practices were used and if technologies advanced to facilitate the use of second-generation biofuel feedstocks (corn stover, perennial grasses, woody biomass, algae, and waste).

The second report to Congress (RtC2) was completed in 2018 and reaffirmed the overarching conclusions of the RtC1 (EPA/600/R-18/195). The RtC2 noted that the biofuel production and use conditions that led to the conclusions of the RtC1 had not materially changed, and that the production of biofuels from cellulosic feedstocks anticipated by both the EISA and the RtC1 had not materialized. Noting observed increases in acreage for corn and soybean production in the period prior to and following implementation of the RFS2 Program, the RtC2 concluded that the environmental and resource conservation impacts associated with land use change were likely due, at least in part, to the RFS and associated production of biofuel feedstocks but that further research was needed.

This RtC3 builds on the previous two reports and provides an update on the impacts to date of the RFS Program on the environment. This report assesses air, water, and soil quality; ecosystem health and biodiversity; and other effects. This third report also includes new analyses not previously included in the first and second reports.

For assistance on this report of related notices, use the Biofuel and the Environment Contact us page.