While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) works toward finalizing its proposed rule on biofuels volume requirements for 2014 and subsequent years under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), a bipartisan group of six senators is leading the call for a strong RFS.
In a letter to the EPA, Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Thune (R-SD), Al Franken (D-MN) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) advocated the agency reverse course from the 2014 proposed rule and maintain a strong RFS to drive innovation and growth in America’s economy while helping reduce dependence on foreign oil.
The senators say the EPA’s latest proposal would create uncertainty for ethanol and biodiesel producers and undermine job creation.
“The RFS has already proven to be an effective driver of alternative fuels and economic development,” the senators said. “It has strengthened agriculture markets and created hundreds of thousands of jobs in the new energy economy, many of which are in rural areas. The biofuels volume requirements for 2014 and beyond have serious implications for our economy and energy security. We encourage you to ensure a final proposal continues to work toward achieving the RFS’s long-term economic and renewable energy goals.”
Thirty-seven other senators also signed the letter to the EPA.
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