(Washington D.C. – March 8, 2018) Today, Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT) and Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) introduced the Growing Renewable Energy through Existing and New Environmentally Responsible (GREENER) Fuels Act in the House and Senate.
ActionAid USA welcomes the leadership from both members of Congress and the direction set out in this bill to reform the broken Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
The GREENER Fuels Act sets out a clear goal of moving U.S. mandates away from a heavy reliance on food-based biofuels that have been linked to food price spikes and large-scale environmental contamination here in the United States and around the world.
Kelly Stone, Senior Policy Analyst for ActionAid USA, said:
“The GREENER Fuels Act seeks to address the flaws in the RFS and support the much-needed transition from food-based biofuels to the cleaner, greener fuels we were once promised.
“The RFS set out to build a bridge to better biofuels, but instead has only fueled the growth of industrial biofuels made from corn and soybeans. These fuels are bad for our rural communities that are trapped into growing fields and fields of the same crop, and they’re bad for the environment.
“Food-based biofuels are a dangerous distraction. Billed as a way to tackle climate change, they’ve increased hunger, forced local farmers off their land, and failed to provide them with the secure livelihoods they deserve.
“It’s time for Members of Congress to recognize the failures in the RFS and support alternative fuels that are good for our environment. They can do this by sponsoring the GREENER Fuels Act.”
