For Immediate Release
May 3, 2007
Boxer Introduces “Advanced Clean Fuels Act of 2007”
Bill Would Ensure Shift to New Renewable and Clean Fuels
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today introduced “The Advanced Clean Fuels Act Of 2007,” which sets a goal of increasing the volume of clean transportation fuels to as much as 35 billion gallons by 2025 in order to lessen greenhouse gas emissions and make America more energy independent, while also ensuring that as we are increasing our use of renewable fuels, we protect our air, water, and natural resources. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT) joined Senator Boxer as cosponsors of the measure.
Senator Boxer said: “My bill will encourage the development of clean renewable fuels for transportation, while protecting our environment. It ensures that as we move towards a cleaner and greener future using fuels that reduce global warming and make us more energy-independent, we will protect we protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the natural resources we all depend on.”
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Summary:
The Advanced Clean Fuels Act of 2007
• Significantly increases the amount of advanced clean fuels in the nation’s fuel supply by requiring increasing volumes of fuels that have low greenhouse gas emissions and that are produced in an environmentally sound way.
• EPA is required to increase the Renewable Fuels Standard from 12 billion gallons in 2011 to as much as 35 billions gallons by 2025.
o To count towards the Renewable Fuels Standard, fuel must be at least 20% better than gasoline in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.
o The Renewable Fuels Standard would also require increasing volumes of fuels that are at least 50% and 75% better than gasoline in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.
• The National Academy of Sciences will periodically study the environmental and other impacts, and the energy independence implications of increasing the amount of advanced clean fuels in the transportation fuel supply.
• The amount of advanced clean fuels will increase, based on the schedule in the bill. As the volume of clean fuels increases, EPA will use its authorities to address any significant environmental effects in order to protect our air, water, and natural resources.
• EPA also must establish an Advanced Clean Fuel Performance Standard that gradually reduces greenhouse gas emissions from the entire transportation fuel supply by as much as 10% of 2008 levels by 2020.
• The bill promotes the use of the most suitable lands for clean fuels development.
• The bill would establish a green renewable fuel labeling program modeled on Energy Star to spotlight renewable fuels that result in 50% lower greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline and that are produced using best environmental management practices.
Contact: Peter Rafle, (202) 224-8832
