A resolution recognizing the 20th anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard and its foundational role in strengthening American energy security, supporting rural communities, growing the United States economy, and improving environmental performance.

Bill: 119-sres-364
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE]
Introduced: 2025-08-01
Policy area: Energy
Latest action: action_date: 2025-08-01
text: Referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. (text: CR S5211-5212)

Summaries:

tv_txt: III 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 364 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES August 1, 2025 Mr. Ricketts (for himself, Ms. Klobuchar , Mrs. Fischer , Mr. Grassley , Ms. Smith , and Ms. Ernst ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works RESOLUTION Recognizing the 20th anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard and its foundational role in strengthening American energy security, supporting rural communities, growing the United States economy, and improving environmental performance.

Whereas the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), first established by Congress in 2005 and expanded in 2007, celebrates its 20th anniversary as a key national policy for increasing the supply of domestic renewable energy and supporting American families and the economy and energy security of the United States; Whereas the RFS provides for steady growth by setting increasing annual volumetric targets for an appropriate variety of renewable fuels; Whereas the RFS achieves this goal by setting annual volumetric targets for renewable fuel, including specific targets for biodiesel, cellulosic, and advanced fuel types; Whereas these targets were designed to be ambitious in order to induce private sector innovation and investment, while providing ample flexibility in the law for the Environmental Protection Agency to administer the RFS, including the ability to adjust annual targets annually if necessary to reflect production volumes; Whereas the RFS drives innovation that improves environmental performance by requiring that renewable fuel reduces lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by certain minimum thresholds ranging from 20 percent to 60 percent, depending on the type of fuel; Whereas, since 2007, the private sector has responded the RFS by investing billions of dollars in the renewable fuel sector to expand production of first-generation renewable fuel and to develop and demonstrate advanced renewable fuel; Whereas the RFS has driven innovation and investment in the biofuels sector, resulting in more than 275 renewable fuel facilities in 36 States, producing over 25,000,000,000 gallons per year; Whereas the renewable fuels industry supports a robust bioeconomy that, in 2023, contributed $210,000,000,000 to the United States gross domestic product and supported nearly 644,000 domestic jobs; Whereas the RFS has provided critical markets for farmers in the United States, supporting rural economies and domestic processing, and helping to drive economic growth and strengthen rural communities; Whereas the RFS continues to provide an important backstop for farmers in the United States to ensure robust domestic demand when facing uncertainty in export markets; Whereas the RFS has enabled the United States ethanol industry to supply more than 98 percent of gasoline sold nationwide with at least 10 percent ethanol and has helped the biodiesel and renewable diesel industry produce over 5,000,000,000 gallons annually, about 10 percent of total on-road diesel use; Whereas renewable fuels have delivered real savings for American consumers at the pump, with higher-level ethanol blends like E15 reducing prices by 10–30 cents per gallon on average and biodiesel driving down the price of traditional diesel by about 4 percent; Whereas the RFS has contributed to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by requiring renewable fuels to meet minimum lifecycle emissions reductions and has helped the United States transportation sector make progress toward environmental sustainability; Whereas the RFS has evolved over 2 decades to keep pace with new technologies and shifting markets, while remaining at the heart of ongoing national conversations about energy security, environmental stewardship, and the agricultural economy; Whereas, over the past 20 years, the RFS has become a cornerstone of United States energy security by reducing reliance on volatile energy markets and supporting the domestic production of renewable fuels; and Whereas, to continue on the path toward greater energy dominance, the United States must continue its efforts to diversify its transportation fuel supply and avoid overreliance on imported fuels: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1) recognizes the 20th anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) as a milestone in America’s commitment to strengthening energy security, supporting rural communities, growing the economy, and improving environmental performance; (2) commends the contributions of the RFS in building a robust and innovative domestic renewable fuels industry; (3) recognizes the positive impacts of the RFS on United States energy policy, the agricultural sector, and the environment over the past 2 decades; (4) affirms the continued importance of the RFS in advancing the energy, economic, and environmental goals of the United States Government; (5) believes that diversifying the fuel supply with an increasing percentage of domestic renewable fuel strengthens the economy of the United States, increases security, and improves environmental performance; and (6) supports continued implementation of the RFS as enacted in 2007 to achieve this goal.