Ag Coalition Meets with EPA over RFS

A group of agricultural companies (mostly 25x’25 partners) met on Thursday, April 9, with Janet McCabe, Acting EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, to voice their concerns over the agency’s proposal to reduce biofuel blending requirements this year under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Representatives of the American Soybean Association, Croplife America, National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), National Corn Growers Association, American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE), Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and CNH (an agricultural equipment manufacturing firm) took part in the meeting.

The groups stressed the economic, environmental, national security and human health benefits of biofuels, urging EPA to drop its proposal to reduce RFS blending targets. McCabe told the group EPA understands the multiple and valuable benefits of biofuels, and the agency understands need for policy certainty. She said EPA continues to examine data in pursuit of a viable RFS rule, which the agency expects to announce in June, and pledged the agency will carefully review all comments submitted on the proposal.

Other topics discussed during the meeting included emerging conversion technologies, which will allow the significant amount of biomass feedstocks available in the United States to produce as much as 80-100 billion gallons annually. For additional information, contact Ernie Shea, 25x’25 project coordinator, at 410-952-0123, or at EShea@25×25.org.