Governors, Senators Ask EPA to Back Biofuel Industry
[Stay on top of transportation news: .]
Four governors and are urging U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin in separate letters to get behind the American biofuel industry by establishing robust future Renewable Fuels Standards.
The latest request came April 10 from Govs. Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Jim Pillen of Nebraska, Mike Kehoe of Missouri and Larry Rhoden of South Dakota that also acknowledged Zeldin for the EPA’s commitment to ensure American energy dominance.
“To support the long-term stability of the U.S. biofuels sector and rural economy, we urge the EPA to establish a 2026 RVO (Renewable Volume Obligation) of no less than 15 billion gallons for conventional ethanol and 5.25 billion gallons for biomass-based diesel — reflecting the growth in domestic production capacity and feedstock supply,” the governors wrote.
They noted that setting the high biofuel production standards “will send a strong, long-term signal to the market giving biofuel producers and American farmers the confidence to invest, grow and sustain their operations. For our multigenerational farm families, a strong RVO is more than a policy — it’s a critical foundation for their future.”
Today, I led my fellow Governors in thanking Administrator for his commitment to America’s energy dominance, and his understanding of the critical role biofuels play. To help achieve our nation’s energy goals, we are requesting he set the 2026 RVO at levels… — Gov. Kim Reynolds (@IAGovernor)
The governors said biofuel standards set by the Biden administration “failed to reflect” actual biofuel capacity and investments to expand feedstock supplies. Their states' residents are responsible for the lion’s share of national biofuel output and feedstock production. They noted U.S. ethanol and biodiesel production led to $80 million in economic activity tied to 150,000 jobs in 2022.
On April 8, 16 U.S. senators from 10 states sent a letter to Zeldin asking him to consider how important biofuels are within the national energy supply as the EPA sets the RVO standards for 2026 and beyond.
Signatories to the letter were Tammy Duckworth and Richard Durbin (both D-Ill.), Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst (both R-Iowa), Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran (both R-Kan.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts (both R-Neb.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin (both D-Mich.), Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-Minn.), Michael Rounds (R-S.D.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).
“As the Trump administration pursues policies to increase liquid fuel production and as biofuel production capacity consistently increases, RVO levels should also increase to reflect these changes,” the senators said. “We ask that the EPA raise RFS volumes for biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuels to levels that are consistent with production and availability while ensuring an equivalent increase in total volumes to preserve demand across all categories of biofuels. Additionally, as you consider policies that reduce consumer costs, biofuels provide a buffer to market fluctuations in the liquid fuel market, consistently costing consumers less than traditional liquid fuels.”
ܱ徱
The senators went a step further by asking Zeldin to establish multiyear standards instead of new ones each year.
Under President Joe Biden, there were delays in setting EPA biofuel standards that resulted in biofuel stakeholders issuing urgent appeals to provide investment and production clarity for farmers and fuel producers. At the same time, biofuel interests complained that Biden-era renewable fuel standards were unrealistically low, which resulted in negative market consequences.
In their letter, the senators referenced biofuel standards in the past being set below current production rates.
“We have seen the cost to rural communities when RVO levels are set too low,” they stated. “Over the last three years, multiple biodiesel plants have shuttered or idled due to RVOs being set significantly below what industry requested and production capacity. Biofuels are a large economic driver for rural America as farmers’ crops are used for feedstocks, and many production facilities are located in small communities. That is at risk if RVO standards are set too low.”
The letters from the governors and U.S. senators come after Zeldin was sent another letter Feb. 19 by a large biofuel coalition of national trade organizations. They petitioned Zeldin to establish standards for renewable fuel for 2026 and later to ensure U.S. biofuel availability.
Among those who signed the earlier letter were the Clean Fuels Alliance, Natso, Advanced Biofuels Association, American Petroleum Institute, biofuel trade group Growth Energy, Renewable Fuels Association and SIGMA: America’s Leading Fuel Marketers. Others included the National Association of Convenience Stores and agricultural interests represented by the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association and National Oilseed Processors Association.
Representing biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel producers, feedstock suppliers and fuel distributors, Clean Fuels has continuously asked EPA to establish RFS. In December 2024, the alliance filed a lawsuit to try to force EPA to set a timeline to issue the 2026 RFS volume due by statute in November 2024.
Paul Winters, Clean Fuels public affairs and federal communications director, noted, “Consumers and major retailers are demanding carbon emission reductions across the supply chain. Biodiesel and renewable diesel producers have been ramping up to meet that demand, as well as new markets in shipping, rail and aviation. Stakeholders across the fuel value chain — from feedstock suppliers to producers and even to traditional oil refiner interests — are unified in asking EPA to set the biomass-based diesel volume for 2026 at 5.25 billion gallons. That volume will help provide market stability and ensure continued availability of low-carbon fuels for the transportation and trucking industry.”
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing belowor go here for more info:
