Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is calling on the EPA and the Biden Administration to raise Renewable Fuel Standard volumes so they keep up with the amount of biofuels our factories can churn out.
Grassley says the agency didn’t boost the Renewable Volume Obligation — or RVO — levels far enough last year. He says it’s an “insult” for those levels to be so low and the result is a stifled industry and a discouragement of outside investment, which is costing green jobs in Iowa.
“We have the biodiesel plant in Ralston shut down for several months now, and also one in Madison,” Grassley says. “And it’s all because the RVOs have not been liberal enough, high enough, however you want to say it. We can produce a lot more.”
Grassley, a Republican, is joining with Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar in calling for a boost in RVO volumes in order to keep pace with biofuels production and availability. Sixteen other senators signed on.
“I’m leading the latest letter that we have on this subject in a bipartisan way with Senator Klobuchar,” Grassley says. “The administration ought to correct the mistakes that they made on the current RVOs.”
The letter to the EPA highlights environmental benefits from an increase in biofuels production, including how biomass-based diesel can cut carbon emissions by more than 70 percent. Grassley says there are significant economic advantages for the entire supply chain, from the farmer to the consumer.
“It was just an insult to what biodiesel can make. It’s an insult to how it would help the consumer and the transportation industry if they did this,” Grassley says. “So they ought to listen to the data and make their decisions accordingly.”
Iowa is the nation’s top producer of both ethanol and biodiesel.
The letter to the head of the EPA says: “America’s environmental and energy security depend on the widespread production, availability, and use of biofuels. Biofuels play a particularly critical role in emissions reduction for heavy-duty transportation – including aviation, shipping, rail, and trucking – while opening up economic opportunities for American farmers. A strong RFS and broad availability of homegrown agricultural feedstocks are critical for ensuring we keep up the progress we have made in decarbonizing our roads, seas, railways and skies.”