Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 12 / Tuesday, January 21, 2025 / Notices 7135 

marked ‘‘late.’’ The EPA does not plan 

to consider these late comments. 

Dawn Messier, 

Acting Associate General Counsel. 

[FR Doc. 2025–01382 Filed 1–17–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–ORD–2020–0682; 

FRL 12506–01–ORD] 

Notice of the Final Biofuels and the 

Environment: Third Triennial Report to 

Congress 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) is announcing the 

availability of a final document titled, 

‘‘Biofuels and the Environment: Third 

Triennial Report to Congress’’ (EPA/ 

600/R–24/343F). The document was 

prepared by EPA’s Offices of Research 

and Development (ORD) and Air and 

Radiation (OAR), in consultation with 

the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and 

Energy. 

DATES: The document will be available 

on or about January 17, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: The final report will be 

available primarily via the internet on 

https://www.epa.gov/risk/biofuels-andenvironment or the public docket at 

http://www.regulations.gov, Docket ID: 

EPA–HQ–ORD–2020–0682. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

technical information, contact 

Christopher Clark; phone: 202–564– 

4183; or email: Clark.Christopher@

epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Information About the Document 

In 2007, Congress enacted the Energy 

Independence and Security Act (EISA) 

with the stated goals of ‘‘mov[ing] the 

United States toward greater energy 

independence and security [and] to 

increase the production of clean 

renewable fuels.’’ In accordance with 

these goals, EISA revised the Renewable 

Fuel Standard (RFS) Program, which 

was created under the 2005 Energy 

Policy Act and is administered by EPA, 

to increase the volume of renewable fuel 

required to be blended into 

transportation fuel to 36 billion gallons 

per year by 2022. Section 204 of EISA 

directs EPA, in consultation with the 

U.S. Departments of Agriculture and 

Energy, to assess and report triennially 

to Congress on the environmental and 

resource conservation impacts of the 

RFS Program. 

The first report to Congress was 

completed in 2011 and provided an 

assessment of the environmental and 

resource conservation impacts 

associated with increased biofuel 

production and use (EPA/600/R–10/ 

183F). The overarching conclusions of 

this first report were: (1) the 

environmental impacts of increased 

biofuel production and use were likely 

negative but limited in impact; (2) there 

was a potential for both positive and 

negative impacts in the future; and (3) 

EISA goals for biofuels production 

could be achieved with minimal 

environmental impacts if best practices 

were used and if technologies advanced 

to facilitate the use of second-generation 

biofuel feedstocks (corn stover, 

perennial grasses, woody biomass, 

algae, and waste). 

The second report to Congress was 

completed in 2018 and reaffirmed the 

overarching conclusions of the 2011 

Report (EPA/600/R–18/195). The 2018 

Report noted that the biofuel production 

and use conditions that led to the 

conclusions of the 2011 Report had not 

materially changed, and that the 

production of biofuels from cellulosic 

feedstocks anticipated by both the EISA 

and the 2011 Report had not 

materialized. Noting observed increases 

in acreage for corn and soybean 

production in the period prior to and 

following implementation of the RFS2 

Program, the 2018 Report concluded 

that the environmental and resource 

conservation impacts associated with 

land use change were likely due, at least 

in part, to the RFS and associated 

production of biofuel feedstocks. 

This third report to Congress builds 

on the previous two reports and 

provides an update on the impacts to 

date and likely future impacts of the 

RFS Program on the environment. This 

report assesses air, water, and soil 

quality; ecosystem health and 

biodiversity; and other effects. This 

third report also includes new additions 

and approaches not previously included 

in the first and second reports. In 

particular, this third report includes a 

new attribution analysis designed to 

separate the effects of the RFS Program 

from other factors that also affect biofuel 

production and consumption in the 

United States. 

II. Information About Peer Review of 

the Document 

Peer review of ‘‘Biofuels and the 

Environment: Third Triennial Report to 

Congress’’ (External Review Draft, EPA/ 

600/R–22/273) was managed by EPA’s 

contractor, Eastern Research Group, Inc. 

(ERG). On May 9, 2022, EPA announced 

through an FRN (87 FR 27634) that it 

was seeking public comment on a pool 

of twenty (20) candidates identified 

through a previous FRN seeking 

nomination of experts (87 FR 5479, 

February 1, 2022). After considering 

public comment, and the balance and 

collective expertise of the reviewers, 

ERG identified two (2) additional 

candidates to strengthen expertise gaps 

in ecology, water quality, and 

economics, and allow a more balanced 

panel. On August 1, 2022, EPA 

announced through an FRN (87 FR 

46958) that it was seeking public 

comment on the two (2) additional peer 

review candidates. 

After review and consideration of 

public comments on the candidates 

submitted in response to the previous 

FRNs (87 FR 27634, May 9, 2022, and 

87 FR 46958, August 1, 2022), EPA’s 

contractor, ERG, selected nine (9) peer 

reviewers from the pool in a manner 

consistent with EPA’s Peer Review 

Handbook 4th Edition, 2015 (EPA/100/ 

B–15/001) and independently 

conducted a conflict of interest (COI) 

screening of candidates to ensure that 

the selected experts have no COI in 

conducting this review. Candidates’ 

combined expertise spanned the 

following disciplines: economics, 

engineering, agronomics, land use 

change, remote sensing, air quality, 

biogeochemistry, water quality, 

hydrology, conservation biology, 

limnology, and ecology. 

A peer review meeting to discuss the 

‘‘Biofuels and the Environment: Third 

Triennial Report to Congress (External 

Review Draft)’’ (EPA/600/R–22/273) was 

held February 24–28, 2023, via webinar. 

EPA also announced a 60-day public 

comment period on January 3, 2023, via 

Federal Register notice (88 FR 72). The 

public comment period on the ‘‘Biofuels 

and the Environment: Third Triennial 

Report to Congress (External Review 

Draft)’’ (EPA/600/R–22/273) closed on 

March 6, 2023; EPA received fifteen 

public comments. The public were also 

invited to provide oral public comments 

at the February peer review meeting. 

The report was shared with the Office 

of Management and Budget for 

interagency review on November 13, 

2023. After considering peer review, 

public comments, and interagency 

comments, EPA has prepared the final 

‘‘Biofuels and the Environment: Third 

Triennial Report to Congress’’. 

Wayne Cascio, 

Director, Center for Public Health and 

Environmental Assessment. 

[FR Doc. 2025–01385 Filed 1–17–25; 8:45 am] 

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