Getting the government out of the business of mandating certain kinds of fuel is very important.

 

There are a number of reasons the RFS harms Americans. Since the energy content of ethanol is less than gasoline, vehicles running on E10 (10% ethanol and 90% gasoline), generally get 3% to 4% fewer miles per gallon than they would if they were running on pure gasoline. That mileage penalty costs American drivers on average about $10 billion annually in additional fuel purchases, according to Institute for Energy Research analysis of federal data. 

 

The RFS mandates the use of not only ethanol, but also so-called “advanced” biofuels. The EPA mandates refiners to produce unrealistic amounts of these biofuels even though they do not readily exist in the marketplace. When refiners cannot reach the impossible goals set by the RFS, refiners face fines and Americans like me get stuck with higher energy costs. Continuing to trust the EPA with this program is a mistake.

 

Further, the RFS continues to mandate a product on the American people. The government should not dictate what products consumers must use. The American people should be free to choose which fuels work best for them, not government bureaucrats.