U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) on Dec. 14 introduced bipartisan legislation opposing President Joe Biden’s roll back earlier this month of the 2020 annual renewable fuel blending requirements — or RVOs — and the lower 2021 RVOs.
“Iowa’s farmers and producers work day in and day out to offer consumers cleaner, more affordable choices at the pump, yet their livelihoods continue to be impacted by bureaucrats in Washington who refuse to uphold the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard,” Sen. Ernst said. “This bipartisan bill will ensure the law is followed and in turn provide more certainty and predictability to our renewable fuel industry.”
S. 3380, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from reducing the minimum applicable volume of biofuels into transportation fuel once the RVO levels are finalized for any given year, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Ernst’s staff.
Additionally, S. 3380 would prevent the EPA — which sets the annual RVOs that obligated parties like oil refiners and fuel importers must meet — from retroactively reducing 2020 or future finalized RVO levels, the summary says.
The RVOs, which are expressed as a percentage, determine how many gallons of cleaner-burning, renewable biofuel should be blended into each year’s fuel supply, according to biofuel trade association Growth Energy, which endorsed the bill.
Sen. Ernst’s legislation is also supported by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and the American Coalition for Ethanol.
On Dec. 7, Sen. Ernst also released a statement denouncing President Biden’s decision to reopen the finalized 2020 RVO rule and propose 2021 and 2022 RVOs that she said strip out billions of gallons of biofuel demand.
“Iowa is the number one producer of ethanol in the country, and 85 percent of Iowans believe biofuel plays an integral part in our economy,” she said. “This decision is an about-face by President Joe Biden who campaigned on his supposed support for renewable fuels.”
The RVOs, added the senator, “will slash demand for biofuel and have devastating, long-lasting consequences for Iowa farmers and producers.”