Posted on May 21, 2016

By PJ Baron

NORMAL – The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing an additional 700 million gallons of biofuels be added to their current amount for a total of 18.7 billion gallons of alternative fuels.

The EPA is pushing for more environmentally friendly forms of gas like biofuel, and with ethanol and biodiesel products being made from natural substances such as corn and soybeans, the EPA is attempting to gain more traction in this matter.

Director of Policy Management with the Illinois Farm Bureau, Adam Nielson explained how the new biofuels have been beneficial to not only the environment, but the economy as well.

“In 2007 Congress passed a law, the Renewable Fuel Standard, which required the country to blend an increasing amount of biofuels in the nation’s motor fuel supply on an annual basis. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve the quality of the air and to provide a real boost to the economy, and it has done that,” Neilson explained.

The proposal will be reviewed and decided on later this year.

PJ Baron can be reached at [email protected].

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