FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2018

Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106
[email protected]

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump today announced the administration’s intentions to allow the use of E15 gasoline in summer months and bring greater transparency to the trading of biofuel credits, known as Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs). The announcement is an attempt to mitigate a bitter battle between U.S. biofuel and oil industries over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the nation’s premier biofuel policy.

National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson said family farmers are encouraged by the move that will allow for increased use of higher blends of ethanol, but that the compromise is a “net loss” in demand for farm products at a time when family farmers are going out of business because of low farm prices. Johnson released the following statement in response to the President’s announcement:

“Allowing use of E15 gasoline year-round is an important step toward realizing a renewable energy future for transportation fuel sector, and we’re appreciative of the administration’s support for higher level blends of ethanol.

“At the same time, this ‘compromise’ does nothing to address the billions of gallons of ethanol demand that were lost as a result of the EPA’s RFS waiver handouts to oil refiners. Family farmers are in significant financial distress right now, and the administration’s surreptitious biofuel demand destruction has made matters worse. The bottom line here is that if the President wants to do right by his promises to support family farmers and American grown biofuels, his administration must support net increases in biofuel use. Even with an E15 waiver, family farmers are at a net loss in biofuel demand over the past two years.”

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To download an audio file of Roger Johnson’s quote, visit our website at nfu.org/audio.

About NFU
National Farmers Union advocates on behalf of nearly 200,000 American farm families and their communities. We envision a world in which farm families and their communities are respected, valued, and enjoy economic prosperity and social justice.

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