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Minnesota Senator perplexed by Administration’s handling of renewable fuels

A U.S. Senator who serves on the Senate Ag Committee is perplexed by how the Trump Administration is handling renewable fuels policy.

Minnesota Democrat Tina Smith says she’s still getting to know EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler.

“It seems to me that his views are pretty similar to the views of the Administration overall.  There’s kind of a hostility to renewable fuels that I just don’t understand.”

She tells Brownfield farmers need a strong Renewable Fuel Standard, especially while market share is being lost to trade disruptions.

Smith says oil refinery hardship waivers granted by the EPA are a clear violation of the RFS.

“And we think it’s lead to a 1.5 billion gallon drop in demand for American made ethanol.  And that’s not the direction we need to be going.”

Smith has written President Trump, imploring him to be more conservative in granting hardship waivers going forward.  She’s also asking the Administration to grant year-round E15 access.