Agricultural News
Biofuel Supporters Unhappy with EPA Announcement on 2020 Renewable Fuel Standard Numbers
Thu, 19 Dec 2019 12:14:36 CST
Below are comments from America's top bioenergy and farm champions on the 'EPAs final
Quote from Kevin Ross, President of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA):
"The Administration has chosen to move forward with a final rule that corn farmers believe falls short of adequately addressing the demand destruction caused by EPA's abuse of RFS refinery waivers. While using the DOE recommendations to account for waivers is an improvement over the status quo, it is now on corn farmers to hold the Administration to their commitment of a minimum of 15 billion gallon volume, as the law requires. We will use future rulemakings and other opportunities to hold the EPA accountable."
Quote from Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy:
"President Trump pledged to deliver certainty and stability for America's farmers and biofuel producers by restoring integrity to the RFS. While we're encouraged that EPA is finally taking steps to follow the law and account for biofuel demand lost to secretive oil refinery exemptions, this rule leaves important work unfinished. Integrity is restored to the RFS only if the agency accurately accounts for exemptions it will grant. The rule uses an accounting formula based on Department of Energy recommendations, which EPA has a poor track record of following. All eyes will now be on EPA's next round of refinery exemptions and future targets, which will signal whether Administrator Wheeler is truly committed to ending demand destruction."
Quote from Geoff Cooper, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA):
"After EPA's overwrought abuse of the SRE program in recent years, agency officials had a chance to finally make things right with this final rule-but they blew it. EPA's rule fails to deliver on President Trump's commitment to restore integrity to the RFS, and it fails to provide the market certainty desperately needed by ethanol producers, farmers, and consumers looking for lower-cost, cleaner fuel options. While the final rule is an improvement over the original proposal, it still does not guarantee that the law's 15-billion-gallon conventional biofuel blending requirement will be fully enforced by EPA in 2020." .
Quote from Kyle Gilley, Senior Vice President of External Affairs and Communications at POET:
"While we recognize that the final EPA 2020 RVO rule does not align with the announcement President Trump made this fall to reach 15 billion gallons, the President has reiterated his commitment to 15 billion going forward, and we hope he will provide the assurance needed for farmers and biofuels workers to bounce back from a challenging period of skyrocketing SRE exemptions and no recourse. Administrator Wheeler has echoed the President's commitment to 15 billion, and we hope this announcement begins a new era where EPA stops playing games with rural economies and skirting the law in support of oil allies. Today was a missed opportunity to finally restore clarity to the ethanol and grain markets, but more opportunities lie ahead in 2020. With these 2020 RVO levels now finalized, our near-term focus shifts to implementation of the remainder of the President's critical biofuels package: ensuring 15 billion gallons means 15 billion blended, deploying an infrastructure package, changing the pump label, and reforming the fuel survey. Thesl provisions together will provide a needed lifeline for farm families."
Quote from Chuck Grassley, Iowa Senator:
"Once again, EPA is playing games and not helping President Trump with farmers. An agreement was reached on September 12 in an Oval Office meeting between several Midwest leaders, President Trump and other members of his Administration. This does not reflect what we agreed to in that meeting. Simply requiring that the three-year rolling average be based on hard data and actual waived gallons rather than Department of Energy recommendations and EPA discretion would solve this problem and ensure the renewable volume obligations are met. Administrator Wheeler has put the president in a bad situation by not following the law as intended by Congress and as the president has promised to uphold. No matter what EPA says about the impact of its waivers to oil companies making billions in profits, farmers and biofuels producers know and feel the negative impact of the agency's actions. I will hold EPA's feet to the fire to make certain they abide by the Department of Energy's recommendations and ensure integrity in the RFS. Whether that happens is up to Administrator Wheeler and the president's support among farmers is in his hands. The magic words from the Oval Office meeting were three-year rolling average based on hard data and actual waived gallons. Abiding by this would have solved all the problem's EPA has created."
Quote from Joni Ernst, Iowa Senator:
"Throughout this process, I, along with Senator Grassley and Governor Reynolds have made it crystal clear that Iowa's farmers and biofuel producers need certainty that EPA will follow the law. After shaking hands in the Oval Office this fall, EPA had an opportunity to restore the broken trust of farmers and to follow through on the president's commitment, but it appears they've missed the mark-again. We were guaranteed a deal in September, and we were assured of that same deal in October, yet EPA rolled out, and has now finalized, a different proposal. It's no wonder trust has been lost. While I'm hopeful we get to the 15 billion or more gallons of ethanol that we've been promised, I clearly understand the hesitation from Iowans to trust the word of EPA to actually follow through on that commitment. I believe President Trump wants to do right for the biofuels community - we've seen that with E15 year-round and most recently the biodiesel tax incentive. But Administrator Wheeler should know: this is not the end. I will continue to fight tirelessly to make sure that my fellow Iowans have a seat at the table when it comes to renewable fuels. We will keep holding EPA's feet to the fire to ensure they truly uphold the RFS, the law, as intended and fully implement the other critical aspects of this rule."
Quote from U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee:
"The Administration has repeatedly directed the EPA and other agencies to support the ethanol industry and corn farmers, and the EPA has told those farmers to trust them. Instead we're seeing a final rule out of EPA that doesn't guarantee the 15 billion gallons the RFS mandates. At a time when our agriculture economy is struggling, the EPA has ripped 4 billion gallons of ethanol out of the market and impacted corn prices and rural communities. We also have yet to see the other things that were promised to the biofuels industry and corn farmers to get more ethanol into the market via infrastructure incentives and policies related to higher ethanol blends."
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