Michigan Farmers Call on EPA to Follow the Law on Renewable Fuels
LANSING – The Michigan Corn Growers Association (MCGA) and Michigan’s ethanol industry called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to follow the law and accurately account for expected refinery waivers in the 2020 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volume rule. In a full-page ad in the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, MCGA made the following statement:
“EPA Waivers Siphon Money from Family Farmers to Big Oil Companies: Exempting big oil companies from their lawful requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard lowers prices for corn farmers and raises profits for oil companies. That’s exactly what EPA’s proposal on ethanol does right now. President Trump says he stands with farmers. His EPA does not.”
The statement is in response to an EPA proposal that would account for waivers based on Department of Energy’s (DOE) recommendations, rather than the actual gallons waived by EPA. The proposal is half of what the President committed to in an October 4 deal with farmers.
At an October 30th hearing hosted by EPA in Ypsilanti, corn farmers and members of the ethanol industry testified about the importance of the RFS and the damage caused by the granting of these so-called “small refinery waivers” to some of the largest oil companies.
“We were excited when President Trump announced a plan on October 4th to restore those waived gallons and make the RFS whole again, as required under the law,” said Chris Creguer, MCGA board member and farmer from Unionville. “Unfortunately, that excitement was short lived. The proposal put forth by EPA on October 15 falls well short of what was promised. We’re calling on EPA to follow the law and keep the RFS whole by redistributing waived gallons based on the history of actual gallons waived.”
Corn farmers are encouraged to visit NCGA.com to submit their comments and tell EPA to follow through on the President’s commitment to farmers and the RFS. The comment period closes November 29.
About the Michigan Corn Growers Association
The Michigan Corn Growers Association (MCGA) is a grassroots organization of grower members dedicated to increasing the profitability of corn production. The MCGA is the only organization in Michigan that works solely on behalf of the state’s corn growers for pro-agriculture legislation. The MCGA works to ensure that corn growers’ voices are heard at the local, state and national levels. Find out more online at www.micorn.org.
