ANKENY, IOWA (October 15, 2019) — The Iowa Biodiesel Board today expressed apprehension over the Trump Administration’s new plans for fulfilling federal renewable-fuel requirements, saying it appears to run contrary to a previously agreed-upon deal with President Trump. The group will join other renewable fuel and farm advocates in examining the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed supplemental rule for the Renewable Fuel Standard, released today.
Grant Kimberley, Iowa Biodiesel Board executive director, issued the following statement:
“On behalf of Iowa’s biodiesel producers, we are deeply concerned by EPA’s new proposal to address renewable fuel gallons lost through refinery exemptions to the RFS. The solution President Trump previously promised us would have estimated future exempted RFS volumes based on the average of actual volumes exempted over the past three years. That is the remedy we need to steady the renewable fuels market, help plants re-open their doors, and infuse rural economies still in crisis.
“This new plan from EPA appears to be a dramatic departure from the agreement struck with the President, and we expect markets to react accordingly. This is likely to inflict further damage on the already struggling biodiesel industry and farm economy. We will join our Iowa political champions, the National Biodiesel Board and other groups in scrutinizing this new proposal, and in ensuring the final rule fulfills the deal President Trump agreed to earlier this very month.”
Biodiesel is an advanced biofuel made from diverse agricultural byproducts and co-products, such as soybean oil. The Iowa Biodiesel Board is a state trade association representing the biodiesel industry.
For more on biodiesel, visit Iowabiodiesel.org.
