Argentine bishops slam proposal to slash biofuel blending

In Argentina, the Argentine Episcopal Conference (CEA), an organism of the Catholic Church, indicated that the official biofuels proposal “implies a clear setback in Argentine environmental policy” because it reduces the use of biodiesel and bioethanol established in the current promotion regime.

Through a statement, the Argentine Catholic clergy also pointed out that the project promoted by the government of Alberto Fernández in Congress “contradicts the principle of progressivity established by the General Environmental Law 25,675 and the Paris Agreement ratified by Law 27,270 and, therefore, of a higher hierarchy than national laws”.

The initiative of the Frente de Todos block, which already has an opinion and is authorized to be dealt with by the Chamber of Deputies, contemplates reducing the current cut of biodiesel with diesel from 10% to a range between 5% and 3%, as provided by the Ministry of Energy. In fact, this proposal implies formalizing the currently existing dismantling in this regard, given that for months the mandate to mix diesel with 10% soybean oil based biodiesel has not been fulfilled. It also proposes to reduce the cutting of bioethanol with naphtha, especially with regard to the one made from corn.