Ernst Calls Out Biden for Leaving Behind Biofuel Producers and American Farmers
Once again, the administration passes the buck at the expense of producers and rural America.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is slamming the Biden administration’s new updates to the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies (GREET) model for the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit as out-of-touch and a barrier to American farmers trying to participate in the biofuel market.
“This is yet another example of the Biden administration doing too little, too late, and pushing Green New Deal priorities at the expense of our hardworking farmers and biofuel producers,” said Senator Ernst. “After failing to provide meaningful guidance on 45Z last week, the Biden team’s latest attempt to pass the buck on biofuel policy continues to leave our farmers out in the cold and only further incentivizes the use of foreign feedstocks rather than American-grown crops. I am looking forward to working with President Trump so we can finally get our producers the certainty they deserve.”
On Wednesday, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced changes to the GREET model used to calculate the level of credit biofuel producers can receive from 45Z. This comes just days after the administration failed to provide complete, meaningful guidance on 45Z and perpetuates the market uncertainty hurting Iowa’s farmers and biofuel producers.
While this updated GREET model addresses some of the concerns about the validity of used cooking oil imports from countries like China, it clearly lacks the necessary mechanisms for protecting American producers. The model published by DOE also completely ignores the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposed guidelines that incorporate Ernst’s consistent calls to properly utilize a larger menu of on-farm practices that farmers can implement in the field and eliminate the burdensome bundling mandate. Instead of incentivizing the use of crops grown by American farmers to expand the biofuel market, these failures will only continue – if not increase – the demand for foreign-based feedstocks.
Background:
Throughout her time in Congress, Ernst has also been a strong advocate for homegrown, Iowa biofuel, including by calling on the Biden White House to make E15 available year-round and country-wide, expand access to renewable fuel infrastructure necessary for bringing higher blends of biofuel to the pump, amend its harmful decision to set the Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) levels well below industry production capacity, and raise Renewable Fuel Standard volumes for biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuel.
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