The debate surrounding ethanol and federally mandated targets for its production tends to dominate the conversation about the United States’ Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). But the Environmental Protection Agency recently issued a tweak to the RFS that also deserves attention.

The agency said that electricity generated from biogas counts toward compliance with the RFS, a change that stands to have significant implications for electric vehicle drivers, the utilities that supply those drivers with power, and—especially here in Vermont—dairy farmers.  Refiners and importers of gasoline and diesel who are obligated under the RFS to buy renewable fuels can fulfill that obligation by purchasing credits from producers of these compliance fuels, which now include biogas generated electricity.

Biogas is produced when organic waste