Ernst, Iowa Members Urge President Biden to Uphold Promise to Support Biofuels

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) joined Representative Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa), along with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Representatives Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), in urging President Biden to uphold his promise to support biofuels.

 

President Biden previously pledged to “promote and advance renewable energy, ethanol, and other biofuels to help rural America.” However, the administration’s proposed infrastructure bill would spend $174 billion to subsidize electric vehicles while hardly mentioning the biofuel industry.

 

In the letter, the Iowa members write, “It is our hope that your administration will come to the table to support the proven solution that biofuels provide to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector as quickly as possible. The administration should support flex-fuel vehicles and cost-effective infrastructure improvements that will pave the way to higher biofuel blends.”

 

The members also urged President Biden to recognize the ability for biofuels to be a permanent clean energy solution as developments in farming practices and in carbon capture technology are moving biofuels closer to becoming net carbon negative.

 

“Biofuels provide an immediate solution to help decarbonize our transportation sector while supporting rural America and providing a low carbon, cost effective choice to consumers,” the members continued. “Biofuels should not be treated as a transition fuel, but prioritized as a fuel of the future.”

 

For the full letter, click here.

 

Background:

After a recent report found that greenhouse gas emissions from corn ethanol are 46% lower than gasoline, Senator Ernst introduced bipartisan legislation requiring the Biden Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update its greenhouse gas modeling for ethanol and biodiesel and to fully recognize biofuel’s environmental benefits.

 

Ernst also joined Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in introducing a bill that directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a grant program to support the deployment of renewable fuel infrastructure.

 

Ernst joined her colleagues in urging EPA to take action to restore integrity in the RFS, including streamlining their proposed rule to remove certain barriers to expanded sales of E15.

 

Following President Biden’s executive action to begin transitioning federal government vehicles to electric vehicles, Ernst urged him to change course by instead promoting the adoption of higher biofuel blends and investing in expanding biofuel infrastructure.