������ý

Five American governors are asking the Trump administration to waive U.S. biofuel-blending requirements, arguing the cost of complying with the mandates on top of coronavirus-spurred lockdowns pose a “severe economic harm” to the country.

President Donald Trump’s decision to defend the U.S. government’s power to broadly exempt oil refineries from biofuel-blending requirements is triggering a backlash in Iowa and other states that are top producers of ethanol and the corn used to make it.

The Trump administration has decided to pare exemptions for oil refineries from U.S. requirements to use biofuels in response to a federal court ruling last month, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The Trump administration on Dec. 19 set relatively flat quotas for plant-based fuels in 2020, rebuffing ethanol and biodiesel allies who said the targets don’t do enough to support the industry.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow is developing a new plan to bolster biofuel-blending requirements after ethanol allies in politically important farm states complained the current proposal doesn’t do enough to compensate for waivers exempting some small refineries from the mandates.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Agriculture commodity groups and some farmers expressed frustration and anger Oct. 16 with a rule released by the Environmental Protection Agency that they said fails to uphold a promise President Donald Trump made 12 days ago to fulfill the intent of an ethanol law passed by Congress.

The Environmental Protection Agency proposed changes in the way it sets annual percentages spelling out how much renewable fuel refiners must blend into gasoline and diesel.

President Donald Trump has tentatively agreed to a plan for bolstering ethanol and biodiesel, amid pressure from Midwest U.S. senators who warned the president that without action, he risks votes in next year’s election.

Trump administration officials are set to consult with oil refiners and renewable fuel producers at the White House on Sept. 11, as they struggle to develop a final plan for bolstering corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel.

Top administration officials have developed plans to give a 5% boost to U.S. renewable fuel-blending quotas in 2020, as President Donald Trump seeks to temper farm-state criticism he has undermined U.S. mandates compelling the use of corn-based ethanol and soybean-based biodiesel.