(September 6, 2013) TORONTO, Canada — As the European Parliament begins its fall session, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) is calling on the Members of the European Parliament to vote against any changes to the Renewable Energy Directive (RED). The proposed changes are based on unproven theories and will restrict the biofuel industry’s critical access to transportation fuel markets, negatively impacting the economy and environment.

The GRFA and its largest members sent a joint letter to Parliamentarians outlining how the proposed changes to the Directive will severely hamper the tremendous economic and environmental potential that comes with developing the biofuels industry.

“Programs like the RED have been very successful from an economic standpoint, contributing to a global industry that supports over 1.4 million jobs and contributes over $270 billion to the global economy each year,” said Bliss Baker, spokesperson for the GRFA.

“From an environmental perspective, the global biofuels industry replaces the need for over 2 million barrels of crude oil and reduces GHG emissions by 268,000 tonnes per day. This is the same as taking nearly 20 million cars off the road,” said Baker.

The RED in its current form is ground-breaking legislation that is being used to shape future biofuels policies in the European Union and around the world. It helps establish crucial investor confidence that plays a major role in the development of the European biofuels industry. Furthermore, the Directive includes requirements that guarantee that only biofuels produced in a sustainable manner are part of the European Union energy mix and will help bring advanced biofuels to full commercialization.

The GRFA supports the sustainable development of biofuels and encourages the development of science-based research that advances the industry and continuously improves the GHG footprint of our fuels. In its letter, the GRFA criticises proposals to impose criteria such as Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) on biofuels and warned Members about voting in favour of changes based on unproven theories and flawed scientific work.

“The inclusion of ILUC criteria in the proposed amendments is a mistake because economic models simply cannot predict future land use patterns with a degree of certainty acceptable for policymaking. In fact, evidence shows hypothetical modeling results have been starkly contradicted by real-world land use patterns over the past decade,” stated Baker.

“Although the RED is a European mandate, it is a model for programs around the world and will have a significant impact on the future of the global biofuels industry,” said Baker. “The proposed amendments before Parliamentarians are extremely short sighted and would only serve to increase Europe’s reliance on crude oil and increase GHG emissions,” said Baker.

“Hurting a growing biofuels industry that employs millions and contributes billions is reckless when the economy is struggling to recover,” concluded Baker.

The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biofuel friendly policies internationally. Alliance members represent over 65% of the global biofuels production from 44 countries. Through the development of new technologies and best practices, Alliance members are committed to producing renewable fuels with the smallest possible footprint.

For More Information Please Contact:
Bliss Baker
Global Renewable Fuels Alliance
Telephone: (Country Code “1”) 647-309-0058
Email: info@globalrfa.org
Please visit our new website at www.globalrfa.com