S. 187: Biofuels Market Expansion Act of 2011

112th Congress · introduced 2011-01-25 · Transportation and Public Works · Latest: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 112-36.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2011-01-25 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 112-36. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Biofuels Market Expansion Act of 2011

Plain summary

Biofuels Market Expansion Act of 2011 - Requires automobile manufacturers to ensure that at least 50% of 2014 and 2015 model year automobiles and light duty trucks manufactured for sale in the United States are dual fueled. Increases the minimum to 90% for 2016 and subsequent model years. (Excludes automobiles and light duty trucks that operate only on electricity.) Requires the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to make grants to eligible facilities to pay the federal share of: (1) installing blender pump fuel infrastructure, including infrastructure necessary for the direct retail sale of ethanol fuel blends (including E-85 fuel); and (2) providing subgrants to direct retailers of such fuels for the installation of such infrastructure. Prohibits a major fuel distributor (any person that owns a refinery or that directly markets the output of a refinery through at least 50 retail fueling stations) from being eligible for such grants or subgrants. Amends the Clean Air Act to revise the renewable fuel program to require the Secretary to promulgate regulations to ensure that each major fuel distributor that sells or introduces gasoline into commerce in the United States through majority-owned stations or branded stations installs one or more blender pumps that dispense E-85 fuel and ethanol fuel blends at: (1) an overall percentage of such stations increasing from 10% in 2014 to 50% in 2020, and (2) a specified minimum percentage of such stations in each state. Allows such distributors to earn credits if they exceed such percentages and to sell such credits to other distributors, except for use to fulfill the state distribution requirement. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to make renewable fuel pipelines eligible for loan guarantees for projects that avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and employ new or significantly improved technologies as compared to commercial technologies in service in the United States at the time the guarantee is issued. Amends the temporary program for rapid deployment of renewable energy and electric power transmission projects to make eligible for loan guarantees projects for the installation of sufficient infrastructure to allow for the cost-effective deployment of clean energy technologies appropriate to each region of the United States.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Nay” vote

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PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Biofuels Market Expansion Act of 2011

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA] · 3 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112s187.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/s>

Record fed-us-cong112-s187 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112