Finstad, Sen. Ricketts Lead Bicameral Letter to EPA on Mishandling of RFS Rule

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) and Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) led 13 Members of both the House and Senate in sending a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan expressing disappointment in EPA’s handling of the Renewable Fuel Standard Renewable Volume Obligations after the agency held partisan briefings for Democratic offices on June 20, 2023, prior to the release of the Set Rule last Wednesday.

“EPA chose to leak the final Renewable Fuel Standards rule to select offices during market trading hours, putting at risk billions of dollars in the market value of renewable fuels companies,” said Rep. Finstad. “Alarmingly, while the announcement alone failed to recognize industry’s projected production – threatening biofuel expansion in farm country and increasing our reliance on foreign energy – the agency’s rollout and blatant partisanship makes the rule all the more shameful, which is why my colleagues and I are demanding answers from Administrator Regan.”

“Administrator Regan and the EPA know support for our renewable fuels is bipartisan, and there was absolutely no reason for the preview of this rule to be Democrats-only,” said Senator Ricketts. “The implications of doing a partisan briefing just before markets close are extremely concerning. I’m committed to ensuring a strong future for American biofuels as part of our nation’s energy portfolio, but we cannot accomplish that if the Biden administration is determined to make it a closed-door, hyper-partisan issue.”

Additional co-signers of the letter include U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and U.S. Representatives Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Zach Nunn (IA-03), Randy Feenstra (IA-04), Mike Flood (NE-01),  Adrian Smith (NE-03), Mark Alford (MO-04), and Dusty Johnson (SD-AL).

Full text of the letter can be found here.