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Fact Check: Forbes on the RFS
Posted 18 April 2013 in
In his recent Forbes piece, Robert Bradley harps on tired claims that we’ve tackled before: on E15 and consumer benefits; fuel safety (our friends at RFA said it best!); the role that renewable fuel plays in lowering gas prices; farmers’ ability to feed AND fuel Americans (we’ve taken on the “corn tortilla” confusion before); and the bright future for cellulosic fuels.
Oh, and, there’s plenty of support for the RFS from both sides of the aisle, at the state and national level (contrary to what Bradley claims).
Here’s what Forbes missed, and what you need to know: the RFS is working for consumers, and it’s working well.
Ethanol is blended into 97% of gasoline in America
That’s displaced as much gasoline as would have been made from 462 million barrels of imported oil last year
Renewable fuel blending slashed our spending on imported oil by $44 billion in 2012
Ethanol production has gotten increasingly efficient, generating 5% more ethanol from a bushel of corn than a decade ago, while water use has been reduced by 40%
And the renewable fuel industry is supporting thousands of jobs across the country (87,000 last year alone)
We could go on and on, but encourage you to visit the Renewable Fuel Association and check out their great round up of the benefits.
In light of all of this evidence, perhaps what Bradley is really trying to say is that the RFS isn’t working. . . for the oil industry. While Americans may want – and deserve – options when it comes to filling up their cars, the oil industry is clinging to it’s long-held monopoly.
When it comes to what benefits Americans, what is really counterproductive are attempts to undermine the RFS, and with it, our chance at fuel diversity.
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