DEPARTMENT FOR
TRANSPORT News Release (065) issued by The Government News Network
on 14 April 2008
Motorists will be
able to fill their tanks with greener fuels when a new initiative
comes into force in the UK from tomorrow.
The move is known as the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation
(RTFO) and requires 2.5% of all road fuels sold to come from
biofuels, rising to 5% by 2010. Motorists will fill their vehicles
as normal, but the change is expected to save 2.5million tonnes of
carbon dioxide by 2010.
It is part of a package of measures being taken to reduce the
impact of transport on the environment.
The UK has gone further than any other country to give fuel
suppliers a real incentive to produce sustainable biofuels that do
not harm the environment. Suppliers are required to produce
sustainability reports including information on where their
biofuel crops come from and the level of carbon savings they will
achieve. The Renewable Fuels Agency will publish these reports and
compare the performance of transport fuel suppliers.
Alongside this, a review into the indirect impacts of biofuels
has already been announced by Ruth Kelly to ensure that the full
economic and environmental impacts of biofuel production are taken
into account in the formation of UK policy beyond 2010.
Transport Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said:
"Making it easier for motorists to use greener fuel is an
important step towards reducing carbon emissions from transport.
It should help save millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide in the
coming years.
"But we must do all we can to ensure biofuels are produced
sustainably. We know people are concerned about the environmental
risks associated with expanding biofuel production and we take
those concerns very seriously.
"That is why we want to introduce mandatory standards as
soon as possible to guarantee that biofuels don't cause
deforestation or food shortages and we are leading international
work to do this. In the meantime, we require suppliers to produce
sustainability reports, providing an immediate incentive for them
to source biofuels responsibly."
Phil Woolas, Minister for the Environment said:
"Emissions from transport need to go down if we are to make
serious headway in tackling dangerous climate change and this
initiative has the potential to deliver considerable carbon savings.
"Obviously sustainability needs to be at the heart of all
biofuel production and it will remain at the forefront of all
policy development in this area. We must be able to produce
biofuel without causing a negative impact on our natural environment."
The Government has also recently published a body of research as
a contribution to the debate on the wider sustainability impacts
of biofuels.
The first, a review of work on the environmental sustainability
of international biofuels production and use, commissioned by
Defra, is an appraisal of the current evidence of the
opportunities and threats from biofuel production.
The second considers the possible impact of the RTFO on users of
tallow. It suggests that turning tallow into biodiesel does not
deliver any net environmental benefits compared to the current
uses of tallow.
Notes to Editors
1. The introduction of the Renewable
Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) from April 15 means that 2.5% of
all road fuel sold should come from biofuels. This target rises to
5% in 2010, in line with European legislation.
2. The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation was first announced in
November 2005. It will be administered by the Renewable Fuels Agency.
3. The RTFO includes a requirement on fuel suppliers to submit
reports on the biofuels they deliver. Reports will cover matters
such as the carbon saving compared with the fossil fuels they
replace, where the fuel comes from and whether the feedstock is
grown to a recognised sustainability standard. The Renewable Fuels
Agency will make information from these reports available on a
regular basis, and will publish quarterly reports with the first
due in September 2008.
4. The UK Government is negotiating hard to ensure that future EU
biofuel targets are underpinned by mandatory sustainability
standards for all biofuels. This will mean that biofuels supported
under the RTFO will have to meet strict sustainability standards
as soon as possible. We aim to do this by 2011.
5. Transport fuel suppliers can comply with the RTFO in one of
three ways:
* By supplying the relevant amount of biofuel themselves
* By
purchasing certificates from another transport
* By paying a
'buy out' price in respect of some or all of their obligation.
6. The research reports can be found at the links below:
Advice on impacts of Government support for biodiesel production
from tallow. http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/environment/rtfo/tallow/
7. This study was commissioned by the Department for Transport to
consider the potential impacts of the RTFO on the other users of
tallow as a feedstock, particularly the UK's oleochemical
industry. The Government will be discussing its findings further
with stakeholders over the months ahead, and will consider them
carefully in the context of current EU negotiations on future
biofuel targets
8. Review of work on the environmental sustainability of
international biofuels production and use - see http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/energy/renewablefuel/index.htm
9. This study was commissioned by Defra and identifies risks and
opportunities from biofuel crops. It highlights that some biofuel
crops can usefully be cultivated on marginal or degraded land.
However, it is important that the right crops are used in the
right circumstances. It also shows concerns that the push to meet
biofuels targets rapidly will result in planting on good quality
land or the use of significant agrochemical inputs to achieve high
yields, with the loss of the opportunity to improve marginal or
degraded land. The report highlights the need for further work to
evaluate the indirect impacts of biofuel production in meeting
future and existing targets, as is being done in the Gallagher Review.
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Department for Transport
Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk