The recent commentary arguing against the Renewable Fuel Standard ("Time to drop ethanol mandate, Feb. 11) ignores the reality that the program isn't just about ethanol. It is stimulating growth in a number of alternative fuels, including advanced biofuels like biodiesel.
The RFS was created by a bipartisan coalition in Congress that recognized it is paramount to America's national security, economic and environmental interests to move away from a singular reliance on petroleum for our transportation fuel needs.
The first phase of the program was about corn ethanol - diversifying our gasoline pool with some 15 billion gallons of American-made biofuel.
The second phase, kicking in over the past few years and continuing until 2022, is aimed at boosting other alternatives. It has helped biodiesel - made in communities across the country from recycled cooking oil, animal fats and agricultural oils - grow from a niche fuel into a billion-gallon-per-year, commercial-scale industry.
And the RFS is working. We're importing less oil than at any time since 1991. Independent analysis by economist Philip Verleger found the RFS has saved consumers as much as $2.6 billion in 2013 alone. And, yes, advanced biofuels like biodiesel are reducing carbon pollution by as much as 86 percent compared to petroleum diesel.
If we're ever going to address greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, we have to start by diversifying away from fossil fuels. Let's support a program that is helping us do just that.
National Biodiesel Board