WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa made the following statement regarding today’s White House meeting with President Trump to discuss the Renewable Fuel Standard. The meeting was also attended by Sens. Joni Ernst, Ted Cruz and Pat Toomey, as well as EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue.
“President Trump agreed to allow for the sale E15 year-round. That’s good news for farmers and consumer choice at the pump. Allowing higher blends of ethanol to be sold in the summer months fits in well with EPA’s deregulatory agenda. There was also an agreement to not pursue an artificial cap on RIN prices, which would have destroyed demand for biofuels and hurt biofuels workers.
“I told the President and Administrator Pruitt that EPA’s ‘hardship’ waivers for billionaires are hurting biofuels and undermining the RFS. They also undercut the President’s commitment to meet the annual 15 billion gallon volume obligation set by Congress under the RFS. There was discussion about how to reallocate the waived obligations so that demand for biofuels wouldn’t be hurt. While details weren’t decided, I look forward to reviewing a plan being developed by Secretary Perdue and Administrator Pruitt. Any fix can’t hurt domestic biofuels production.”
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