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Franken discusses RFS

Minnesota Senator Al Franken calls the revised Renewable Fuels Standard an improvement from EPA’s proposal two years ago but still a step backwards for the industry.

Franken tells Brownfield he went right to President Obama after the administration introduced an RFS that reduced both ethanol and biodiesel levels in an unacceptable way.

“They went back to the drawing board and came up with an improved rule…not totally satisfied at all.  But it was much better for biodiesel and somewhat better for ethanol.”

He says biofuels are good not only for Minnesota, but the entire country.

“It helps break Big Oil’s monopoly on our nation’s transportation fuel.  It’s cleaner, in terms of CO2.  It’s home-grown.  All kinds of reasons.”

Franken wasn’t in the Senate when the original RFS was created, but says he gets the feeling people thought the rule was written in stone.

“That’s why everyone was so surprised a couple years ago when they not only re-wrote it, but they reduced these levels.  That was shocking.”

In debunking the idea of a blend wall, Franken says USDA has committed 100 million dollars towards infrastructure like more blender pumps at gas stations and says he believes the administration is more committed to the RFS than it was when the proposal came out two years ago.