The ethanol industry isn’t happy that it was excluded from a U.S. House Oversight Subcommittee hearing this week to examine the Renewable Fuel Standard.
“Once again, no one from the U.S. biofuels industry wsa invited to testify, silencing a powerful voice that could speak to the provision’s implementaton and effect,” said the Renewable Fuels Association in a press release.
The Oversight subcommittees on Interior and Healthcare, Benefits and Administrative rules held a joint hearing over concern with the “E10 blend wall” matter that led to a legal battle now before the D.C. Court of Appeals. But the ethanol industry was missing in action. It was not invited to be a part of the hearing.
“EPA is sticking to its script,” said Bob Dinneen, president and ceo of the Renewable Fuels Association. “But the agency is once again demonstrating it does not under Congress’ objective in passing the RFS in the first place. It wants to maximize the use of renewable fuels and break down the blend wall and other obstacles to low carbon fuels.”
But he charged the EPA’s “timid enforcement of the RFS” has prevented that from happening while the Department of Agriculture has been helplful through a recent Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership.
“It is bewildering to me how two agencies, under the same administration, are taking such disparate approaches to biofuels,” said Dinneen. “USDA’s efforts are helping to grow our industry, while EPA is hampering our industry and preventing the continued evolution of biofuels toward lower carbon, higher octane alternatives.”
Dinneen called the Renewable Fuel Standard the only current law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector and enhance U.S. energy security.
