STATEMENT: Iowa Soybean, Biodiesel Producers Welcome Move on RFS Exemptions
(ANKENY, Iowa) – The Iowa Biodiesel Board and Iowa Soybean Association today thanked President Trump and EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler for the reported decision to deny 54 of the 68 pending “gap” small refinery exemption petitions to the Renewable Fuel Standard, and apply a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit nationwide.
Grant Kimberley, executive director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board, issued the following statement:
“We are pleased to hear the administration’s announcement to deny most ‘gap year’ petitions for small refinery exemptions to the RFS for past compliance years. With those waivers denied, and assuming EPA applies the recent court ruling nationwide, the exemption issue we have battled for so long should significantly improve. This turnaround would set the RFS on the right track again.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to our senators, who led this effort in working with the White House. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have proven themselves relentless advocates for agriculture and biofuels.”
The Iowa Soybean Association’s newly elected president, Jeff Jorgenson of Sidney, Iowa, added:
“We thank President Trump and Administrator Wheeler for this decision that will hold EPA to its obligation to enforce the RFS as the law of the land. Iowa’s biodiesel plants and soybean farms, like mine in southwest Iowa, and our communities will benefit from putting an end to the slow leak that has hampered the RFS. We look forward to working with the administration on restoring growth.
“In addition to thanking Senators Ernst and Grassley for their leadership on this issue, we also thank Governor Kim Reynolds and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig for their support.”
Biodiesel is an advanced biofuel made from agricultural byproducts and co-products, such as soybean oil. The Iowa Biodiesel Board is a state trade association representing the biodiesel industry. For more information on biodiesel, visit IowaBiodiesel.org.
