Reflections on Birth of Renewable Fuel Standard Offer Direction for Advocates

By Lesly Weber McNitt

Twenty years ago this month, the president signed into law the Energy Policy Act of 2005 establishing the Renewable Fuel Standard, a development that reshaped the rural economy and provided immeasurable benefits to people across the country. 

The standard, which required fuel sold in the United States to contain renewable fuel blends (like ethanol) capped at 10%, was a boon to rural economies, a tool for policymakers and regulators seeking to lower greenhouse gas emissions and a diversification strategy to those concerned about U.S. energy security.

The law’s enactment established the corn grower community as a political powerhouse. As Jon Doggett, the vice president of public policy at the National Corn Growers Association at the time, recently noted, corn growers were united and motivated at the time and as a result caught the attention of Congress like never before.

I would eventually work for Jon when I first came to NCGA in 2017. By then, corn was a mover and shaker on every level politically, and the 10% cap on ethanol had long since been removed.