WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) led a bipartisan group of senators in sending a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking for a review of the three exemptions issued by former Trump EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, which, according to the letter, betrayed earlier assertions by the Trump Administration that EPA would not grant additional waivers pending the resolution of ongoing litigation.
The Senators called on EPA to reverse the decision to grant three exemptions if they do not comply with the Tenth Circuit Court decision, stating that, “Because the Tenth Circuit decision is the most definitive legal pronouncement to date regarding EPA’s small refinery waiver authority, we encourage the Agency to adhere to that decision for the purposes of deciding all pending exemption petitions during the pendency of the Supreme Court’s review of the decision.”
Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor made the following statement in support of Senator Klobuchar and Senator Grassley’s urgency for reviewing the last-minute refinery exemptions and for restoring integrity to the Renewable Fuel Standard:
“We’re grateful that these senators are standing up for American farmers and biofuels producers,” said Skor. “When EPA granted three small refinery exemptions in the final hours of the Trump Administration, we were disheartened to see more SRE abuse and uncertainty for rural Americans after a tough year. The Biden Administration must review these exemptions and take this opportunity to restore integrity to the Renewable Fuel Standard and the biofuels industry as a whole.”