WASHINGTON, D.C. (NAFB) – Rumors have come out of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Biden Administration of possible considerations of exempting oil refiners from the blending obligations in the Renewable Fuel Standard.

Iowa Representative Cindy Axne, a Democrat, joined with a bicameral group in her party in sending a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan and to the White House saying any such plan would be catastrophic to the biofuels industry and to the environment. Such actions would undermine any environmental policy plans that the Administration has.

Congresswoman Axne says the letter they sent has a strong message to the Administration and the EPA, and that is they will not stand by and see the RFS weakened.

President Biden made it clear in his campaign that he would bring back integrity to the biofuels industry and that he supported the RFS. These new reports would be a complete about-face to those campaign promises. Axne feels that this information is not coming with the blessing of President Biden, and that he still is committed to the RFS, biofuels, and the American farmers. She adds that somebody inside the chain of information is getting ahead of themselves. This letter is meant to draw attention to the President’s prior commitments.

Axne feels that having the support of both agriculture committee leaders, they can drive that point home.

Axne says she will not stand for any threats to the RFS, no matter who is in the White House.

Axne says that big oil companies have been supported by government policy for decades, and it is taxpayers who get stuck with the bill whenever they have a spill or another environmental situation. She adds that it is time to expand support and grow opportunity in rural America.