12/07/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/07/2021 16:18
WASHINGTON, DC. - U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, released the following statement after the EPA announced Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) for 2020 retroactively, 2021, and 2022:
"The Biden administration claims to care about addressing climate change but is giving big oil a huge break at the expense of the farmers in the Heartland who produce cleaner fuel. That doesn't add up. Retroactively lowering the 2020 RVOs and setting low 2021 RVOs is a betrayal of the hardworking men and women of rural America.
"To pile on, the administration is trying to conceal this bad news by taking credit for biofuels COVID-19 assistance I fought for that Congress passed and President Trump approved in 2020. The administration held this assistance back for three extra months and is releasing it now to distract Americans from its actions. Further, it appears the administration has intentionally delayed denying 65 small refinery exemptions until today, instead of letting the biofuel industry know sooner and providing certainty.
"The administration has broken its promises. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to fight for fairness and certainty for our ethanol producers."
During the 2020 presidential campaign, then candidate Joe Biden said : "The Renewable Fuel Standard marks our bond with our farmers and our commitment to a thriving rural economy."
Senator Fischer fought to include assistance for farmers and ethanol producers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the consolidated appropriations bill, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2020.
Senator Fischer's actions to support biofuel producers:
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