Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
don’t agree on much — but then again, U.S. senators from different parties
rarely seem to agree on anything these days.
That’s why it was encouraging to see democracy at work, when
leaders from across the political spectrum recognized the importance of the
Renewable Fuel Standard, and decided to work across the aisle to make the
program a success. That’s exactly what happened last month among 39 bipartisan
champions of the RFS — including Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) — who sent a joint letter to the Environmental Protection Agency
urging the administration to stay true to the goals of America’s best renewable
energy policy.
In the letter, lawmakers from Connecticut to Hawaii made a
simple request to the EPA: follow the law. Since 2005, the RFS has required oil
companies to offer consumers renewable fuel blends at the gas pump. As a
result, 97% of the fuel in every tank contains some amount of ethanol or other
biofuel, grown right here in the United States. That renewable share is meant
to grow, weaning America off foreign oil, while keeping the air clean and
supporting a flourishing homegrown energy sector to replace exporters in the
Middle East.
The strategy has been a clear success. Thanks to the RFS,
growth in the biofuels sector now reverberates throughout our economy.
America’s ethanol industry supports 28,000 manufacturing jobs across the United
States, and many of those jobs are among manufacturers of equipment farmers use
to grow, maintain and harvest feedstocks for ethanol production.
It also turns out that ethanol is the least expensive way to
boost the octane in fuel, allowing for more efficient engine performance and
eliminating the need for the kind of poisonous additives that refiners used in
the past, such as MTBE and lead.
Fortunately, our senators seem to see the advantages of not
relying on oil from the Middle East, if for different reasons. Some like that
it attracts investments that would otherwise go to China or Brazil and that it
gives America greater leverage against petroleum ministers in Russia and Iran.
They also like that it supports American jobs and saves consumers anywhere from
50 cents to $1 per gallon during periods of high oil prices.
On the other side of the political spectrum, the RFS is part
of the green energy revolution. Biofuels are helping to decarbonize America’s
transportation sector and clear the air of smog, particulates and ozone. The
average corn-based ethanol slashes greenhouse gas emissions by 34% compared to
gasoline, while some of the newer cellulosic biofuels are essentially carbon
neutral, according to Department of Energy-sponsored research.
Whatever their motivations, these senators demonstrated that
good policy doesn’t always have to fall prey to partisan power struggles. The
question now is whether the EPA is listening. Earlier this year, the agency
proposed cutting 2017 conventional biofuel targets by 200 million gallons. The
proposal is still under review, and with the end of an official comment period
this week, regulators have until Nov. 30 to issue a final rule.
The choice policymakers make now will determine how painful
the next spike in gasoline prices will be. When that happens, it’ll be too late
for new oil drills or fresh windmills to protect our economy, but those who
reached across the aisle to support America’s most successful green energy
program will deserve our thanks for thinking ahead.
That’s good news for both consumers and the manufacturers
across America who support thousands of jobs thanks to the RFS.
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