Greentech Lead America: American Fuel & Petrochemical
Manufacturers (AFPM) president Charles T. Drevna said the Environmental
Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to increase bio-based diesel volumes to 1.28
billion gallons in 2012 will cost consumers billions of dollars.
“EPA’s decision to increase the biomass diesel
volumes is wholly discretionary and irresponsible. It only serves to increase
our nation’s fuel bill,” Drevna said. “Given the exorbitant cost of biodiesel,
its poor performance qualities, significant fraud in the biodiesel industry,
and the drought facing our nation’s farmers and ranchers, this is a bad
decision at the wrong time.”
AFPM is a trade association representing high-tech
American manufacturers of virtually the entire U.S. supply of gasoline, diesel,
jet fuel, other fuels and home heating oil, as well as the petrochemicals used
as building blocks for thousands of vital products in daily life.
“AFPM submitted comments and met with the U.S.
Office of Management and Budget to outline the problems associated with
increasing the amount of biodiesel beyond the statutory minimum of one billion
gallons,” Drevna said. “Today’s decision will force consumers to pay
almost $500 million more next year for diesel fuel and is yet another
example of the Obama administration putting politics ahead of American
consumers.”
Biofuels market to double to $185.3 billion by 2021
According to Pike Research, the Americas will account for
71 percent of total global biofuels production for most of the 2012-2021
period.
The production of biofuels will increase from $82.7
billion to $185.3 billion by 2021, but will fall short of demand. The demand
will be in the 71.8 billion gallons per year (BGPY) area whereas production
will fall short of that by several billion gallons.
Global production of ethanol will reach 49.5 BGPY by
2021.