U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue said today, that President Trump to act on ethanol waivers.
While attending an Ag Policy Summit at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Purdue said that it was “disappointing” that the Environmental Protection Agency has granted the wavers, which allow exceptions for oil refineries from national bio-fuel law.
The U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard requires that refineries must blend corn-based ethanol into their gasoline or buy credits from those refineries that do.
However small facilities can secure exemptions from the program as long as they can prove to the EPA that complying would cause them a financial hardship.
According to the Associated Press, Ethanol advocates contend that the waivers have quadrupled since President Trump took office, reducing ethanol production by 2.6 billion gallons.
The AP reported that Purdue did not give specifics on what actions Trump will take, but that the President believes the EPA actions were “way overdone”