Congressman David Young. (file photo)
Republican Congressman David Young says now that Scott Pruitt has left the EPA, Iowa’s congressional delegation is turning its attention to Pruitt’s replacement. Young says he and other Iowans are urging acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to support the federal production mandate for biofuels — and pay a visit to Iowa.
“There are folks on the other side, primarily from oil states, who totally want to get rid of the Renewable Fuels Standard. We’ve heard that. We want to make sure that’s not the case in the end, though,” Young says. “We need a diverse portfolio when it comes to our fuels, up and down the line, from bio, petroleum-based, renewable fuels, solar, wind, hydro-power, nuclear. We want to be energy independent and renewable fuels has to be at the table.”
Young says it’s important to keep reminding whoever is in charge at the EPA that President Trump promised Iowans he’d defend the Renewable Fuels Standard. And Young says Iowa’s congressional delegation is urging Trump to appoint a permanent replacement for Pruitt who will approve or exceed the biofuel production levels spelled out in the Renewable Fuels Standard.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of pressure there to remind the president that if he’s going to get anyone there in a permanent fashion and he or she doesn’t abide by the law and the president’s promise, then they’re going to go through the same situation as they did and opinions that they had of Administrator Pruitt,” Young says.
Young says Pruitt not only raised “serious ethical concerns” by his actions as EPA administration, “he hurt Iowa farmers by recklessly undercutting” the federally mandated production levels for biofuels.
(By Mike Peterson, KMA, Shenandoah)