I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 776 
To require that until a comprehensive study is completed, the volume of 
cellulosic biofuel mandated under the renewable fuel program be limited 
to what is commercially available, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 31, 2017 
Mr. SENSENBRENNER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee 
on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require that until a comprehensive study is completed, 
the volume of cellulosic biofuel mandated under the re-
newable fuel program be limited to what is commercially 
available, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. MANDATE FOR CELLULOSIC BIOFUEL LIMITED 
TO COMMERCIAL AVAILABILITY UNTIL COM-
PLETION OF COMPREHENSIVE STUDY. 
(a) LIMITATION.—Until the Administrator of the En-
vironmental Protection Agency submits to Congress a re-
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port on the study described in subsection (b), and notwith-
standing section 211(o) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 
7545(o)), the Administrator of the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency may not require, for any calendar year, that 
transportation fuel sold or introduced into commerce in 
the United States contain more than a total volume of cel-
lulosic biofuel than the total volume of cellulosic biofuel 
that was commercially available for the most recent cal-
endar year for which such total volume is known. 
(b) PARAMETERS OF THE STUDY.—The Adminis-
trator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall enter 
into an arrangement with the National Academies for a 
comprehensive study on— 
(1) the production capacity for cellulosic biofuel 
at the time of the study in gallons per year; 
(2) the resources needed to ensure that trans-
portation fuel sold or introduced into commerce in 
the United States contains at least 16 billion gallons 
of cellulosic biofuel in calendar year 2022, in accord-
ance with section 211(o) of the Clean Air Act, in-
cluding— 
(A) the number of cellulosic ethanol facili-
ties to be constructed; 
(B) the acres of land to be used; and 
(C) the total capital investment needed; 
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(3) the energy produced by the combustion of 
16 billion gallons of cellulosic biofuel in comparison 
to the energy required to produce such amount of 
cellulosic biofuel; 
(4) the environmental impacts of producing cel-
lulosic biofuel, including the net effect on global life- 
cycle greenhouse gas emissions; 
(5) the processes being developed to produce 
cellulosic biofuel, including the technology needed to 
make cellulosic biofuel commercially viable; and 
(6) the economics of a cellulosic ethanol facility, 
including— 
(A) the cost of feedstock acquisition; 
(B) the typical facility size; 
(C) the relative economics of a corn eth-
anol facility compared to a cellulosic biofuel fa-
cility; and 
(D) the price per gallon of transportation 
fuel that contains cellulosic biofuel required for 
such fuel to be profitable. 
(c) EXCLUSIONS FOR PURPOSES OF STUDY.—For 
purposes of the study described in subsection (b), the term 
‘‘cellulosic biofuel’’ does not include any compressed nat-
ural gas, liquefied natural gas, or electricity used to power 
electric vehicles that is produced from biogas from— 
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(1) a landfill; 
(2) a municipal wastewater treatment facility 
digester; 
(3) a separated municipal solid waste digester; 
or 
(4) an agricultural digester. 
SEC. 2. PROHIBITIONS ON NEW APPROPRIATIONS. 
No additional funds are authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out this Act, and this Act shall be carried 
out using amounts otherwise made available for science 
and technology, including research and development activi-
ties, at the Environmental Protection Agency. 
Æ 
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