US Blocks Indian Draft Resolution On Biofuels At MEPC, Demands Further Discussions

The US on Monday became the only country to halt the adoption of a draft MEPC resolution on biofuel put forward by India on Monday at the MEPC session here, demanding further discussions on the matter prior to recommending it to a working group on air pollution and energy efficiency to finalise the resolution/circular.
    
Sources told PTI that the US came up with the suggestion on Monday morning at the 80th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) without raising it in earlier deliberations when the vast majority of the group considered it an immediate requirement and to be considered further by the Intersessional Working Group on Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency.
    
Sources said the opposition raised by the US could be due to the fact that promoting bio-fuel as a drop in fuel could negatively impact the promotion of other green fuels such as Ammonia and Hydrogen, the fuels that the US is putting money on.
    
India's draft MEPC resolution put forward a biofuel that is certified by the International Certification Scheme to confirm the sustainability aspects in the Life Cycle Assessment guidelines are being assigned a CO2 emission conversion factor as zero.
    
This draft resolution aimed at facilitating the uptake of biofuels and reduction of the GHG emissions.
    
"The Intersessional Working Group discussed the same and a vast majority of the group considered that it was an immediate requirement and to be considered further by the Working Group on air pollution & energy efficiency," an Indian delegation representative said.
    
But the draft resolution could not be submitted to the Working Group as the US demanded further discussions.
    
"We are certainly not against the biofuels. We wanted to hear more people's observations on it in the plenary before submitting it to the Intersessional Working Group. We have no other agenda," a delegate representing the US told.