Renewed Push for GREET Act to Modernize Biofuel Environmental Standards

On Tuesday, Senators John Thune from South Dakota and Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota reintroduced a bill called the GREET Act. This bill would force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use newer methods to measure the carbon footprint of biofuels like ethanol. Supporters believe the current method underestimates how environmentally friendly biofuels are.

Klobuchar highlighted the need for the EPA's model to reflect recent scientific advances. The GREET acronym stands for "Greenhouse Gasses, Regulated Emission, and Energy Use in Transportation Model." It's a tool for calculating the environmental impact of fuels, considering everything from production to car emissions.

Right now, biofuels are judged using a model from 2010, which says ethanol is 20% cleaner than fossil fuels. Brian Jennings from the American Coalition for Ethanol argues using the GREET model would show ethanol is actually 50% cleaner. He criticizes the EPA for sticking with old data.

Jennings and others are frustrated that the EPA hasn't updated its methods, making ethanol seem less environmentally friendly than it is. The GREET Act has strong support from several senators and major trade organizations, including the Renewable Fuels Association and the National Corn Growers Association.

Emily Skor from Growth Energy emphasized the importance of using accurate science to acknowledge biofuels' significant role in a cleaner energy future. She mentioned that research shows corn ethanol cuts greenhouse gas emissions by almost half compared to gasoline.

Previous attempts to pass similar laws failed in 2020 and 2021, and it's uncertain if this new attempt will succeed.