NFU files petition after EPA issues renewable fuel volume targets below Congressional RFS

The National Farmers Union (NFU) recently filed a petition with the District of Columbia U.S. Court of Appeals relating to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) renewable fuel volume targets from 2014 to 2016, which are below the levels set by Congress in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

“Undermining the RFS is not only damaging for agriculture, it is a decision that harms the environment, weakens rural economies and stalls progress towards energy independence,” NFU President Roger Johnson said. “When the EPA makes a decision at the expense of the administration’s own climate change goals, I question if the agency considered the market supply and surplus RIN (renewable identification numbers) credits when drawing its conclusion.”

The NFU, the second largest general farm organization in the country, was joined in its petition by |Americans for Clean Energy, the American Coalition for Ethanol, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, Growth Energy, the National Corn Growers Association, National Sorghum Producers and the Renewable Fuels Association.

“As an association rooted in the interests of farmers, ranchers and rural America, NFU has been critical of the EPA’s final RFS ruling. We look forward to standing alongside our industry partners in support of a challenge to the EPA’s erroneous interpretation of the renewable fuels supply. We are hopeful our actions will bring clarity to this concerning issue,” Johnson concluded.