RFS2 can create 26 new green collar jobs every day, some of which will be in the oil and agriculture industries. That’s 26 new skilled, family-wage positions every day. 26 more domestic jobs producing our nation’s energy security in just two years with the growth of the RFS2.

Listen to Gary’s remarks here: Gary Haer Speech

You can find a lot more stories on the National Biodiesel Conference Blog. I’ve had the pleasure of being the Biodiesel Blogger for the 7th year this year!

2012 National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

I spoke with Paul Sr. just prior to his entry into the exhibit hall and he says the bike was a tough one to build. He says it’s not a speed demon but it won’t break down, “It’s just made to go.” The bike has affectionately been named Susie, btw.

Listen to my interview with Paul Sr. here: Interview with Paul Sr.

Listen to Paul Sr. describe the biodiesel bike here: Paul Sr. Remarks

Here’s video of Paul, Sr. driving into the exhibit hall.

Remember that you can follow what the Twitterverse is saying about the conference using the hashtag #NBB12.

2012 National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

Joe spent some time talking about the RFS.

The RFS demonstrated last year that effective energy policy can be carried out by actual energy policy. After the first year of implementation it has its wrinkles to iron out and we are going to talk about those in depth. But 2011 demonstrated that the RFS can work at doing what Congress intended, which is to draw renewable fuels into the market. I want to commend the EPA for their work in bringing this program together. They have had a very difficult job to take a brand new complex law and a wide range of stakeholders, and build a workable program.

The RFS has created a clear, predictable, stable and sustainable future for this industry.

Listen to or download Joe’s speech here: Joe Jobe Speech

2012 National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

We’re just getting started here. Registration is underway along with a couple of pre-conference sessions. I’ve heard that registration is up significantly this year which is a good sign for the industry. First up tonight is the annual Super Bowl Party. I’ll have photos from that later. In the meantime, I have started collecting photos here: 2012 National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album.

In addition to stories posted here on Domestic Fuel I’m also the Biodiesel Blogger once again for the National Biodiesel Board. So check out both sites throughout the coming days.

We caught up with National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit to get a preview of what promises to be a great conference. “Attendance is up, exhibitors are up, sponsorship is up, which is really a reflection of the fact that the industry’s back,” Jobe says. “The industry has come back and it’s really one of the most exciting come back stories since maybe Harley-Davidson.”

Jobe says there’s enthusiasm and excitement, but also a lot of work that needs to be done. “We need to talk about how we think about the industry going forward through the lens of the RFS, which is going to be the cornerstone of the industry moving forward,” he noted.

The conference will be held February 5-8 at the Gaylord Palms Convention Center in Orlando and while on-line registration is closed, there will be on-site registration for last minute attendees.

Listen to an interview with Jobe here: Joe Jobe interview

Anne Steckel, NBB vice president of federal affairs, said in her testimony, that when the incentive was reinstated last year after a lapse in 2010, it helped boost biodiesel production to a record volume of nearly 1.1 billion gallons in 2011. That volume – triple the production of 2010 – supported more than 39,027 jobs and $3.8 billion in GDP, according to a recent study conducted by Cardno ENTRIX, an international economics consulting firm.

“The biodiesel industry is poised to continue that momentum so long as Congress and the Administration continue supporting strong policies such as the biodiesel tax incentive,” Steckel said. “The recent expiration of the $1 per gallon biodiesel tax incentive poses a significant threat to the industry’s continued growth.”

Under projected expansion, with the tax incentive in place, the industry is expected to support more than 74,000 jobs by 2015 and some $7.3 billion in GDP.

Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the House and Senate to extend the tax incentive for three years.

The total volume of nearly 1.1 billion gallons is by far a record for the industry and easily exceeded the 800 million gallon target required under the EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The previous record for biodiesel production was about 690 million gallons in 2008.

National Biodiesel Board (NBB) vice president of federal affairs Anne Steckel says the milestone demonstrates that the biodiesel tax incentive and the Renewable Fuel Standard are working just as Congress intended. “Now is not the time to be second-guessing the RFS or eliminating the biodiesel tax incentive,” said Steckel. “We’re proving that the policies work, that American innovation and competitiveness can pull us away from our dangerous dependence on imported fuel. Just as President Obama said in his State of the Union this week, we need to stay the course to continue creating jobs and building America’s energy capacity.”

The biodiesel industry’s success in 2011 comes after Congress reinstated the fuel’s $1-per-gallon tax credit in December 2010 and as the EPA’s RFS program for biodiesel completed its first full year of implementation. Without those policies in place in 2010, production dropped dramatically as dozens of plants shuttered and thousands of people lost jobs.

There were over 500 people at the conference on Tuesday in Des Moines and Albin says that’s a far cry from when he first started in the biodiesel industry. “I’ve personally been involved in biodiesel since 1996, helped build the first multi-feedstock biodiesel plant,” he said. “There was probably ten of us in a room at one time. And since then, we’ve seen some hard times but this year (2011) has been a strong year for us and now we need to just keep the strong going forward.”

Listen to my interview with IRFA president Brad Albin of REG here: Brad Albin interview

Photos from 2012 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit

“We have an immediate challenge before us,” NBB CEO Joe Jobe said of the postponed decision regarding 2013 volumes for biomass-based diesel under the RFS2. “The EPA recommended that we raise those volumes from the statutory minimum of a billion gallons to 1.28 billion gallons.” The Office of Management and Budget has to approve that recommendation and Jobe says that decision will be made within the next 45-60 days.

“We need to establish a precedent whereby we can have conservative, modest growth in the biomass-based diesel category,” Jobe said. He called on the biodiesel industry to make its collective voice heard on the issue. “We ask that you participate in our effort to send letters to the White House, to the OMB, to the administration and to members of Congress,” said Jobe, noting that more details about the effort will be coming soon.

Listen to part of Jobe’s address to the 6th annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit here: Joe Jobe comments

Photos from 2012 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit

“We applaud the President’s announcement that he is going to push for homemade, U.S.-energy after 40 years of being addicted to foreign oil,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. “We have to move ahead with American ethanol as part of that solution.”

“The U.S. biodiesel industry is proving that we can accomplish the president’s goals of creating jobs while building a clean-energy economy,” said Anne Steckel with the National Biodiesel Board. “That’s why we’re calling on the Administration to quickly finalize the delayed EPA rule for boosting biodiesel use under the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2013.”

National Corn Growers Association Chairman Bart Schott said they were pleased to hear President Obama’s continued commitment to the nation’s energy independence. “As family corn farmers have risen to the challenge to meet our nation’s energy needs, we are hopeful the direction the President outlined offers similar opportunities for others to expand our energy independence,” he said.

“Working with the President, we can help America become less dependent on foreign oil and a smarter consumer of energy,” Adam Monroe, President of Novozymes North America, said. “Innovations like advanced biofuels can play a major role in the President’s vision but we need steady policies like the Renewable Fuel Standard – and we look forward to working Congress to preserve them.”

“The state of Iowa is number one in ethanol, number one in biodiesel, we’re number two in wind energy but that’s number two to Texas and if you look at it per capita, we’re number one in that as well,” Branstad said at the 6th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit on Tuesday.

“The renewable fuels industry has been good for Iowa,” he said. “In 2011, the renewable fuels industry supported 82,000 jobs in the Iowa economy and provided $3.7 billion in household income in our state. The industry had over $6 million in revenue.”

Those numbers come from the latest study on the importance of renewable fuels to Iowa by economist John Urbanchuk, technical director of Cardno ENTRIX. (Link to study)

Listen to Branstad’s address to the 6th annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit here: Iowa Governor Terry Branstad address

Photos from 2012 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit

Gen. Kern ended his address to the 6th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit in Des Moines on Tuesday on that note, displaying a WWII military poster declaring “Stick to your job – oil is ammunition.”

“It’s your job to change that from oil is ammunition to alternative fuels are ammunition,” he said. “We need that for our country and for our Department of Defense. Your military relies on fuel to do the job that we ask them to do.”

The main focus of the highly decorated retired army general’s address was on the national security dimensions of fuel.

Listen to Gen. Kern’s address to the 6th annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit here: Gen. Paul Kern address

Listen to a brief interview with Gen. Kern here: Gen. Paul Kern interview

Photos from 2012 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit

In his annual address to the summit, Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw noted that the state’s 41 ethanol plants produced 3.7 billion gallons of ethanol. “If Iowa were a country, it would be the third largest ethanol producer in the world, behind only the rest of the United States and Brazil,” said Shaw.

He also noted that with the return of the biodiesel tax credit in 2011 helped most of Iowa’s biodiesel plants return to production. “Ten Iowa biodiesel plants operated during 2011 produced a record 169 million gallons,” said Shaw.

However, Shaw noted that the challenges facing biofuels are just as strong as ever. “I know it’s hard to believe, but not everyone in America enjoys the renewable fuels success story,” he said, outlining the attacks against ethanol in particular by the food and oil industries. “Today the oil industry enjoys billions of dollars in tax subsidies while the renewable fuels industry has none,” said Shaw, proceeding to name off all of the subsides unique to the oil industry.

Shaw outlined the priority issues for the renewable fuels industry in 2012 as getting the biodiesel tax credit reinstated, keeping the Renewable Fuel Standard in place, and getting E15 commercially available.

Listen to Shaw’s address to the 6th annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit here: IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw address

Photos from 2012 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit

It looks like the weather will be okay tomorrow so it will be worth the trip to see the four-star program the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association has lined up this year. Speakers include Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, retired four-star General Paul J. Kern, Dr. Gal Luft of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe, and much more.

The event runs from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. and also features an exhibit area of companies and organizations in the biofuels industry. Hope to see you there!

The new website was welcomed by the Ag Energy Coalition (AEC). “USDA’s Energy portal demonstrates the positive impact the Farm Bill energy title and related programs are having on job creation, national security, and the environment,” said Coalition co-director Lloyd Ritter. “The Ag Energy Coalition believes Rural America will be a continuing force for change in the advancement of sustainable energy and renewable chemicals production in the years ahead. With the right policies in place, and requisite funding, the promise of a rural renaissance focused on clean energy solutions will become a reality.”

The Ag Energy Coalition includes a membership of organizations and companies representing a variety of clean, renewable energy and bioproducts stakeholders.

Renewable Energy Group has announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 7,200,000 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $10.00 per share.

The shares are expected to begin trading on The Nasdaq Global Market on January 19, 2012 under the symbol “REGI.” Of the shares of common stock in the offering, Renewable Energy Group is offering 6,857,140 shares and selling stockholders are offering 342,860 shares. In addition, Renewable Energy Group has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 1,080,000 additional shares of common stock to cover over-allotments, if any.

Additional details available from the REG website.

Among the highlights of the summit will be addresses by Governor Terry Branstad, four-star General Paul Kern (U.S. Army, ret.), former Reagan National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane and Executive Director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, Dr. Gal Luft. And that’s just the morning session of the summit.

After lunch, National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe will outline the national landscape for biodiesel on the heels of a record year of biodiesel production and what to expect in 2012 and beyond. That will be followed by a panel on “Synergies of Livestock and Ethanol” moderated by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey will moderate a panel representing Iowa’s livestock and corn industries that will discuss the dynamics between ethanol and livestock production. Joining Secretary Northey will be Matt Deppe with Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, Craig Floss with Iowa Corn Growers Association and Randy Ives with Gavilon Group LLC. The final event of the day will be a panel discussion on “E15 – the New Consumer Choice” where Ron Lamberty, American Coalition for Ethanol, and Greg Emick, W & H Coop, will share what consumers need to know in preparation for future use of E15 in 2001 and newer vehicles.

It’s all happening on January 24 from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm at the new location of Veterans Memorial/Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines. Registration is free and open to anyone with an interest in renewable fuels. Rooms are still available at the Downtown Des Moines Marriott for the conference.

Hope to see you there!

The United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean checkoff is partnering with nine Clean Cities Coalitions in the 2012 biodiesel and Bioheat® communications program to spread the word about the only commercially available advanced biofuel.

“Clean Cities coalitions are really great organizations,” says Mike Beard, USB director and soybean farmer from Frankfort, Ind. “This program helps them, and it helps us to get the word out about clean, efficient soy biodiesel.”

Clean Cities Coalitions participating in the 2012 reimbursement program include:
• Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition
• Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition
• Iowa Clean Cities
• Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition
• North Dakota Clean Cities
• Triangle Clean Cities Coalition
• Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition
• Virginia Clean Cities
• Yellowstone-Teton Clean Energy Coalition

Most of the coalitions will also be working with their state soybean checkoff organizations on the promotions. This year, the soybean checkoff committed nearly $200,000 to assist these chapters in communicating the benefits of soy biodiesel and Bioheat through radio public service announcements, outdoor advertising, informational workshops for energy users and distributors, promotional events, and many other activities.

Vilsack made multiple appearances in Hawaii this week, including at the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) annual meeting where he addressed the membership and met with the media and had the opportunity to comment on biofuels policy.

During a press conference at AFBF on Monday, Vilsack said he believes it is important to keep the RFS2 in place for multiple reasons. “One, it provides consumer choice. We know that because we have a healthy biofuels industry that consumers are paying 90 cents to a dollar less for gas,” he said. “It’s a job creator in rural America and an opportunity to increase the bottom line for farmers, ranchers and producers. And it has helped us reduce our reliance on foreign oil, going from 60% imports to 52% in the last couple of years.” Audio from Vilsack on RFS2

A day later at the Pearl Harbor memorial to tout the increasing use of biodiesel by the military, Vilsack was asked about the expiration of the biodiesel tax credit at the end of 2011 and whether it will hurt the industry again as it did in 2010 if Congress fails to renew it. “First and foremost, our approach is to figure out ways to build demand for the product,” Vilsack responded, noting that they can use loan programs to produce more biodiesel while the commitment by the Navy to increase use of biofuel will help increase demand. “So, I don’t think that we need to rely solely on tax credits.” Audio from Vilsack on Biodiesel Tax Credit

Pacific Biodiesel “is the oldest biodiesel producer and refinery in the country, started in 1996,” said Vilsack during his remarks on Tuesday at the memorial, noting that USDA has provided assistance to help that company grow. “We provided recently a $5 million business and industry loan to Pacific Biodiesel to allow it to continue to expand its capacity.”

That loan, announced in February 2010, is being used to construct a $10 million, 5.5 million gallon per year biodiesel production plant in Kea’au on the Big Island. Pacific Biodiesel vice president and co-founder Kelly King says Big Island Biodiesel will be the companies 13th biodiesel plant. “We’ll be owning and operating five of them, the other ones we built for clients throughout the mainland, from the east coast to the west coast,” she says, with capacity ranging from a half million to six million gallons.

“We started in Maui, where we actually had the first available biodiesel pump for the public,” said King. “Back then, most of our customers were environmental hippies who would come and pay 70 cents a gallon more for fuel and thank us and tell us to keep the change!”

King says Pacific Biodiesel operates on a community-based sustainable model set up locally to benefit local communities. While all the plants can use any type of oil feedstocks, much of them operate on used cooking oil. “It can use the most degraded oils up to the purest oils,” she said. “The degraded oils make the best feedstock because it’s the cheapest!”

King and two of her Pacific Biodiesel team members were excited to be part of the secretary’s appearance at Pearl Harbor and to have him recognize the importance of renewable fuels in the Aloha State.

Listen to an interview with Kelly King here: Pacific Biodiesel VP Kelly King

Photos from Secretary’s visit to Pearl Harbor memorial to promote biofuels

Pearl Harbor naval base was the first Hawaii military marine fleet to use biodiesel, replacing the Department of Navy-operated tour boats that shuttled visitors to and from the USS Arizona Memorial with five new boats capable of running on 100% biodiesel.

“The military in the way they are approaching the future as it relates to energy is reminding us that this country has the capacity not just to think big but also to act big,” said Vilsack. “They understand and appreciate that energy security is important for the future of this country and are dedicated to making sure that the Navy provide a good example to the country on how to go about doing this.”

The secretary noted that the Pearl Harbor navel base is also “utilizing and will continue to expand E85 and B20 opportunities for their vehicle fleet” which consists of roughly 2000 vehicles, 75% of which are capable of using either E85 or B20.

Vilsack noted that much of the biodiesel used at Pearl Harbor purchased by the Navy is produced in Hawaii by Pacific Biodiesel, “which is the oldest biodiesel producer and refinery in the country, started in 1996.”

Listen to Secretary Vilsack’s comments about biofuels at Pearl Harbor: Tom Vilsack at Pearl Harbor memorial

Photos from Secretary’s visit to Pearl Harbor memorial to promote biofuels

The 850-vehicle strong diesel fleet helps to maintain more than 29,000 acres in New York City. The fleet includes more than 40 different types of vehicles and equipment – handling everything from snow removal to landscape and parks maintenance to road construction and waste management.

The New York City Sanitation Department also uses biodiesel blends in vehicles used to fight winter weather, such as salt spreaders and plows.

“We can’t afford for our garbage trucks not to run,” said Supervisor of Mechanics Spiro Kattan. “Our trucks don’t only pick up garbage, they are also equipped with snowplow hitches. We’re a part of the city’s snow emergency plans and the residents of New York City would not be too happy if our vehicles went down during a snow storm.”

Further, JFK International Airport uses B20 to keep runways clear even in the worst of snowstorms.

In addition, New York City enacted a groundbreaking law requiring that all heating oil sold in the city contain at least two percent biodiesel beginning in October 2012. Bioheat® is already keeping many homes and offices warm this winter, including New York City Parks’ buildings.

Vilsack will be at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument’s Pearl Harbor Visitor Center on Tuesday to talk about how USDA is working with the U.S. Navy to promote the use of renewable fuels in its operations. In April 2009, the Pearl Harbor naval base was the first Hawaii military marine fleet to use biodiesel, replacing U.S. Navy-operated tour boats that shuttled visitors to and from the USS Arizona Memorial with five new boats capable of running on 100% biodiesel. Secretary Vilsack will highlight these efforts as well as other Administration efforts to advance renewable energy as part of the Navy fleet.

“Registration is required and can be done on-line at iowarfa.org,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Managing Director Lucy Norton. The registration deadline for the event is January 19.

Norton says they are very excited about the event this year, which has a focus on the national security aspect of renewable fuels. “This is an opportunity for people to learn more about the impact that domestic fuels have on our energy security, our economy and the environment and the advantages of using something that we produce here,” she said. “That’s keeping our money at home instead of sending it over to countries that really don’t like us that much.”

Speakers include General Paul J. Kern (U.S. Army Ret.); Former National Security Advisory Robert McFarlane, and Dr. Gal Luft, Institute for Analysis of Global Security. The summit will also feature an update on biodiesel and the plans for implementing E15 for consumer fuel choice.

The summit on January 24 will be held at a new location in the Veterans Memorial/Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Registration is easy and fast on-line and there is also more information on program details and hotel availability.

Listen to an interview with Lucy Norton about the summit here: Lucy Norton on Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit

Today, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) released the following statement in support of the ruling.

“Biodiesel’s evolving feedstock diversity is one of its greatest strengths, and we’re pleased to see the EPA recognizing camelina as yet another feedstock that meets the agency’s standards as an Advanced Biofuel,” said Anne Steckel, vice president of federal affairs at NBB. “As it has with other biodiesel feedstocks such as animal fats, recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and canola oil, the EPA’s proposal shows that biodiesel produced from camelina oil reduces greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent compared with diesel fuel. This is good news for our industry and will give biodiesel plants another tool in the toolbox as they continue producing record quantities of America’s Advanced Biofuel.”

Biodiesel is produced in nearly every state in the country and is on pace to support more than 39,000 U.S. jobs in 2011 while replacing roughly 1 billion gallons of petroleum diesel. Made from an increasingly diverse mix of resources such as agricultural oils, recycled cooking oil and animal fats, it is the first and only commercial-scale fuel produced across the U.S. to meet the EPA’s definition as an advanced biofuel. Biodiesel can be used in existing diesel engines and meets strict specifications of ASTM D6751.

GROWMARK Information Management Solutions director Keith Milburn says wEBS was developed as a fuel billing solution that makes the record keeping process easier by providing instantaneous information such as fuel type, tank sizes, taxes and credits.

Milburn says they developed wEBS when the fuel business started to get more complicated a few years ago. “We no longer just handle gasoline and diesel,” he said. “We have high sulfur, low sulfur, bio or soy diesel, ethanol blends – and all the relevant taxes have made it very complicated given those combination of blends.”

“There’s two components of wEBS,” Milburn says. “There’s the back office or centralized data set and then the hand held on the truck level.” The back office includes not only customer information, but every tank that each delivery truck services. “The system identifies each tank with a bar code that tells who the customer is, what product types, relevant taxes, discounts, and if there have fuel contracted at a certain price,” Milburn explains. So all the delivery driver has to do is pump the fuel and within minutes the transaction is recorded and an email confirmation is sent to the customer.

Milburn says this “evolution in the energy business” was first introduced as a pilot program in January 2010 with two trucks and it has since grown to incorporate about 95 trucks that essentially function as mobile hot spots to communicate information. And he says the system is continuing to evolve with the technology.

Find out more about the wEBS system in this interview with Keith Milburn here: Keith Milburn Interview

“EPA has essentially reduced the mandate for cellulosic, recognizing the fact that there aren’t supplies out there to meet it,” said USDA chief economist Joe Glauber.

Back in 2007, Congress set a goal of 500 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol to be produced in 2012, but only a very small fraction of that is now expected to come to fruition with a target of just 8.65 million gallons. “The big question that’s been out there for years is ‘when will cellulosic ethanol become profitable?’ said Glauber. “I don’t think anyone sees that coming anytime soon, although a few of these plants are expected to come on line in the coming year, so we’ll see.”

In order to project cellulosic biofuel production for 2012, EPA tracked the progress of over 100 biofuel production facilities, the methodology of which is clearly outlined in the official 97-page final rule document. Companies that EPA determined were likely to produce significant quantities of cellulosic biofuel in 2012 include (with projected ethanol-equivalent gallons):

KiOR – a Mississippi-based renewable crude oil project (4.8 million)
INEOS Bio of Vero Beach – waste to biofuel (3 million)
Fiberight – a waste-to-biofuel project in Blairstown, IA (2 million)
American Process, KL Energy and ZeaChem for a total of less than a million gallons combined.

EPA noted the importance of setting a cellulosic standard that was realistic, yet still encouraged investment in the technology. “Thus while any standard we set for cellulosic biofuel standard for 2012 will have some uncertainty in terms of actual attainment, our intention is to balance such uncertainty with the objective of promoting growth in the industry.”

EPA has set the “advanced biofuels” target for 2012 at 2 billion gallons, much of that being comprised of imported sugarcane ethanol from Brazil.

Read EPA’s full explanation of the RFS2 requirements justification.

The 2012 rule raises the Biomass-based Diesel program to 1 billion gallons, up from 800 million gallons this year. According to the latest EPA figures, the biodiesel industry had produced some 908 million gallons through the end of November, exceeding the 2011 requirement with one month of production remaining.

Steckel also urged the administration to issue a final rule for 2013 volumes raising the Biomass-based Diesel requirement to 1.28 billion gallons, as the EPA proposed earlier this year. The EPA on Tuesday postponed finalizing the 2013 volume, saying it needs more time for review.

Biodiesel makes up the vast majority of the Biomass-based Diesel program under the RFS. Because it also qualifies as an advanced biofuel under the program – with greenhouse gas emission reductions of 57 percent to 86 percent – biodiesel is also eligible to help meet general advanced biofuels requirements under the program.