PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The Renewable Fuel Standard has a "serious problem" and must be reformed, according to a bipartisan group of congressmen who say 218 House members agree, the American Motorcyclist Association reports. 

 

The AMA position 

The AMA supports the efforts of House members who want to revisit and revamp the Renewable Fuel Standard. 

 

"The federal government's Renewable Fuel Standard is a failed strategy that must be completely reconsidered and restructured," said Wayne Allard, vice president of government relations for the American Motorcyclist Association. "The RFS is not working for America or for Americans." 

 

The AMA opposes E15 fuel (15 percent ethanol by volume) because inadvertent misfueling can cause engine and fuel system failure to the estimated 22 million motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles currently in use and can void manufacturers' warranties. 

 

The AMA has repeatedly expressed concerns to government officials and federal lawmakers about possible damage to motorcycle and ATV engines caused by the inadvertent use of E15. For more information, visit: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/rights/amafuelforthought.aspx.

 

Statement from congressmen 

"There is one thing a bipartisan majority of members of the House can agree upon - there is a serious problem with the RFS. It is telling that 218 members from both sides of the aisle, representing communities across the nation, have spoken out against the current RFS and called for reform," Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Steve Womack (R-Ark.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said in a joint statement issued May 29. 

 

"The flawed ethanol mandate has a real impact on the American economy, and legislation in the House to reform the RFS has drawn the support of more the 50 organizations representing a diverse range of issues. There is clearly a growing appetite to reform the ethanol mandate, and it is time for the EPA to address lawmakers' concerns," the congressmen said. 

 

What is the RFS? 

The RFS program was created under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and established the first renewable fuel volume mandate in the United States. As required under the act, the original RFS program required 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuel to be blended into gasoline by 2012. 

 

Under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the RFS program was expanded in several ways, including an increase in the volume of renewable fuel required to be blended into transportation fuel from 9 billion gallons in 2008 to 36 billion gallons by 2022. 

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to establish final 2014 Renewable Volume Obligations to meet the Renewable Fuel Standard. 

 

In April 2013, Reps. Goodlatte, Costa, Womack, and Welch introduced H.R. 1462, the RFS Reform Act, which eliminates corn-based ethanol requirements, caps the amount of ethanol that can be blended into conventional gasoline at 10 percent, and requires the EPA to set cellulosic biofuels levels at production levels. 

 

In October, they sent a letter signed by 169 members of the House to the EPA requesting a reduction of RFS levels for this year.