[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 364 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 364
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.
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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
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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
Resolved, 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.
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