Strengthening The RFS For Next-Gen Biofuels
By Michael McAdams, Biomass Magazine.
There has been a great deal of conversation around the speech I recently gave at the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. I would like to further explain some of the key areas of my remarks in today’s column.
As I stated, members of the Advanced Biofuels Association are facing incredible challenges, including diminishing capital markets, an uncertain tax code, and a patch quilt of state laws and federal regulations. Unfortunately, the renewable fuel standard (RFS)—the very tool that was created to foster our industry—has become one of the greatest obstacles to continued development of the advanced and cellulosic biofuel industry due to inconsistent and poor implementation. This is clearly evident as we are now well into 2015 and still waiting for the administration to publish the renewable volume obligations for 2014. Yes, you have it right, they were due Nov. 30, 2013.