In comments submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today, the National Corn Growers Association called on the Agency to raise the amount of renewable fuel blended into the nation’s gas supply in 2017. In a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, NCGA President Chip Bowling writes, “The RFS is doing exactly what it was intended to do. It is successfully driving the adoption of renewable fuel alternatives to petroleum, supporting jobs across the country, and ensuring the United States remains a global leader in developing new renewable energy sources while decreasing GHG emissions here at home.”
In its Proposed Rule for the 2017 Standards for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program, the EPA proposed cutting ethanol volumes below the level set by Congress. This is the fourth consecutive year EPA has proposed volumes below statute, a decision that has stalled investment in the renewable fuels industry.
Bowling urged EPA to return to statute and raise the ethanol numbers, “We request that you reconsider the proposed reduction in the renewable volume obligations as a step toward re-establishing regulatory certainty for the renewable fuels industry, and stand up for our nation’s environmental health.”
A copy of NCGA’s full comments can be found here.