Detail

United States of America

Biofuels

Biodiesel

01/01/2015

Renewable energy

Renewable energy policy

Allowed Argentine biodiesel producers to apply an alternative method for proving that feedstock used to produce biodiesel was not grown on deforested land, thus permitting biodiesel of Argentine origin to benefit from US biofuel support measures.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), i.e. the body that administers the country’s Renewable Fuels Standard scheme (RFS), has approved a policy change that could stimulate exports of biodiesel from Argentina to the United States. The EPA accepted a request by the Argentine biodiesel industry to apply an alternative tracking method to prove that soy used to produce biodiesel was not grown on deforested land. By meeting this requirement, Argentine biodiesel qualifies to take part in the United States’ RFS programme. EPA’s decision attracted criticism from the U.S. biodiesel industry, which claims that Argentina’s new tracking system would be far less stringent than the current requirement and more difficult to verify. Market observers said that fresh biodiesel imports would intensify competition with local producers and pressure U.S. biofuel prices.