WASHINGTON, D.C. – Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor thanked 16 senators, led by Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who drafted a bipartisan letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rejecting retroactive oil industry exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In their letter, the senators note, “These petitions should not even be entertained because they are inconsistent with the Tenth Circuit decision, Congressional intent, the EPA’s own guidance, and – most importantly – the interests of farmers and rural communities who rely on the biofuel industry.”
“The sole purpose of these retroactive exemptions is to circumvent the law at the expense of rural families struggling to get back on their feet,” said Skor. “There is no justification for allowing these petitions to hang over the market, injecting uncertainty into America’s agricultural recovery. EPA needs to dismiss the oil industry’s latest attempt to destroy demand for American biofuels and restore integrity to the RFS. We’re very grateful to Senate champions across the farm belt for standing up against this attempt to rewrite years of history, skirt the courts, and torpedo efforts to rebuild America’s agricultural supply chain.”
The letter was signed by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Tammy Baldwin (D- Wis.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.).