Despite repeated questioning from members of the House Agriculture Committee on the topic, EPA Administrator Michael Regan refused to say when, or if, the agency will grant emergency waivers to allow retail sales of E15 this summer. “If I give you an answer today I can guarantee you that somebody’s going to file into court and it’s going to be …
RFA CEO Discusses EPA Proposal
Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper held a telephone media call with reporters Thursday shortly after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its proposed rule to establish required Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes and percentage standards for 2023, 2024, and 2025, as well as to propose a series of important modifications to strengthen and expand the RFS program. …
RFA CEO Comments on EPA Final RFS Rules
The Environmental Protection Agency finalized a package of actions Friday setting biofuel volumes for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for years 2020, 2021, and 2022, and introducing regulatory changes intended to enhance the program’s objectives. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, the final regulatory actions taken by EPA “bring certainty back to the Renewable Fuel Standard and pave the …
Senators Press EPA Administrator on E15
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan appeared before the Environment and Public Works Committee Wednesday to talk about the agency’s budget request, but some senators wanted to know what he was going to do and when he was going to do it to make E15 (15% ethanol fuel) available in the summer months this year. Both Sens. Joni Ernst …
Biofuels Groups Comment on RFS Proposals at EPA Hearing
Ethanol and biodiesel industry representatives provided comments during a virtual hearing Tuesday on the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed renewable volume obligations for 2020 through 2022. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper kicked off the hearing for the ethanol industry with his comments that EPA’s proposal marks “an important and long-awaited step toward restoring order, integrity and stability to …
2021 NASDA Annual Meeting
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Hybrid Annual Meeting – Louisville, KY – Sept. 19-22 – hosted by NASDA president and Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles with the theme “Redefining Agriculture” U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, provide perspective on administration priorities and issues important to …
Grassley Challenges Biden Administration on Biofuels
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) gave a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday challenging the Biden Administration’s support of biofuels in general and ethanol in particular. “Reuters reported the Biden Administration is considering ways to allow U.S. oil refiners to not meet their biofuels blending requirements,” said Grassley. “The same administration has proposed hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies for …
Ethanol Report 4-28-21
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week on the appeal of a case over the Small Refinery Exemption program under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The case was decided unanimously last year by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, which held that only small refineries that have remained continuously exempt from obligations under the RFS are …
Vilsack and Regan at Agri-Pulse Ag and Food Policy Summit
The fifth annual Agri-Pulse Ag and Food Policy Summit was held virtually March 22-24, offering insight from members of Congress, political appointees, food and agricultural leaders from coast to coast, along with industry and academic experts with the theme: “Climate Risks, Rewards and Uncertainties.” Newly confirmed Biden appointees Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and EPA Administrator Michael Regan were among …
Senators Question EPA Nominee on RFS and WOTUS
The Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule and the Renewable Fuel Standard were two topics Environmental Protection Agency nominee Michael Regan addressed during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday. Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) called WOTUS the “one that everyone ought to be concerned about because that’s the number one issue.” Regan, who …
EPA Administrator Wheeler in Mississippi
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler was in Mississippi on Monday where he announced a $2 million dollar initiative that encourages smart and sustainable pest control in agriculture. The initiative, which is an extension of EPA’s Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP), expects to award grantees up to $200,000 to implement sustainable pest management practices that align with the …
EPA Finalizes Pesticide AEZ Rules
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler visited another farm this week to make an agricultural announcement. At Overman Farms in Goldsboro, N.C., Wheeler announced finalized improvements to requirements for the pesticide application exclusion zone (AEZ), the area surrounding pesticide application equipment during outdoor production pesticide applications. Listen to Wheeler’s announcement below and read more about the changes from EPA. (6:33)
EPA Announces Dicamba Registration Decision
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler at a Georgia cotton farm on Tuesday announced that EPA is approving new five-year registrations for two dicamba products and extending the registration of an additional dicamba product. All three registrations include new control measures to ensure these products can be used effectively while protecting the environment, including non-target plants, animals, and other …
EPA Administrator Wheeler Visits Ohio Farm
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler kicked off a swing through northeast Ohio Tuesday which included attending an Ohio Farm Bureau event on a dairy farm in Stark County where he highlighted EPA’s commitment to working with Ohio’s farmers on a number of environmental issues. During the event, Administrator Wheeler delivered remarks to a group of farmers highlighting President …
EPA and USDA Announce Next Gen Fertilizer Challenge
The Environmental Protection Agency has teamed up with USDA to advance agricultural sustainability with the Next Gen Fertilizer Challenges. The competition includes two challenges that seek proposals for new and existing fertilizer technologies to maintain or improve crop yields while reducing the impacts of fertilizers on the environment. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced …