# Understanding the Adopt GREET Act

This bill asks the Environmental Protection Agency to update how it measures the environmental impact of corn-based ethanol and biodiesel—two fuels that millions of Americans use in their vehicles. Right now, the EPA uses older methods to calculate how much greenhouse gas pollution these fuels produce from start to finish, including growing the corn, processing it, transporting it, and burning it in cars. The bill wants the EPA to switch to a newer, more accurate measurement system called the GREET model, which was developed by scientists at Argonne National Laboratory and takes into account the latest research and technology.

The practical effect is that the EPA would need to recalculate whether corn ethanol and biodiesel are actually as environmentally friendly as current rules assume. If the new measurements show these fuels are cleaner than previously thought, it could support continued government support for the ethanol and biodiesel industries, which are major parts of American agriculture. If the measurements show they're dirtier, it could lead to stricter regulations. The bill requires this update to happen within 90 days of becoming law, and then every five years after that to keep the measurements current as farming and fuel production methods improve.

This matters mainly to farmers who grow corn for fuel, fuel producers, and potentially to drivers—since changes to how these fuels are regulated could affect their availability and price at the pump. The bill also requires Congress to be kept in the loop: if the EPA misses a deadline for updating these measurements, it has to explain why to relevant committees in both the House and Senate.

Adopt GREET Act

Johnson, Dusty

Adopt the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation model Act or the Adopt GREET Act This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update the methodology used in life-cycle analyses of greenhouse gas emissions that result from the production and use of corn-based ethanol and biodiesel fuel. The EPA must update its methodology within 90 days and every five years thereafter. In the first update, the EPA must adopt the most recent Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation model (commonly referred to as the GREET model) developed by Argonne National Laboratory.