Ethanol plant managers, workers ask Trump to defend RFS

Plant managers, general managers, and CEOs from 150 biofuel production facilities urged President Donald Trump Wednesday to continue to “stand strong in defense of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).”

Trump met last week with ethanol and oil industry stakeholders, including RFA members, to discuss the RFS and Renewable Identification Numbers. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has proposed capping RIN prices at 10 cents, potentially in exchange for allowing the year-round sale of E15, the Renewable Fuels Association noted in a news release.

“We’ve seen Texas Sen. Ted Cruz attempt to confuse stakeholders about the RFS, claiming that his attack on Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) is not an attack on our jobs. Nothing could be further from the truth,” wrote the plant managers.

“There is no way to cut, cap, or eliminate RINs without cutting, capping, or eliminating gallons of homegrown fuel. These gimmicks would eliminate market access for higher ethanol blends, and they are deal-killers for rural America.”

–The Hagstrom Report