The U.S. experienced a major ethanol boom between roughly 2004 and 2011, with production nearly quadrupling from 3.4 to 13.3 billion gallons. By far the most common explanation for the cause of the ethanol boom is the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) mandates that were first passed in 2005 (RFS1) and then amended in 2007 (RFS2), with a particular emphasis on the increased level of mandates in the second.

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