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Ethanol advocates ask for fix to RFS damage

The Renewable Fuels Association wants the EPA to fix what it calls the extensive damage done to the Renewable Fuel Standard by former Administrator Scott Pruitt.

Samantha Slater, vice president of government affairs at the Renewable Fuels Association, testified at an EPA field hearing in Ypsilanti, Michigan Wednesday.  Waivers granted by the EPA to small refineries take renewable fuel gallons away from the agency’s 2019 Renewable Volume Obligation proposal, Slater said in her testimony.

“The proposal means nothing until EPA reallocates those lost gallons and sets forth a more transparent and rational process that assures small refinery waivers are not abused or granted unnecessarily,” she told the EPA.

Michigan Corn Growers Association President Jim Zook tells Brownfield the EPA’s actions have an impact on rural economies.

“Having these reductions or the potential [of reductions] from these small refinery waivers just puts added pressure on our producers for them to actually make a profit,” said Zook, in an interview with Brownfield Ag News.

At the field hearing, the RFA’s Slater said cuts to the RFS have resulted in lower Renewable Identification Number prices and reduced corn and ethanol demand.

Brownfield Anchor/Reporter Nicole Heslip contributed to this article.

AUDIO: Samantha Slater (3 min. MP3)

AUDIO: Jim Zook (6 min. MP3)