WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2016 - Trump’s
early interest in the ethanol industry is giving biofuels supporters a strong
sense of confidence heading into the next administration. Before he had even
announced his candidacy, Trump toured Iowa ethanol plants and spoke in no
uncertain terms about his support for the Renewable Fuel Standard.
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and the
state’s two U.S. senators, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, were early, vocal
supporters of Trump, helping him carry that swing state, and they’re certain to
push his administration to boost biofuel mandates.
Ethanol groups Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels
Association (RFA) say they are confident that president-elect Donald Trump will
support ethanol and the Renewable Fuel
Standard (RFS).
In separate statements, Growth Energy CEO Emily
Skor and Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob
Dinneen say they look forward to working with the new administration – each
noting Trump’s oft-expressed backing for ethanol and the RFS.
“President-elect Trump has publicly supported the Renewable
Fuel Standard throughout his campaign, and consistently opposed any efforts to
roll back this policy,” says Skor. “In fact, the RFS was one issue where both
candidates found common ground, and we applaud their recognition of the
importance that biofuels like ethanol play in fueling our country.”
Skor calls the RFS “our nation’s most successful energy
policy” and says Growth Energy will work with the Trump administration to
continue expanding market access for biofuels including E15.
Dinneen says he’ll work with the new administration to
remove “unnecessary volatility restrictions that have discouraged market
acceptance of higher level ethanol blends” and which have “created unreasonable
administrative burdens” on gasoline marketers willing to offer these fuels to
consumers.
Dinneen adds that RFA is also eager to work with the new administration
on “myriad trade challenges that the U.S. ethanol industry currently faces.
“A core principle of the Trump campaign has been putting America
first and more aggressively pursuing fair trade agreements that recognize the
value of American products,” Dinneen says.
But President Obama also backed the RFS as a senator and as a candidate, and it
took a lawsuit to force his EPA to release the annual volumetric requirements
on time. Trump’s EPA is likely to get as much pressure as Obama’s to hold
down the mandates. Oil refiners are likely to have more
influence with Trump’s EPA than Obama’s, and Trump’s EPA transition leader is
Myron Ebell, a climate change skeptic who has been critical of the RFS.
Tim Cheung, a biofuel industry analyst at ClearView Energy Partners,
said in an email to Agri-Pulse
that Trump could use his waiver authority more broadly than Obama has, potentially leading to “lower conventional and advanced biofuel
targets under the RFS.”
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