Once again the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to increase the amount of biofuels in our vehicle fuel tanks. On May 18, it announced it is recommending that 18.8 billion gallons be blended into gasoline and diesel fuel destined for the consumer market in 2017, more than the 18.11 billion gallons mandated for this year.

There are so many things wrong with this recommendation that it’s hard to know where to be begin. First and foremost, this is a political solution to a problem foisted on the American public by a misinformed Congress. In 2005 and 2007, Congress enacted the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) ostensibly to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and to provide incentives for the fledgling ethanol industry.