Rounds Asks EPA Administrator for Continued Support of Renewable Fuel Standard

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), today sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to thank him for his support of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and encourage him to release the final 2018 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVO) by the statutorily-mandated Nov. 30, 2017, deadline. Additionally, he requested Pruitt use all of the resources and most recent information available to make sure the required volume levels are in accordance with congressional intent when the Renewable Fuel Standards program was signed into law.

“For more than a decade, the RFS has been a cornerstone of our nation’s fuel and agriculture policy,” wrote Rounds in the letter. “In particular, corn ethanol has proven a reliable, domestically-produced fuel and the corn ethanol industry has been able to grow and thrive as a result of the opportunities presented by the RFS. In 2016, the U.S. ethanol industry contributed $42 billion dollars to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and supported over 340,000 jobs in the United States...I look forward to continuing to work with the administration to promote a stable regulatory environment that will allow for the continued success of the U.S. biofuels industry.”

Full text of the letter is below:

The Honorable Scott Pruitt

Administrator

Environmental Protection Agency

1200 Pennsylvania Ave., SE

Washington, DC 20460

Dear Administrator Pruitt,

I am writing to thank you for your continued support of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) and the U.S. biofuels industry. I encourage you to release the final 2018 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVO) by the statutorily-required November 30th deadline and make certain the required volumes of cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel and total renewable fuel are in accordance with statutory requirements under the law. 

For more than a decade, the RFS has been a cornerstone of our nation’s fuel and agriculture policy. In particular, corn ethanol has proven a reliable, domestically-produced fuel and the corn ethanol industry has been able to grow and thrive as a result of the opportunities presented by the RFS. In 2016, the U.S. ethanol industry contributed $42 billion dollars to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and supported over 340,000 jobs in the United States.

American consumers depend on products being readily available at an affordable price. In order for the corn ethanol and biofuels industry to continue to grow, provide fuel products to Americans and create American jobs, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must adhere to statutory requirements and make certain there is a stable regulatory environment where American businesses are able to thrive. 

In order to provide this regulatory certainty for stakeholders, I encourage you to take steps to make certain the final 2018 Renewable Volume Obligations are released by the November 30th statutory deadline. Further, when setting the renewable fuel volume levels, I encourage you to use all of the resources and most recent information at your disposal to make certain the required volume levels are in accordance with congressional intent when the Renewable Fuel Standards program was signed into law.

I appreciate your continued support of the Renewable Fuels Standard and corn ethanol. I look forward to continuing to work with the administration to promote a stable regulatory environment that will allow for the continued success of the U.S. biofuels industry.

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