Iowa Biodiesel Industry Applauds Bipartisan Senate Letter to EPA

ANKENY, Iowa – The Iowa Biodiesel Board commended U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) for leading a bipartisan Senate letter to the Environmental Protection Agency, urging the agency to make key adjustments in its upcoming rule on the Renewable Fuel Standard volumes. The EPA’s proposed rule, known as the RFS “Set” rule, establishes blending volumes for 2023 through 2025. The current proposal is widely seen as too low for actual market conditions. 

The letter, co-authored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and signed by senators from both parties, states: “Biofuels lower gas prices, drive economic growth, create good-paying manufacturing jobs, and strengthen economies across rural America.” 

Grant Kimberley, executive director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board, issued the following statement:

“We thank Senator Grassley for leading this bipartisan effort to capture the Biden administration’s attention on such an important economic and environmental issue. Unlike other technologies, biodiesel can provide immediate carbon reduction benefits, a stated priority of the administration. Biodiesel is domestically produced, which we also think should be a priority.  

“Improvements to the EPA’s proposal are essential. We support the senators’ requests to improve the outlook for biodiesel under the ‘Set’ rule. In particular, the final rule must increase the proposed volumes for advanced biofuels and biomass-based diesel fuels, like biodiesel, to reflect real-world market conditions. As the senators point out, ‘EPA’s proposal sets volumes lower than current blending levels—lower than the added capacity that is coming online in 2023 alone—and is inconsistent with estimates of production.’ 

“EPA’s proposal would also jeopardize nearly $5 billion in investments to increase soybean crush capacity, including almost $600 million in Iowa alone. Crush capacity is something this country has needed for food security and other benefits for far too long. 

“We also want to thank Sen. Joni Ernst for signing this letter. All the senators supporting this deserve our thanks for their attention to contributions biodiesel makes to our economic and environmental growth.” 

Biodiesel is made from a diverse mix of resources, including recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and animal fats. The Iowa Biodiesel Board is a state trade association representing the biodiesel industry. For more information on biodiesel, visit IowaBiodiesel.org. 
 

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Jenna Rose