Development Power is the world’s largest affiliation of biofuel producers, representing 97 U.S. vegetation that every 12 months produce greater than 9.5 billion gallons of cleaner-burning, renewable gas, 119 companies related to the manufacturing course of, and tens of 1000’s of biofuel supporters across the nation. Collectively, we stay dedicated to bringing higher and extra reasonably priced selections on the gas pump to shoppers, bettering air high quality, defending the setting for future generations, sustaining household farms, and driving down the prices of transportation fuels for shoppers.
We respect the chance to offer written testimony for S2930, which gives a tax credit score for particular person taxpayers who convert their gas-powered car right into a car propelled by an alternate gas supply. Development Power strongly helps laws that incentivizes the expanded use of fuels with greater blends of bioethanol. We applaud Rhode Island’s efforts to scale back greenhouse fuel (GHG) emissions within the state’s transportation sector. Biofuels can play a significant position in these efforts, as bioethanol emits 46% fewer GHGs in comparison with gasoline. Bioethanol’s different environmental advantages are additionally noteworthy. As has been researched by the College of California, Riverside and the College of Illinois at Chicago, the usage of extra bioethanol and bioethanol-blended gas reduces dangerous particulates and air toxics equivalent to carbon monoxide, and benzene. In different states, the place market-based options had been carried out, e.g. California’s Low Carbon Gasoline Normal, biofuels equivalent to bioethanol have been among the many largest contributors to GHG reductions.
And with as many as 780,000 autos within the state able to fueling up with E15, a extra reasonably priced gas containing as much as 15% bioethanol accepted by the US EPA in 2011 for autos mannequin 12 months 2001 and newer, even these autos with out having transformed their engine can contribute to GHG reductions. Moreover, autos able to working on E85 quantity greater than 43,000 within the state.
Greater than 100 billion miles has been pushed on E15 in the US since its approval by the EPA. Moreover, in California alone, greater than 118 billion gallons of E85 gas was offered in 2023. These fuels are being embraced by drivers throughout the nation.
Not solely would E15 adoption present appreciable environmental advantages for the state, however Rhode Island drivers would additionally get pleasure from decrease gas prices. Through the summer season of 2023, shoppers throughout the US saved a median of 16 cents per gallon of E15 in comparison with E10. In some situations, shoppers saved anyplace from 33 to 60 cents per gallon.
Rhode Island has a chance to make the most of bioethanol as an necessary GHG discount device. If the state changed E10—the most typical mix of gasoline offered in Rhode Island—with E15, almost 50,000 tons of GHGs emissions could be prevented. That is the equal of eradicating almost 11,000 autos from the roads, all with out impacting a single Rhode Island driver.
Sadly, regardless of these available fuels getting used throughout the nation, there are zero retail gas websites in Rhode Island providing both E15 or E85. Because the Senate Finance Committee considers S2930, an necessary invoice that incentivizes Rhode Island drivers to undertake environmentally helpful transportation gas sources, we encourage the legislature to think about the optimistic environmental impression of increasing the usage of biofuels. Whereas many legacy autos homeowners might make the most of this tax credit score by modifying their car to run on E85, the dearth of retail gas websites in Rhode Island providing E85 discourages these homeowners from using this chance to contribute to the discount of GHGs.
We respectfully urge the Common Meeting to think about insurance policies that encourage the expanded use of fuels with greater blends of bioethanol, as legacy autos are anticipated to be on the highway for a few years. Increasing entry to greater bioethanol blends permits these autos to contribute to GHG reductions instantly as future applied sciences are adopted.
The consideration of biofuels, significantly bioethanol, is an important part to carbon emissions reductions as future decarbonization applied sciences are developed. We hope the committee acknowledges the position fuels with greater blends of bioethanol can play in lowering GHGs and offering a extra reasonably priced choice for Rhode Island drivers. Thanks and we stay up for any questions you will have.
