Friends of the Earth v. EPA

Several environmental organizations filed a lawsuit challenging an EPA final rule that established criteria for determining which biofuels meet the renewable fuels standard. The lawsuit alleges that the regulations would increase greenhouse gas emissions.  Specifically, the lawsuit objects to provisions in the final rule which said that most corn-based ethanol would reduce GHG emissions over its lifetime. To qualify as renewable, a fuel must reduce life-cycle GHG emissions by at least 20 percent compared with gasoline. The rule implements provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act and required EPA to analyze indirect emissions arising from farmers’ converting forests to cropland overseas due to food shortages resulting from using corn and other food grains for energy in the U.S.