WASHINGTON, D.C.—In feedback yesterday to the Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration (NHTSA), Progress Power, the nation’s largest biofuels commerce affiliation, urged regulators to incorporate a task for American-made biofuels within the Company’s proposed Company Common Gas Financial system (CAFE) Requirements for Passenger Vehicles and Mild Vans for Mannequin Years 2027-2032 and Gas Effectivity Requirements for Heavy-Obligation Pickup Vans and Vans for Mannequin Years 2030-2035.
Progress Power highlighted simply a few of the confirmed emissions advantages of biofuels like ethanol in its remark, whereas additionally noting that NHTSA’s proposed requirements could violate the Power Coverage and Conservation Act (EPCA), specifically the legislation’s prohibition on utilizing electrical automobiles (EVs) as a “baseline” to set fuel-economy requirements and the legislation’s deal with utilizing home power sources to deal with America’s power challenges.
“In setting the CAFE Requirements, NHTSA is directed by EPCA to think about, amongst different elements, ‘the necessity of the USA to preserve power.’ Growing the nation’s use of biofuels meets that objective, by each offering one other supply of gasoline that reduces our demand for petroleum and by decreasing greenhouse fuel (GHG) and different emissions,” stated Progress Power in its feedback. “To start with, ethanol and different biofuels considerably improve power safety due to their flexibility—they can be utilized in current inside combustion engine (ICE) automobiles and fueled at current fuel stations. Customers and operators of fleets across the nation subsequently have the flexibility to make use of extra biofuels.”
To deal with its points with the proposal, Progress Power recommends that NHTSA take away EVs from its calculations in setting a baseline for the 2027-2032 CAFE requirements; contemplate the GHG-reduction and power safety advantages of biofuels all through the ultimate rule; and protect and broaden its guidelines to permit for better use of upper ethanol-blended fuels like E15 (15% ethanol), E85 (51%-85% ethanol), and different blends in between.
Learn Progress Power’s full remark right here. The group additionally expressed related issues to the U.S. Environmental Safety Company (EPA) about its car tailpipe emissions requirements earlier this yr. Be taught extra about Progress Power’s actions on this subject at growthenergy.org/tailpipe-emissions.