MCGA to EPA: Follow the Law on Renewable Fuels
MCGA to EPA: Follow the Law on Renewable Fuels
(YPSILANTI, Mich.) October 30, 2019 – Michigan Corn Growers Association (MCGA) board members and representatives from Michigan’s ethanol industry today called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to follow the law and accurately account for expected refinery waivers in the 2020 RFS volume rule.
“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.”
“To put it in perspective, the initial agreement reached on October 4 between lawmakers and the president would have restored about 1.35 billion gallons of biofuel demand in 2020,” said Gabe Corey, commodities and risk manager at Carbon Green BioEnergy in Lake Odessa. “In contrast, EPA’s October 15 proposal promises only half that – about 770 million gallons. This EPA plan will do nothing to bring back the ethanol plants that have shut down or help ease the burden that corn farmers and rural communities currently face.”
Today’s hearing follows an October 4 announcement from President Trump directing the EPA to follow the letter of the law and keep the RFS whole by using the three-year average of renewable fuel gallons actually waived by the EPA to account for waivers going forward. EPA, however, is now proposing to account for waivers based on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) recommendations, rather than the actual gallons waived by EPA. EPA has consistently waived nearly twice as much as DOE has recommended.
Corn farmers are encouraged to contact the EPA and tell the Agency to follow through on the President’s commitment to farmers and the RFS. The comment period closes November 29.
