As Biden Weighs “Bailouts” for Big Oil, Ernst Holds President Accountable for His Campaign Promises
Ernst leads letter to Biden: “While we are aware of the power of the oil lobby, and its efforts to influence your administration, I urge you not to bend to their demands to undercut the RFS…”
RED OAK, Iowa – With
reports indicating the Biden Administration is weighing bailouts for Big Oil and undermining the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is holding President Biden accountable for the promises he made on the campaign trail to support the biofuel industry and the family farmers who rely on it.
Ernst is leading a letter to Biden, along with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and others, reminding the president of his statements during his campaign supposedly supporting biofuel in light of recent reports about his consideration of bending to the demands of Big Oil.
The lawmakers write: “During your campaign for President, you indicated your support for biofuel and your intent to 'promote and advance renewable energy, ethanol and other biofuel.' […] Yet now that you are president, having no doubt heard the same tired and debunked complaints from big oil refiners about the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) harming them, you are reportedly considering bailouts for these refineries, which would undermine the biofuel industry and the family farmers who rely on it.”
They go on: “While we are aware of the power of the oil lobby, and its efforts to influence your administration, I urge you not to bend to their demands to undercut the RFS, by either reducing annual blending obligations, or any by other means that destroys demand for clean renewable ethanol and biodiesel. The farmers and biofuel industries in our states would welcome the same access to your National Climate Advisor to discuss shared priorities.”
Ernst has been a longtime champion of Iowa’s biofuel producers and farmers and a fierce defender of the RFS. Just recently, Ernst and Grassley sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on recent actions by the Biden Administration that have the potential to harm Iowa’s agriculture industry, including the rumored plans to undercut the RFS.
