The Trump Administration announced today that it is taking action to begin reversing the damage done to rural America by refinery exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Today's plan requires EPA to keep the statutory RFS volumes whole by prospectively redistributing exempted renewable fuel blending requirements to non-exempt refiners. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper offered the following statement: "We thank President Trump for hearing the concerns of ethanol producers, farmers and consumers across the country. The plan announced today takes a crucial step toward repairing the damage done by EPA's small refinery waivers and re-establishes the RFS as a driver of growth in the production and use of low carbon renewable fuels. Once finalized and implemented, this plan will ensure EPA follows the law in setting annual biofuel blending obligations under the RFS. "President Trump's action today not only begins to restore integrity to the RFS, but also starts to revive hope for farmers and ethanol plant workers who have seen small refinery exemptions wreak havoc on their markets and destabilize their rural communities. "It is important to remember that today's announcement marks the beginning—not the end—of an EPA regulatory process, and much work remains to be done. We will continue to diligently work with EPA and the administration to ensure this action is finalized in a way that guarantees a 15-billion-gallon requirement in 2020 truly is a 15-billion-gallon requirement. "We are especially grateful to the many members of Congress, state governors, and USDA leaders who voiced their concerns to the President and stood steadfast with farmers and ethanol producers. America's farm families and biofuel workers have an incredibly powerful voice when we pull together, and we applaud the President for responding to our concerns and upholding his promise to protect the RFS."
