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Iowa Corn Farmers Cheated out of a Good Farm Economy Due to RFS Abuse

December 19, 2019

The abuse of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) continues as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released today the final 2020 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) that does not reflect the deal President Trump agreed to on October 4, 2019.  The finalized rule incorporates the Wheeler plan that merely estimates future small refinery waivers based on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) recommendations. ICGA supports a simple, mathematical solution by averaging the past three years of actual waivers granted, then adding those gallons back into the RFS. ICGA’s supported resolution would have created market certainty, so as not to rely on the EPA or DOE Administrators for their annual decisions.

“Apparently President Trump doesn’t care about his promise to Iowa’s farmers. He had the opportunity to tell his EPA to stick to the deal that was made on October 4,” said ICGA President Jim Greif. “I can say for certain that ICGA pushed for a positive outcome, and we didn’t go down without a fight.”

“The Environmental Protection Agency seems to be more concerned with politics than cleaner-burning, healthy air with renewable fuels. It was as simple as following the original October 4 agreement with our elected officials and here we are with empty promises and no market certainty,” said Kelly Nieuwenhuis, ICGA member from Primghar and Chair of the Iowa Corn Industrial Usage and U.S. Production committee.

During the comment period for the supplemental rule, ICGA sent out two calls to action with one directed at the EPA and the other at the President. Altogether the calls to action gathered over 1,000 farmer comments. Additionally, ICGA held a press conference along with other biofuels groups, worked with our entire delegation of public leaders, as well as attended roundtables, townhall meetings and EPA’s public hearing in Ypsilanti, MI. The final push was a meeting by ICGA with the Director of the U.S. National Economic Council, Larry Kudlow, at the White House earlier this week.

ICGA extends a thank you to each Iowa Corn member, farmer, ethanol supporter, and our public officials who have worked diligently together with Iowa’s corn farmers to maintain the critically important RFS.

“On behalf of Iowa Corn Growers Association members, we are frustrated with this lack of interest in defending markets for ethanol and renewable fuels. ICGA will not stop fighting for market access for corn in all forms,” said Greif.

For More Information:

Brandi Snyder, Public Relations Manager, bsnyder@iowacorn.org, 515-225-9242

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