Will the EPA budge on new fuel standards for 2014? Many in the industry and 169 members of Congress are certainly hoping so. Citing increasing volatility in the ethanol price market and the growing loss of corn in the agricultural market, Congress sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Gina McCarthy, asking her to reconsider the current standard target set for 2014.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) has said, “Whether it’s increasing amounts of ethanol in the fuel or higher food and feed prices, the RFS continues to negatively impact Americans and the economy.”
Needless to say, those who support the EPA’s stance on ethanol standards are strongly against the pleas of Congress. The CEO of Growth Energy, Tom Buis, countered Goodlatte’s statement claiming, “Renewable fuels reduce our dependence of foreign oil, strengthening both our national and energy security, while creating jobs that cannot be outsourced and improving our environment, all while providing consumers a choice and savings at the pump.”
The coming weeks will reveal the McCarthy’s stance on the urgings of Congress and those of the pro-ethanol groups.
Jill Donovan, a graduate of California’s Polytechnic University in San Louis Obispo, is the Communications Director for Nouveau Corporation.