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Former Senators Affirm Biodiesel Industry Position
USAgNet - 04/26/2018

The National Biodiesel Board has been proactive to defend a strong Renewable Fuel Standard and fight against the Environmental Protection Agency's misguided actions. Wednesday, former Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Jim Talent (R-MO), who played key roles in developing the RFS, called for Congress to investigate the EPA's recent waivers to major refiners and failure to follow the law.

"Who better to help clarify the intent of these small refinery exemptions than those who helped write the law in the first place? It is no surprise that they stand against the actions of the EPA," said Kurt Kovarik, NBB's vice president of federal affairs. "The EPA's decision to give handouts to large, profitable refiners has a direct and lasting negative impact on biodiesel producers, renderers and farmers. We will continue our push to return transparency and certainty to the marketplace."

Thirteen years after working to enact the RFS, Dorgan and Talent say EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's use of waivers skirts the law and threatens to undermine the renewable fuels industry.

"Lawmakers from across the heartland have already demanded the EPA stop abusing these waivers, but Congress can and should do more. The public deserves real answers from Administrator Pruitt about handouts granted under cover of night," said the two Senators.

"The waiver provisions established by Congress provide flexibility in dealing with the smallest refining companies, producing fewer than 75,000 barrels per day, and only in unique cases presenting disproportionate economic hardship. But the EPA has warped those provisions to grant tens of millions of dollars in regulatory handouts at the expense of farmers, biofuel workers, and American consumers."

"The EPA's actions not only undermine the intent of Congress, they undermine a renewable energy industry that supports hundreds of thousands of American jobs. Congress has a right and an obligation to investigate the approval process for each and every handout."

"The RFS remains the single most successful energy policy working to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, while delivering real economic and environmental benefits. It supports prosperity across rural America and brings cleaner, more affordable options to the fuel pump, including blends of American-made ethanol, biodiesel, and cellulosic biofuels. The President vowed time and again to support the RFS, and Congress should work with the White House to make certain that Administrator Pruitt is staying true to that promise in public and behind closed doors."

The National Biodiesel Board submitted a Freedom of Information Act Request aimed at shedding light on small refiner exemptions requested and issued under the Renewable Fuel Standard. They also joined the American Soybean Association and the National Renderers Association urging President Trump to keep his promises to rural voters to uphold a strong RFS.

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