EPA data shows US biobased diesel production hit record 4 billion gallons in 2023

Photo: Joseph L. Murphy, Iowa Soybean Association

Clean Fuels Alliance America welcomed Jan. 22 U.S. EPA’s release of Public Data for the Renewable Fuel Standard, including final production volumes for 2023.

EPA’s data shows that U.S. production of biomass-based diesel—including biodiesel, renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and heating oil—reached 4 billion gallons in 2023.

Both domestic production and use of advanced biomass-based diesel grew by 1 billion gallons in 2023, compared to 2022.

“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,” said Kurt Kovarik, Clean Fuels’ vice president of federal affairs.

In June, EPA finalized Renewable Fuel Standard volumes for 2023, 2024 and 2025 that provided only moderate increases in the biomass-based diesel and noncellulosic advanced volumes each year.

EPA established a mere 60-million-gallon increase in biomass-based diesel volumes for 2023 and only a 530-million-gallon increase for 2024 and 2025.

Clean Fuels advocated increased growth of 500 million gallons for the biomass-based diesel category each of the three years.

“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,” Kovarik added.

“EPA’s data demonstrates that the rapid, sustainable growth we projected is being achieved,” he continued.

“Clean Fuels and its members remain extremely disappointed that EPA refused to recognize and support sustainable growth of biodiesel, renewable diesel and SAF,” Kovarik concluded.