Senators Meet With Pruitt on RFS

OMAHA (DTN) -- The full-court press is on to convince the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reverse course on two proposals that biofuel and agriculture interest groups say could hurt rural America.

Following a meeting with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on Tuesday, two of seven United States senators who were part of that meeting at Sen. Charles Grassley's office provided few details about the substance of the hour-long discussion. However, Grassley, R-Iowa, and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said in press statements that they believe the administrator listened to their concerns.

"I told Administrator Pruitt that supporting biofuels isn't just good policy, it's also what President (Donald) Trump promised," Grassley said in a statement. "I reiterated what the president told me personally and what he told Iowans during the campaign, that he's for biofuels and for a strong RFS. That message seemed to be well-received by Administrator Pruitt.

"Renewable energies like biofuels are the backbone of so many local economies across the Midwest and key to meeting the country's energy needs. This is about the president's keeping his promise to the people and the executive branch's executing the laws as passed by Congress. It's Administrator Pruitt's duty to follow congressional intent and also make good on President Trump's pledge to support biofuels. I'll oppose any effort to reduce blending levels or undermine the integrity of the RFS. I'm watching this issue closely and plan to hold the administration accountable."

The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that Grassley said he is prepared to hold up Trump's EPA nominees if the agency alters the RFS.

The EPA announced in a notice a proposal to further reduce the renewable volume blend requirements for advanced biofuels, biomass-based diesel volumes for 2018 and 2019, and the total renewable fuel volumes in the RFS.

EPA also is reportedly considering a proposal from Valero Energy to leave renewable identification numbers, or RINs, attached to U.S. ethanol gallons produced in the U.S. and exported. Currently, the credits are removed from exported gallons. The biofuels industry is concerned that doing so would flood the market with RINs and harm domestic biofuel producers.

On Monday, the four senators were joined by a bipartisan group of 29 other senators in a letter urging Pruitt to maintain RFS volumes for 2018 and increase its proposed 2019 volumes for biodiesel. The full letter can be found at http://bit.ly/….

Ernst said in a statement on Tuesday that she remains skeptical of Pruitt's commitment to the RFS.

"Our meeting today was another clear demonstration that biofuel-producing states will never stop fighting to protect the RFS," Ernst said in a statement.

"Administrator Pruitt again claimed today that he will not do anything to undermine the program. However, we have heard this before. We now need to see it. I will continue to work with the EPA, but they must prove to the agricultural community who put their faith in this administration that they will fulfill their promise to maintain the letter and the spirit of the RFS. We will not accept anything less."

"Throughout his confirmation process, Administrator Pruitt promised me multiple times that he would uphold the spirit of the RFS, as intended by Congress. Additionally, the president has consistently stated his support for biofuels and made it clear to Administrator Pruitt that he is supportive of the RFS. While the administrator has insisted that the recent actions taken by the EPA are simply to receive additional input on the RFS from stakeholders, it is evident that the 'stakeholders' he refers to are not the farmers and manufacturers across the state of Iowa who would be directly affected if the biodiesel volume requirements were lowered."

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen said in a statement, "The senators' continued efforts to hold the president and the EPA administrator to commitments made during the campaign and nomination process, respectively, is invaluable to ensure more than a decade of progress of increasing consumer choice at the pump is not unraveled."

Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com

Follow me on Twitter @toddneeleyDTN

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