June 8, 2016

Last week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency opened the public comment period on its recently proposed requirements for volumes of renewable fuel to be blended into the nation’s gasoline and diesel fuel supply for the coming year. EPA also announced it is holding a public hearing on the proposed Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs). The hearing is scheduled for June 9 in Kansas City, Mo.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD: Iowa Corn Growers are encouraging members and non-members to submit comments on EPA’s proposed reduction of ethanol blends in the U.S. gasoline supply. Go to www.ncga.com for draft comments and other information about the EPA proposal.
“The EPA decides how much ethanol and other biofuels should be blended in our nation’s fuel supply each year,” points out Bob Hemesath, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association. “The EPA’s proposal is to cut corn ethanol by nearly 200 million gallons for 2017. We are encouraging our members, their families and friends to submit comments to the EPA on this proposal before the July 11 deadline.”
Farmers and consumers are encouraged to send comments
For more information and details about the proposal, and a link to send a quick email to EPA with your comments, visit www.ncga.com/rfs. Various draft comments are available on that website to enable both farmers and their non-farmer friends to easily send personalized notes to EPA.
Public attendance at the hearing will allow individuals the opportunity to address or make comments about the issue. The May 31 deadline for registration to speak at the hearing has passed, but EPA is still accepting written statement submissions until July 11—the end of the public comment period. Written submissions will bear the same consideration as oral commitments made at the hearing, according to EPA.
RFS proposal for 2017 falls short of what the law calls for
With the start of EPA’s public comment period and the announcement of the public hearing, supporters of biofuels have a limited time to call on EPA to make more ethanol and other renewable fuels available to consumers in next year’s fuel supply. In May, the EPA proposed a mandate for all types of biofuel at 18.8 billion gallons. That is up from 2016 levels but still well below the mandated level of 24 billion gallons called for in the RFS legislation passed by Congress in 2005 and expanded in 2007.
Most of that amount, 14.4 billion gallons, can be corn-based ethanol. The rest of the total would be filled with biodiesel, cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels.
EPA proposal is widely criticized by biofuel supporters
The proposal has been widely criticized by farm and renewable fuel groups, as well as farm state lawmakers. They are calling on EPA to adhere to the RFS law, saying that EPA’s moves are hurting investment in biofuels and making the U.S. more dependent on fossil fuels imported from the Middle East.
EPA announced its proposal for its recommended level of corn-based ethanol to be blended into gasoline for 2017, at 18.8 billion gallons, which is a modest increase from the 18.11 billion gallons in 2016. In 2007 Congress proposed the 24 billion gallon threshold for blended gasoline.
Public comment can be submitted online before July 11 deadline
The EPA public hearing is June 9 at the Sheraton Hotel at Crown Center in Kansas City. The agency recently announced that the public comment period for written comments on its proposed RVOs will last until July 11. Comments can be submitted online at Regulations.gov under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2016-0004.
A full copy of the pre-publication version of the proposed rule, which includes additional information on submitting comments, can be downloaded from the EPA website. EPA officials have publicly stated a desire to finalize the 2017 Renewable Volume Obligations by the end of November. That’s the statutory date set in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 which authorized the RFS in its current form.
America can’t achieve its climate, health or economic ambitions without renewable fuels, notes Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. Among the most powerful tools we’ve got in achieving those ambitions is the RFS as long as it is allowed to work. “We urge anyone who’s benefitted from the renewable fuel industry to speak out and urge the administration to listen to those voices and maximize renewable fuel production.”
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