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Two years ago Congress passed a comprehensive energy act that called for increasing the use of alternative fuels. Last month a key part of that act went into effect -- the Renewable Fuel Standard Program.

"The Renewable Fuel Standard offers the American people a hat trick – it protects the environment, strengthens our energy security and supports America’s farmers," Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson said April 10 in announcing implementation of the program, which was established by the EPA.

Increasing the use of renewable and alternative fuels for vehicles will help meet the United States’ goal of reducing gasoline usage by 20 percent in 10 years, said Adam Sharp, senior director of national and regulatory affairs for Ohio Farm Bureau. The goal is to increase alternative fuel use to 35 billion gallons by 2017.

"This is the implementation of the energy act that Farm Bureau strongly supported in 2005," Sharp said. "It will help bring alternative fuels to the market and reduce our dependence on foreign countries for energy."

The RFS program requires at least 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuel be blended into motor vehicle fuel sold in the United States by 2012. The EPA said the program is expected to cut petroleum use by up to 3.9 billion gallons and cut annual greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 2.3 million cars by 2012.

The RFS program will promote ethanol and biodiesel and create new markets for farm products, increase energy security and promote the development of advanced technologies that will help make renewable fuel cost competitive with gasoline, according to the EPA.

Under the RFS program, major U.S. refiners, blenders and importers are required to use a minimum volume of renewable fuel each year between 2007 and 2012. This year, 4.02 percent of all fuel sold or dispensed to U.S. motorists -- about 4.7 billion gallons -- will have to come from renewable sources.

After the energy act passed two years ago, production capacity for ethanol and other renewable fuels increased significantly. Currently there are 116 ethanol biorefineries nationwide that have the capacity to produce more than 5.8 billion gallons annually, according to the Renewable Fuels Association. There are 78 ethanol biorefineries and seven expansions under construction with a combined annual capacity of more than 6.2 billion gallons, according to RFA.

Ethanol production continues to be a hot topic in Congress. Earlier this month, a U.S. Senate committee passed an energy bill that would require ethanol production to increase to 36 billion gallons by 2022. The full Senate is expected to take up the bill by the end of the month.