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Johnson praises biofuels agreement; Peterson cautious

Congressman Dusty Johnson says the Trump administration’s biofuels agreement is “a win for South Dakota farmers, ethanol producers and anyone that cares about a strong rural economy and job growth.”

Johnson says the package follows the intent of legislation he cosponsored with House Ag Committee Chair Collin Peterson in May to reallocate gallons lost from small refinery exemptions. He says the package “restores the integrity of the RFS by reallocating gallons on a three-year rolling average of waived gallons.”

Peterson released a statement expressing caution about the announcement, “Next week the President is expected to be in Minnesota and I look forward to hearing details about how his EPA will get back to the 15 billion gallons that are promised in law and address the 4 billion gallons lost in waivers that have already been granted. Until we have answers to those questions today’s announcement is just another IOU to struggling farmers and shuttered biofuel plants.”

Congressman Peterson is a co-chair of the Congressional Biofuels Caucus, a bipartisan group of Members of Congress who advocate for homegrown renewable fuel policies that boost farmer incomes and reduce dependence on foreign oil. He is also the sponsor of the Renewable Fuel Standard Integrity Act of 2019, a bill which provides certainty to the biofuels industry by setting an annual deadline for small refinery exemption applications and bringing transparency to the process.