Page 39 - Biofuels for a More Sustainable Future

Biofuel transitions 33

and biodiesel blends (but labeled as biofuels not simply petrol or diesel), like
for example petrol containing from 70% to 85% bioethanol, B20, or B100 in
Polish Regulation of Minister of Energy from 25 May 2016. 7

4.2 The US framework
4.2.1 Sources of law and motivation
The main acts dealing with biofuels are the Energy Policy Act from 2005 8
9
and the Energy Independence and Security Act from 2007, with later
amendments. Both acts have established the Renewable Fuel Standard
(see in the official compilation of US law, that is title 42, § 7545, letter
10
(o) of US Code) as the crucial biofuels support scheme in the United
States. More detailed executive acts are passed by the Environmental Pro-
11
tection Agency (EPA) and published in the Federal Register.
The Energy Independence and Security Act has a very short preamble
indicating the aims of the law. Main targets are energy independence and
security, increase production of clean renewable fuels, protect consumers,
increase energy efficiency, promote research on and deploy greenhouse
gas capture and storage options, and improve energy performance of the
Federal Government.

4.2.2 Support schemes
The main support mechanism, named The Renewable Fuel Standard
(RFS), established the following goal: the total amount of US fuel should
contain a certain share of renewable fuel. The share is rising year by year
from 4 billion of gallons in 2006 to 36 billion of gallons in 2022, that equals
nearly 20% of projected motor fuel consumption in 2022 (Stokes and Breetz,
2018, p. 82).

7
Online System of Legal Acts, http://prawo.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?
id¼WDU20160000771 (accessed 1 October 2018).
8
http://uscode.house.gov/statviewer.htm?volume¼119&page¼594 (accessed 19 Septem-
ber 2018).
9
http://uscode.house.gov/statviewer.htm?volume¼121&page¼1492 (accessed 19 Septem-
ber 2018).
10
§ 7545 of US Code, http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req¼(title:42%20section:7545%
20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section7545)&f¼treesort&
edition¼prelim&num¼0&jumpTo¼true (accessed 17 September 2018).
11
§ 7545, letter (o), paragraph (3) of U.S. Code as well as Environmental Protection Agency
official website, https://www.epa.gov/renewable-fuel-standard-program/regulations-
and-volume-standards-renewable-fuel-standards (accessed 20 September 2018).