US senators urge EPA to increase biodiesel production volumes

A group of 36 US senators from both major parties have sent an open letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging it to increase the biodiesel production volumes proposed under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

The letter comes in the aftermath of EPA setting a lower limit on biodiesel production than originally envisioned by the US Congress, which has drawn heavy criticism from both the biofuel industry and US lawmakers.

In the letter, the senators voice their concern of EPA failing to recognise domestic US biodiesel industry’s production capacity.

‘While the proposal put forward by EPA is an improvement over the November 2013 proposal, it would only grow biodiesel volumes to 1.9 billion gallons by 2017 which is just slightly more than the industry’s actual production of more than 1.8 billion gallons in 2013.

‘We believe the domestic biodiesel industry is fully capable of additional growth and urge the EPA to revise the volumes in the final rule,’ the letter reads.

The group – led by Republicans Chuck Grassley, Iowa and Roy Blunt, Missouri, and Democrats Patty Murray, Washington and Heidi Heitkamp, North Dakota – also says EPA’s actions over the past year have created tremendous uncertainty and hardship for US biodiesel industry and that levels need to be reconsidered to prevent domestic product from being replaced by imports.

EPA is expected to finalise the volume rulings by 30 November, with the public comment period closing on 27 July.