Yesterday, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) held its annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit. It was a chance to talk about where the industry is, where it is heading, and the policies and challenges they will deal with in the coming year.
One of the topics discussed was the move by a bipartisan group of Midwest governors to use a little-known provision of the Clean Air Act to allow them to sell E15 fuels year-round. Something we had been allowed to have under the Trump Administration until it was blocked by the D.C. Circuit court in a move that sided with the oil companies. It is a decision that has yet to be dealt with from the White House. While the Biden Administration keeps talking about options from oil. Biofuels are still being left in the cold.
After the governors made this request, the EPA had 90 days to produce rule, and they did. It was almost shocking to hear IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw say that for once, EPA wasn?t the problem. Shaw talks about how the White House?s moves are in direct violation of the Clean Air Act.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds addressed the Summit, and expressed her frustration over the situation. A situation that has the backing of Republicans and Democrats in the Midwest.
Voices from the Summit repeated the call to the Biden Administration to include biofuels in their zero emission plans for the future. The message again is that biofuels are here and have an infrastructure now. Don?t take advice from Big Oil on how to drive down our dependence on fossil fuels.
