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Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach (MN-07) joined nearly 30 colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to recently confirmed Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin. The letter emphasizes the important role of the American biofuels industry in maximizing energy abundance and affordability while encouraging the EPA to issue timely and science-driven guidance to fulfill the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS).
Key excerpts from the letter:
Steady growth in U.S. biofuel production means more American fuel in the marketplace and lower prices at the pump for hardworking families who have spent years suffering under high inflation. Homegrown fuels serve as a bulwark against price manipulation by foreign, state-owned oil exporters. They also promise to play a central role in fulfilling our vision for strengthening the farm economy, supporting domestic processing, and revitalizing rural communities. Ethanol contributed more than $54 billion to U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023, accounting for 28 percent of U.S. farming GDP while sustaining over 394,000 jobs. Similarly, the U.S. biodiesel and renewable diesel industry, with plants and markets across the country, supports 75,200 U.S. jobs and pays $3.6 billion in annual wages. Bio-based diesel drives more than $23.2 billion in annual economic activity.
. . .
Under your leadership, we request the EPA put the RFS back on track by providing a path for growth for all biofuels and rejecting proposals to undermine the statute and destabilize the market.
. . .
Additionally, EPA must eliminate decades-old regulatory barriers to growth so all retailers in all 50 states can offer E15 year-round if they so choose. E15 lowers gas prices for consumers, creates new markets for our farmers and helps reduce our energy dependence from foreign countries. To account for innovation in technology, feedstocks, fuel utilization, and carbon sequestration, EPA must ensure timely administrative actions which encourage growth in the industry.
Read the full letter here.
Congresswoman Fischbach’s office
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