The Trump administration has significantly increased the biomass-based diesel mandate under the Renewable Fuel Standard, requiring a nearly 70 percent rise in soy-based diesel use. While framed as renewable energy policy, the article explains that crop-based biofuels often cause more greenhouse gas emissions than petroleum due to land-use change, including deforestation in the US and tropical regions like Southeast Asia. Research cited shows corn ethanol can be 24 percent more carbon-intensive than gasoline, and soy-based diesel may be 22 to 52 percent higher than petroleum diesel when accounting for deforestation. The policy survives largely to support corn and soy growers, not climate goals. The piece argues that expanding biofuels mandates harms both the climate and global food prices, and suggests electric vehicles may eventually make crop-based biofuels obsolete for road transport.
