DES MOINES – Gov. Branstad announced today that he will be testifying at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) public hearing on a proposed rule to weaken the Renewable Fuel Standard in Virginia on Thursday at approximately 9:30 a.m. Central/10:30 a.m. Eastern.
The governor’s office said Tuesday that “the governor will offer strong public support for the Renewable Fuel Standard, which recently the EPA sought to dismantle, potentially causing significant economic harm to Iowa families.”
Prior to testifying, Branstad will participate in a Renewable Fuels Association media call.
The EPA has proposed to drastically reduce Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) levels for 2014.
“Why the Obama administration would side with the big oil companies over Iowa’s homegrown renewable fuels is baffling,” Governor Branstad said last month. “The EPA has turned its back on rural America, and our economy and family farms will suffer as a result. Corn prices have already dropped to the cost of production, and this will likely further squeeze corn producers and negatively impact income growth in rural America. We have more than 50 ethanol and biodiesel plants in Iowa, and these EPA reductions would negatively impact thousands of Iowa jobs. This debate isn’t over. I will lock arms with our agricultural groups, our family farmers, leaders from both parties, and Iowans in fighting for Iowa’s homegrown, reliable, and safe renewable fuels.
The proposed rule released by the EPA lowers the required consumption of conventional renewable fuel to 13.01 billion gallons, despite the law mandating consumption of 14.4 billion gallons, and below the 2013 level of 13.8 billion gallons. It also provides that biodiesel remains at 1.28 billion gallons.
