Trump Administration Keeps E15 Promise

IRFA Urges President Not to Undermine Progress with Unjustified RFS Exemptions

Contact: Cassidy Walter
515-252-6249

JOHNSTON, IOWA – Today EPA released the final rule to make year-round E15 a reality, fulfilling a key campaign promise made to Iowa voters by President Trump.

Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw said the final rule provides a reasonable, intellectually-consistent, legally-defensible solution for year-round E15 access.

“The Iowa biofuels community thanks President Trump for delivering on his promise to allow consumers year-round access to E15.” Shaw said. “This is positive news for rural Iowa at a time when we can really use it. E15 will provide an immediate boost for ethanol demand and the long-term potential is quite significant. As a lower-cost, cleaner-burning fuel, E15 has been in high demand where it has been available.”

The petroleum industry has vowed for years to sue the EPA over the E15 rule.

“The key for this rule is not just that it approves year-round E15, but that it does so based on the best science and legal precedents that will survive the Big Oil onslaught in court. The petroleum industry has tried everything to stop this day from coming. It’s no surprise they don’t want to compete with E15, which is lower-cost, cleaner, and higher-octane.”

IRFA also expressed appreciation that the final rule did not include demand destroying provisions camouflaged as so-called RIN reforms.

“The last thing rural America needs right now is a rule that would be one step forward, but two steps back,” said Shaw. “Some of the proposed RIN changes would have undermined the entire RFS. We urge President Trump to ensure those proposals remain, as President Reagan would say, on the ash heap of history, and that they not be resurrected in the future.”

Overhanging the E15 and RIN rule are 39 small refinery exemption (SRE) requests to the 2018 RFS levels.

“If granted, these SREs would rip the heart out of the RFS,” added Shaw. “Not just because of the destroyed gallons, but because they are simply unjustified given the current market conditions. Today we thank President Trump for fulfilling his E15 promise. Yet if in the coming weeks, the Trump Administration grants these SREs, it will break his other promise to biofuels supporters – to protect the RFS. We are sincerely thankful for today’s action that will create tens of millions of gallons of immediate demand for ethanol, but all of this will mean nothing if unjustified SREs gut hundreds of millions of gallons of demand. The fact is, to grant hardship waivers when RINs can be purchased for less than 10 cents is completely unjustifiable under the law, and we are calling on President Trump to ensure his EPA denies the 2018 SRE requests.”

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association represents the state’s liquid renewable fuels industry and works to foster its growth. Iowa is the nation’s leader in renewable fuels production with 43 ethanol refineries capable of producing over 4.5 billion gallons annually – including 34 million gallons of annual cellulosic ethanol production capacity – and 11 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce nearly 400 million gallons annually. For more information, visit the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association website at: www.IowaRFA.org.

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