Officials Offer Reactions to HollyFrontier Ruling
Several Nebraska and Iowa public officials released statements following last Friday’s ruling in HollyFrontier Cheyenne Refining, LLC v. Renewable Fuels Association:
“Today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on small refinery exemptions is disappointing and hurts farm families across the state,” said Governor Ricketts. “Regardless of the Court’s decision, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can still take steps to enforce a robust Renewable Fuel Standard. I strongly urge President Biden and his administration to take clear steps to support our farm families, and to stop the broad use of waivers.”
– Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts
“Today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court is a disappointing setback for Iowa agriculture and our renewable fuel industry. The decision not only undermines demand for ethanol and biodiesel, but creates an environment where waivers could grow exponentially.
“Now more than ever we need the Biden Administration to take a clear stance against small refinery exemptions in order to limit the negative impact of this ruling. The Administration should now set robust annual renewable volume obligations and clear all additional hurdles for consumers to access cost-effective, clean-burning renewable fuels.
“Despite what happened today, the fight is far from over and we will never back down in defense of this essential Iowa industry.”
— Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds
“I am extremely disappointed by today’s Supreme Court ruling, which comes on the heels of reports that the Biden administration is considering reducing blending obligations for refineries. These small refinery exemptions and the opaque process by which they are issued are unfair to the hardworking farmers and ethanol producers in the Heartland. When considering the 2021 and 2022 Renewable Volume Obligations as well as the 70 pending SREs, I strongly urge the Biden administration to uphold its commitment to strengthen and protect the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard.”
— U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer
“We are concerned with the potential consequences of today’s Supreme Court’s decision, which could have a devastating impact on farmers and producers who are still fighting to recover from the volatile markets, unpredictable weather, and trade instability of the past several years. However, we are encouraged that the Environmental Protection Agency had reversed its position on small refinery exemptions prior to the Supreme Court’s final opinion, and we urge the Administration to apply the same logic in deciding not to grant future waivers. Today’s decision underscores the importance of the RFS Integrity Act; we will continue to fight for the enactment of this legislation to support family farmers and the clean biofuels industry.”
— Bipartisan House Biofuels Caucus,
including Rep. Adrian Smith of Nebraska
and Rep. Cindy Axne of Iowa
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