ANKENY, IOWA (December 19, 2025) — The Iowa Biodiesel Board is urgently calling on the US Environmental Protection Agency to finalize the 2026-2027 Renewable Fuel Standard rule by January 31, 2025. The agency has said that any delay into February or March would push compliance to June, a move the IBB says would create a catastrophic gap that Iowa's independent, farmer-owned biodiesel plants may not be able to survive.
"Time is running out," said Grant Kimberley, executive director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board. "We have independent plants that may not be able to hold on much longer. If EPA delays this rule, we face the potential loss of farmer-owned energy infrastructure that took years to build — infrastructure that may never be recovered."
Iowa's independent plants are largely owned by farmer investors, and lack the financial reserves of larger competitors to weather extended regulatory uncertainty, he said.
“These facilities represent years of farmer investment to diversify operations, which in turn could reduce dependence on China and other volatile markets for soybean farmers,” he said.
"Every week of delay deepens the hole and makes it harder to dig out," Kimberley said. "The longer this drags on, the more we hurt the farmers who invested in their own diversified future. The damage may soon become unrecoverable.”
The state has eight operating plants, three of which are independent. Biodiesel represents ten percent of the value of every bushel of soybeans grown in the United States, and farmers are making critical planting decisions for the upcoming season, he said.
"EPA must act now to protect years of farmer investment and preserve the energy diversification our agricultural economy desperately needs," Kimberley concluded. "The January 31 deadline is becoming more urgent by the day."
About the Iowa Biodiesel Board
The Iowa Biodiesel Board represents the biodiesel industry in Iowa, from the farmers who grow the feedstock, to production, through distribution to end users. Founded by the Iowa Soybean Association, IBB operates an independent organization and board. The IBB works to promote the commercial and economic success of biodiesel in Iowa. For more, visit IowaBiodiesel.org.
