119-sres364

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 364 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
S. RES. 364

Recognizing the 20th anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard and its 
foundational role in strengthening American energy security, supporting 
 rural communities, growing the United States economy, and improving 
 environmental performance.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 August 1, 2025

 Mr. Ricketts (for himself, Ms. Klobuchar, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Grassley, 
Ms. Smith, and Ms. Ernst) submitted the following resolution; which was 
 referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

Recognizing the 20th anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard and its 
foundational role in strengthening American energy security, supporting 
 rural communities, growing the United States economy, and improving 
 environmental performance.

Whereas the Renewable Fuel Standard

    (RFS) , first established by Congress in 2005 
 and expanded in 2007, celebrates its 20th anniversary as a key national 
 policy for increasing the supply of domestic renewable energy and 
 supporting American families and the economy and energy security of the 
 United States;
Whereas the RFS provides for steady growth by setting increasing annual 
 volumetric targets for an appropriate variety of renewable fuels;
Whereas the RFS achieves this goal by setting annual volumetric targets for 
 renewable fuel, including specific targets for biodiesel, cellulosic, 
 and advanced fuel types;
Whereas these targets were designed to be ambitious in order to induce private 
 sector innovation and investment, while providing ample flexibility in 
 the law for the Environmental Protection Agency to administer the RFS, 
 including the ability to adjust annual targets annually if necessary to 
 reflect production volumes;
Whereas the RFS drives innovation that improves environmental performance by 
 requiring that renewable fuel reduces lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions 
 by certain minimum thresholds ranging from 20 percent to 60 percent, 
 depending on the type of fuel;
Whereas, since 2007, the private sector has responded the RFS by investing 
 billions of dollars in the renewable fuel sector to expand production of 
 first-generation renewable fuel and to develop and demonstrate advanced 
 renewable fuel;
Whereas the RFS has driven innovation and investment in the biofuels sector, 
 resulting in more than 275 renewable fuel facilities in 36 States, 
 producing over 25,000,000,000 gallons per year;
Whereas the renewable fuels industry supports a robust bioeconomy that, in 2023, 
 contributed $210,000,000,000 to the United States gross domestic product 
 and supported nearly 644,000 domestic jobs;
Whereas the RFS has provided critical markets for farmers in the United States, 
 supporting rural economies and domestic processing, and helping to drive 
 economic growth and strengthen rural communities;
Whereas the RFS continues to provide an important backstop for farmers in the 
 United States to ensure robust domestic demand when facing uncertainty 
 in export markets;
Whereas the RFS has enabled the United States ethanol industry to supply more 
 than 98 percent of gasoline sold nationwide with at least 10 percent 
 ethanol and has helped the biodiesel and renewable diesel industry 
 produce over 5,000,000,000 gallons annually, about 10 percent of total 
 on-road diesel use;
Whereas renewable fuels have delivered real savings for American consumers at 
 the pump, with higher-level ethanol blends like E15 reducing prices by 
 10-30 cents per gallon on average and biodiesel driving down the price 
 of traditional diesel by about 4 percent;
Whereas the RFS has contributed to significant reductions in greenhouse gas 
 emissions by requiring renewable fuels to meet minimum lifecycle 
 emissions reductions and has helped the United States transportation 
 sector make progress toward environmental sustainability;
Whereas the RFS has evolved over 2 decades to keep pace with new technologies 
 and shifting markets, while remaining at the heart of ongoing national 
 conversations about energy security, environmental stewardship, and the 
 agricultural economy;
Whereas, over the past 20 years, the RFS has become a cornerstone of United 
 States energy security by reducing reliance on volatile energy markets 
 and supporting the domestic production of renewable fuels; and
Whereas, to continue on the path toward greater energy dominance, the United 
 States must continue its efforts to diversify its transportation fuel 
 supply and avoid overreliance on imported fuels: Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the Senate--

    (1) recognizes the 20th anniversary of the Renewable Fuel 
 Standard

    (RFS) as a milestone in America's commitment to 
 strengthening energy security, supporting rural communities, 
 growing the economy, and improving environmental performance;

    (2) commends the contributions of the RFS in building a 
 robust and innovative domestic renewable fuels industry;

    (3) recognizes the positive impacts of the RFS on United 
 States energy policy, the agricultural sector, and the 
 environment over the past 2 decades;

    (4) affirms the continued importance of the RFS in 
 advancing the energy, economic, and environmental goals of the 
 United States Government;

    (5) believes that diversifying the fuel supply with an 
 increasing percentage of domestic renewable fuel strengthens 
 the economy of the United States, increases security, and 
 improves environmental performance; and

    (6) supports continued implementation of the RFS as enacted 
 in 2007 to achieve this goal.
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