WASHINGTON D.C.- On Thursday, the U.S. House reintroduced the Next Generation Fuels Act. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) and Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.) led the bipartisan legislation. A companion bill was introduced last week in the Senate.
Below is reaction from various agriculture and ethanol groups to the news:
House Members Reintroduce Next Generation Fuels Act
The Next Generation Fuels Act was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives today. The National Corn Growers Association applauded the development, saying the legislation would help address the country’s most pressing energy issues through a transition to cleaner fuels and vehicles.
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) led the bipartisan reintroduction of the bill along with Reps. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) and Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.).
“We’re very grateful to Rep. Miller-Meeks, along with Reps. Craig, LaHood and Budzinski for taking the lead on this priority legislation for corn growers,†said NCGA President Tom Haag. “Advancing the Next Generation Fuels Act is timely for Congress’s work on energy and environmental issues, offering solutions that lower fuel costs, reduce emissions and help shore up America’s energy security for the long run.â€
The Next Generation Fuels Act would clean up the nation’s fuel supply and transition new vehicles to use cleaner, more efficient fuels that also lower costs for drivers. By establishing a clean, high-octane standard for fuel and requiring that sources of additional octane result in at least 40% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, the legislation would allow automakers to significantly improve vehicle fuel efficiency through advanced engines.
The legislation builds the nation’s clean energy progress by advancing higher ethanol blends and new vehicles that work together to deliver greater emission reductions, cost savings and consumer choice.
As NCGA has called on the Biden administration to act to prevent a disruption in access to higher blends of ethanol this summer, the Next Generation Fuels Act would also permanently remove regulatory barriers, allowing for higher ethanol blends and advanced vehicles that maintain a wider range of competitive fuel and vehicle choices.
In addition to the four lead House sponsors, Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Mike Bost (R-Ill.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), James Comer (R-Ky.), Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa), Brad Finstad (R-Minn.), Mike Flood (R-Neb.), Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), Mike Lawler (R- N.Y.), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Eric Sorenson (D-Ill.) also joined the legislation as original cosponsors.
A companion bill was introduced in the Senate last week.
RFA Thanks House Members for Next Generation Fuels Act Reintroduction
Bipartisan legislation introduced in the House of Representatives today would lower consumer gas prices, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enable greater engine efficiency, and encourage competition in the fuel market, according to the Renewable Fuels Association. RFA thanked original co-sponsors Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Angie Craig (D-MN), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), and 16 others for introducing the legislation, known as the Next Generation Fuels Act, which would establish the nation’s first-ever high-octane, low-carbon fuel standard. A companion bill was reintroduced March 22 in the Senate.
Similar legislation was introduced last year in both chambers of Congress and secured numerous bipartisan co-sponsors, and a Morning Consult poll earlier this month found strong support for the bill’s provisions. Among poll respondents who had an opinion on the Next Generation Fuels Act, more than four out of five expressed support for the legislation. Among all poll respondents (including those with no opinion on the legislation), 64 percent supported the legislation and only 14 percent said they oppose it.
“We thank Reps. Miller-Meeks, Craig, LaHood and Budzinski for leading the charge and reintroducing the Next Generation Fuels Act in the House,†said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “Americans will continue to rely on liquid fuels and internal combustion engines for decades to come, and this legislation will ensure drivers have access to more efficient high-octane, low-carbon, lower-cost fuels for their vehicles well into the future. We look forward to working with clean fuel supporters in both chambers of Congress to turn this bold vision into a reality.â€
Additional original co-sponsors include Reps. Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Don Bacon (R-NE), Dan Kildee (D-MI), André Carson (D-IN), James Comer (R-KY), Mike Bost (R-IL), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Mike Flood (R-NE), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Mary Miller (R-IL), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH).
In addition to saving drivers money with each fill-up, low-carbon liquid fuels like ethanol are an essential part of the strategy to reach net-zero greenhouse emissions by mid-century, Cooper said, and RFA’s member companies have unanimously committed to achieving a net-zero carbon footprint for ethanol by 2050 or sooner.
Click here for a fact sheet on the Next Generation Fuels Act
Specifically, the Next Generation Fuels Act would establish high-octane (95 and 98 RON) certification test fuels containing 20-30 percent ethanol, while requiring automobile manufacturers to design and warrant their vehicles to allow these fuels beginning with model year 2026. The bill also includes a low-carbon requirement, specifying that the source of the octane boost must reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by an average of at least 40 percent compared to a 2021 gasoline baseline, as measured by the Department of Energy’s GREET model.
The legislation also includes a restriction on the aromatics content of gasoline, ensures parity in the regulation of gasoline volatility (Reid vapor pressure), corrects key variables used in fuel economy testing and compliance, requires an update to the EPA’s MOVES model, ensures infrastructure compatibility, and addresses many other regulations impeding the deployment of higher octane blends at the retail level.
Growth Energy Cheers House Reintroduction of Next Generation Fuels Act
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor today cheered the reintroduction of the Next Generation Fuels Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. The new legislation mirrors a similar proposal, reintroduced last week in the U.S. Senate.
“High-octane ethanol has the power to deliver the performance and savings consumers need, while driving down transportation emissions. We applaud Representatives Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), and Nikki Budzinksi (D-Ill.) for leading efforts to unleash the full potential offered by American biofuels. This bipartisan legislation represents a common-sense step toward lower prices at the pump, greater energy security, and cleaner air. We urge lawmakers to join forces with our House and Senate champions to quickly send the Next Generation Fuels Act to the president’s desk.â€
ACE: Next Generation Fuels Act Supports Market Growth for High Octane Ethanol
Sioux Falls, SD – The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) today thanked Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) along with 19 other bipartisan cosponsors for reintroducing the Next Generation Fuels Act. The bill is designed to overcome a host of barriers to the use of higher ethanol blends by creating a new high octane fuel standard, limiting aromatics in gas, ensuring all blends of ethanol receive the same RVP treatment as E10, and requiring future vehicles and retail fuel stations to be compatible with higher ethanol blends, among addressing other regulatory impediments to the deployment of higher octane blends.
“We support this legislation because it would overcome a host of regulatory barriers currently standing in the way of expanding the use of ethanol, from E15 to high octane blends such as E25 or E30, and reinstate incentives for the production of more flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs),†said ACE CEO Brian Jennings. “We thanked these lawmakers in person this week during our Hill visits for recognizing the value of ethanol as an immediate solution to decarbonize the transportation sector and improve the efficiency of vehicles, as liquid fuels will continue to be used in the decades to come, despite the rise of electric vehicles.â€
“Enactment of the clean fuel performance-based §45Z tax credit late last year in the Inflation Reduction Act enables ethanol and other clean fuel producers the opportunity to obtain a tax credit based on their unique carbon intensity score,†Jennings added. “Enactment of the Next Generation Fuels Act would complement that tax credit by helping lower pump prices while enabling greater engine efficiency and biofuel demand, and we were pleased to promote this legislation during our fly-in this week.â€
Nineteen members joined Rep. Miller-Meeks as original cosponsors of the Next Generation Fuels Act including Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Darin LaHood (IL-16), Angie Craig (MN-02), Randy Feenstra (IA-04), Zach Nunn (IA-03), Ashley Hinson (IA-02), Don Bacon (NE-02), Dan Kildee (MI-08), Andre Carson (IN-07), James Comer (KY-01), Mike Bost (IL-12), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Mike Flood (NE-01), Brad Finstad (MN-01), Mary Miller (IL-15), Eric Sorensen (IL-17), Elissa Slotkin (MI-07), Emanuel Cleaver II (MO-05), and Marcy Kaptur (OH-09).