A clean fuel is any fuel with a total life cycle carbon intensity (CI) score lower than an equivalent amount of fossil fuel. Clean fuels, or biofuels, are a key part of an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy, delivering significant environmental and economic benefits. Our legislation would establish Clean Fuel Standards for transportation and heating fuels in Pennsylvania to attract investment, spur innovation, support farmers and municipalities, reduce waste and emissions, and stabilize energy costs—all while helping the Commonwealth and businesses meet clean energy goals.
Examples include renewable natural gas (RNG) and liquid biofuels (such as biodiesel or renewable diesel) that are produced from manure, agricultural products, food waste, used cooking oils, wastewater, and organic landfill waste. In fact, any organic material that can be broken down by anaerobic bacteria or refined can become biofuel. Biofuels are carbon-neutral—or even carbon-negative—over their life cycle. And because they are chemically identical to conventional fuels, they can serve as “drop-in” replacements in vehicles, furnaces, and power systems without expensive new infrastructure. This makes them ideal for sectors like trucking or older home heating systems that are difficult or expensive to electrify.
An example of the benefit of clean fuels comes from anaerobic digesters on farms or landfills. These systems capture methane from manure or organic waste, producing RNG. This prevents methane—28 times more potent than carbon dioxide—from escaping directly into the atmosphere. Reusing this material through a digester also reduces odor, reduces nutrient runoff into waterways, and leaves behind digestate that can be reused as bedding or fertilizer. Many Pennsylvania farms and landfills already use digesters to produce their own energy and generate revenue by selling excess electricity back to the grid.
Clean fuels stabilize and even lower fuel prices, create new revenue streams, and support good-paying jobs, especially in rural areas. They strengthen energy independence, buffer global fuel price volatility, and enhance national security. Biodiesel, in particular, is often cheaper than conventional diesel. Other states with clean fuels standards have seen more rapid adoption of both EVs and RNG-powered trucks, helping them meet emissions goals well ahead of schedule.
Our proposed legislation builds on these successes by establishing a Clean Fuel Standards program tailored specifically for Pennsylvania. Developed with input from producers, suppliers, users, and environmental groups, it would create an independent board tasked with gradually and responsibly lowering the carbon intensity of transportation and heating fuels by 15% over ten years. Using the GREET model from Argonne National Laboratory, the program is fuel- and technology-neutral, encouraging innovation through tradable credits. These credits operate through private transactions, with no revenue to the state beyond administrative costs. The legislation also includes safeguards against fuel price spikes.
If enacted, this would be the first program of its kind east of the Rockies, re-establishing Pennsylvania as a leader in energy innovation and environmental stewardship while setting a model for other states to follow.
Please join us in co-sponsoring this important and innovative legislation.