Washington, DC —The National Wildlife Federation urged Congress to intervene after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today proposed to increase blending levels under the Renewable Fuel Standard that will further harm wildlife habitat, drinking water supplies, and the climate.

“This proposed rule ignores the economic and scientific impacts of increased biofuel use, which will likely result in destruction of grasslands and tropical rainforests, increased carbon emissions — which the law was supposed to reduce — and imperil wildlife,” said David DeGennaro, policy analyst for the National Wildlife Federation. “The public should urge the agency to change course during the upcoming public comment period. With the Administration unwilling to implement the biofuel mandate without doing gross harm to the environment, it is clear that now more than ever Congress must intervene.”

The National Wildlife Federation and other conservation groups have urged the EPA to adopt several common-sense reforms to the Renewable Fuel Standard, contained in the GREENER Fuels Act introduced in the House and Senate. These include:

• Reducing annual volume of corn ethanol blended into the nation’s fuel supply;
• Supporting development of advanced biofuels that are better for the environment; 
• Enforcing current protections in the law meant to prevent grasslands, prairie, forest, wetlands and other wildlife habitat from being converted into crops to make biofuels; and,
• Identifying funding to address these impacts that have accrued over the last 11 years because of the mandate.