The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requires increasing volumes of renewable fuels like ethanol to be blended with gasoline, reaching 36 billion gallons in 2022. The RFS was established by Congress in 2005 and expanded in 2007 to provide market stability and access for biofuels. In 2015, ethanol production supported over 357,000 jobs and contributed $43.9 billion to GDP. Ethanol reduces gasoline imports and consumer fuel costs while cutting greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution compared to gasoline. The RFS drives innovation in renewable fuel technologies to expand biofuel production and use.

1. Note: All data are of 2015 unless otherwise noted.© 2016 Renewable Fuels Association. All rights reserved.
2016 UPDATE
www.ethanolrfa.org
The RFS requires oil
companies to blend
increasing volumes of
renewable fuels with gasoline
and diesel, reaching 36 billion
gallons in 2022.
America’s Premier Energy Program
THE Renewable Fuel Standard
The RFS established certainty for
investment in renewable fuel
technologies and guaranteed
biofuels would have access to a
market controlled by multinational
oil companies.
Ethanol replaced the need for imported gasoline —
increased production since the creation of the RFS has
decreased gas imports from about 10 billion gallons in 2005
to nearly zero today.
In 2015, the production of
gallons of ethanol supported
Ethanol added
$1.50per gallon because
of ethanol.
Congress adopted the
Renewable Fuel Standard in
2005 and expanded it in 2007
85,967
direct jobs
271,440
indirect and
induced jobs.
+
Sources: John Urbanchuk, ABF Economics,
February 2016; Energy economist, Philip
Verleger; Energy Information Administration
14.81bil.
527mil.
$43.9bil.
to U.S. gross
domestic product
(GDP) in 2015.
$23.5bil.
$8.7bil.
in tax revenues that
go toward schools,
roads, and first
responders.
Ethanol remains the
lowest cost — and cleanest
— source of octane available
on the world market.
Consumers save up to
barrels of crude oil — slightly more
than 2015 oil imports from Saudi
Arabia and Iraq combined. Oil
import dependence fell from
60% in 2005 to 25% today
thanks in part to ethanol.
In 2015, ethanol displaced
the gasoline equivalent of
0
3
6
9
12
15
U.S. ethanol productionFinished gasoline imports
Eliminating America’s gasoline import dependence
(in billions of gallons)
Ethanol generated
Ethanol boosted
household
incomes by
2000 ‘02 ‘04 ‘06 ‘08 ‘10 ‘12 ‘14 ‘15

2. Note: All data are of 2015 unless otherwise noted.© 2016 Renewable Fuels Association. All rights reserved.
2016 UPDATE
www.ethanolrfa.org
Ethanol is the
cleanest, most affordable
fuel additive on the market
today. Using ethanol reduces
polluting substances from
tailpipe emissions such as:
• Carbon monoxide
• Exhaust hydrocarbons
• Benzene
• Toxics
• Fine particulate matter
34%
100%
compared to petroleum —
including hypothetical land use
change emissions. Cellulosic
ethanol promises to reduce GHG
emissions by more than
Today’s average
corn ethanol reduces
GHG emissions by
compared to
gasoline.
The RFS has
resulted in the
reduction of
of CO2 since
2007.
354mmt
Sources: U.S. Department of Energy; RFA analysis of
U.S. Department of Energy’s GREET model; Wang et al.
(2012) using the Department of Energy’s GREET model
Improving the Environment
The RFS Drives Innovation
THE RFS IS
Using ethanol helps
reduce air pollution
& cut greenhouse
gas emissions.
14.81bil.
40mil.
gallons of ethanol last year
reduced GHG emissions by
The
use of
metric tons — the equivalent
of removing 8.4 million
cars from the road
for a year.
The RFS incentivizes
investment in new
technologies and
infrastructure that is
necessary to expand the
market for renewables like
ethanol and provide
consumers with choice at
the pump.
The RFS provides second-
generation ethanol producers
the market stability needed
to grow. Today, America’s
four largest cellulosic ethanol
facilities have the ability to
produce nearly 78 million
gallons a year.