The Obama Administration has received the request of a bipartisan group of 32 U.S. Senators from across the country to support reasonable growth in the biodiesel industry next year under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The Senators specifically called for the establishment of a volume requirement of at least 1.7-billion gallons – consistent with this year’s projected production. The letter – led by Senators Patty Murray, Al Franken, Roy Blunt and Chuck Grassley – warned that a weakened RFS could lead to plant closures and thousands of lost jobs while threatening future investment. The Senators wrote that biodiesel has exceeded RFS targets in each year and is clearly poised to do so again in 2013. They continued that biodiesel is improving our energy security by reducing our dependence on imported petroleum diesel, diversifying fuel supplies and creating competition in the fuels market. Setting the 2014 biodiesel volume requirement at reduced levels – they wrote – could have severe impacts on the domestic biodiesel industry.
National Biodiesel Board Vice President of Federal Affairs Anne Steckel says this strong showing of bipartisan support represents the very real impact that biodiesel is having in communities across the country. She says it’s creating jobs, reducing emissions and diversifying our fuel supplies so that consumers and our economy are not so vulnerable to volatile global oil markets. Steckel calls biodiesel an RFS success story – and says NBB is urging the Administration to continue the momentum.
In addition to the lead authors – the following Senators signed on to the letter:
Senators Mark Pryor (D-AR), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Angus King (I-ME), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Jon Tester (D-MT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bob Casey (D-PA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tom Udall (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Mark Kirk (R-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Kay Hagan (D-NC).
Source: NAFB News Service