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Ethanol supporters make their case

Ethanol and corn industry groups and other supporters, in a White House meeting with Obama Administration officials last week, expressed their frustration with the EPA’s proposal to lower the ethanol volume requirements in the Renewable Fuels Standard.

Representatives of Growth Energy, the Renewable Fuels Association, ethanol maker POET and the National Corn Growers Association were among those making their case with White House staff, EPA officials and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.  They argued that the proposed cut sends a mixed message to the ethanol industry.

After the meeting, NCGA issued a statement calling the proposed cuts “ill-advised and unnecessary” and warned that it will halt innovation in the renewable fuels market.  And NCGA says the reduction in volumes “would have a devastating effect on farmers and rural communities across the country”.

The president of the Renewable Fuels Association, Bob Dinneen, says the EPA has overstepped its authority under the law.  He said the industry may have to mount a legal challenge if the agency does not reverse course in the final rule.