USA generates 4 billion gallons of biodiesel in 2023: EPA

Clean Fuels Alliance America is celebrating the public release of US authorities’ data on the Renewable Fuel Standard, which includes the final production volumes for the previous year. According to data from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the production of biomass-based diesel in the US, comprising biodiesel, renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and heating oil, reached 4 billion gallons in 2023.

As per EPA, both domestic production and utilization of advanced biomass-based diesel experienced a growth of 1 billion gallons in 2023 compared to 2022.

Kurt Kovarik, the Vice President of Federal Affairs for Clean Fuels, said on the EPA announcement, “The clean fuels industry achieved what EPA said could not be done – namely continued growth of advanced biodiesel, renewable diesel, SAF, and heating oil from sustainably sourced feedstocks.”

In June 2023, the EPA finalized Renewable Fuel Standards for 2023, 2024, and 2025, which provided only moderate increases in biomass-based diesel and non-cellulosic advanced volumes each year. For 2023, the EPA established a modest 60-million-gallon increase in biomass-based diesel volumes, with only a 530-million-gallon increase for 2024 and 2025.

Subsequently, Clean Fuels had advocated for a growth of 500 million gallons in the biomass-based diesel category for each of the three years.

Kovarik expressed disappointment, stating, “Our industry, including producers, oilseed processors, fuel distributors, and marketers, has made significant investments to make clean fuels available to more consumers and rapidly decarbonize heavy-duty transportation fuels, including for aviation and marine markets. EPA’s data demonstrates that the rapid, sustainable growth we projected is being achieved. Clean Fuels and its members remain extremely disappointed that EPA refused to recognize and support sustainable growth of biodiesel, renewable diesel, and SAF.”

In 2021, about 17.5 billion gallons of biofuels were produced in the United States and about 16.8 billion gallons were consumed. Presently, USA is the top biofuels generator in the world followed by Brazil, Indonesia, China and Germany.