The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is raising the 2008 renewable fuels standard to 7.76 percent. The standard determines how much non-petroleum fuel will power a vehicle, according to EPA information.
In November 2007, EPA announced a standard of 4.66 percent, based on previous law, that mandated at least 5.4 billion gallons of renewable fuels be blended into the nation's transportation fuels in 2008. However, EPA is now increasing the standard to 7.76 percent to comply with the new minimum of 9.0 billion gallons of renewable fuel that is federally mandated.
The law requires increases in the overall volume of renewable fuels that must be blended each year, reaching 36 billion gallons in 2022. To achieve these volumes, EPA annually calculates the percentage-based standard, which applies to refiners, importers, and non-oxygenate blenders of gasoline.