The total amount of petroleum fuel consumption projected for 2024 is above the estimates used when the final rule for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was put into place in June 2023, according to the US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) October Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), released on Tuesday October 8.

The total amount of petroleum gasoline and diesel, less renewables, was originally estimated at 172.34 billion gallons. The EIA’s October STEO projection is 174.41 billion. The percentage standard set for total renewable fuel was 12.50%.

The RFS final rule includes specified mandates for four categories, and an implied conventional biofuel requirement. The mandated categories are:

• Cellulosic biofuel: 0.63%
• Biomass-based diesel (BBD): 2.82%
• Advance biofuel: 3.79%
• Total renewable fuel: 12.50%

The implied conventional fuel requirement is commonly referred to as the…