Ricketts Leads Bipartisan Resolution Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Recently, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, led a bipartisan resolution celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The resolution was co-led by Senator Amy Klobuchar with Representatives Max Miller (R-OH-07) and Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13). Ricketts is a longtime champion of renewable fuels, leading yearly resolutions designating May as Renewable Fuels Month and biofuel market expansion legislation.
“The Renewable Fuel Standard is one of the federal government’s most successful clean fuels policies,” said Senator Ricketts. “For two decades, renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel have saved consumers money, supported Nebraska agriculture, cleaned our environment, and unleashed American energy. I appreciate my colleagues’ support for this resolution.”
“For two decades, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has been one of the most successful federal fuels policies improving energy security, lowering consumer fuel prices, creating good-paying jobs in rural America, and boosting the farm economy,” said Rep. Miller, the resolution’s lead in the House. “I’m proud to join the effort to drive energy dominance and economic opportunity here in Ohio and throughout the nation.”
Co-sponsors of the resolution include U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Representatives Max Miller (R-OH-07), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), Adrian Smith (R-NE-3), Angie Craig, (D-MN-2), Mike Flood (R-NE-1), Don Bacon (R-NE-2), Mike Bost (R-IL-12), Randy Feenstra (R-IA-4), and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-1).
The text of the resolution can be found here.
“Over the past two decades, the Renewable Fuel Standard has delivered tremendous benefits for our nation-reducing dependence on foreign oil, lowering fuel costs for consumers, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs across rural America, and strengthening the agricultural economy,” said Geoff Cooper, President and CEO, Renewable Fuels Association. “It has spurred market competition and expanded choices at the pump for drivers nationwide. We’re thrilled to see Congress commemorating this milestone with a strong bipartisan resolution, and we applaud Senator Pete Ricketts, Representative Max Miller, and the many lawmakers who joined in honoring one of the most successful and forward-looking energy policies in U.S. history.”
“Since it was signed into law, the Renewable Fuel Standard has provided immeasurable benefits to Americans,” said Kenneth Hartman Jr., Illinois farmer and NCGA President. “It has dramatically increased demand for corn, provided significant savings to consumers at the pump and strengthened America’s energy dominance.”
“Clean Fuels thanks Sen. Pete Ricketts and Rep. Max Miller and their colleagues for honoring the Renewable Fuel Standard’s foundational role in strengthening America’s energy and farm security,”said Kurt Kovarik, Vice President of Federal Affairs, Clean Fuels Alliance America. “Under the RFS, U.S. biodiesel and renewable diesel production has grown from a few hundred million gallons to 5 billion gallons, meeting 9 percent of the nation’s on-road diesel demand. Biodiesel and renewable diesel production is vital for America’s economy, supporting $42.4 billion in economic opportunity, and essential to America’s farmers, supporting 10% of the value of every soybean grown in the United States. With robust RFS volumes proposed for the coming years, the benefits keep growing.”
“For 20 years, the Renewable Fuel Standard has been a powerful tool in providing policy certainty and market access for the biofuels industry, laying the foundation of the American bioeconomy,” said Tue Micheelsen, President, Novonesis North America. “The RFS helps drive innovation, create consumer choice at the pump, reduce emissions from the transportation sector, and bolster U.S. energy security. At Novonesis, we’re proud to have been a trusted partner throughout this journey—and we’re just getting started. We remain committed to supporting the RFS for decades to come by delivering cutting-edge biosolutions that help our customers maximize the value of homegrown feedstocks to the fullest potential, leading to prosperous rural economies.”
“As the Renewable Fuel Standard marks its 20th anniversary, we reflect on a landmark program that has strengthened America’s energy security while delivering significant benefits to American agriculture,” said Devin Mogler, President and CEO, National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA). “Over the past two decades, the RFS has spurred demand for domestically grown oilseeds, encouraged investment in U.S. processing facilities, and supported the growth of advanced biofuels. By ensuring more of our soybeans are crushed here, the program adds value domestically and creates new opportunities for U.S. farmers and rural communities. NOPA remains committed to working with policymakers to ensure the RFS continues to advance American agriculture and our nation’s energy future.”
“The RFS has created new grain markets and supported rural communities, all while lowering costs at the pump,” said Joshua Shields, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs, POET. “As the bioethanol industry increased from less than one to over ten percent of the nation’s fuel supply, farm income nearly tripled, and land values more than doubled. Looking ahead, expanding biofuels in the U.S. will strengthen the nation’s energy security and deliver lasting benefits to America’s farmers and rural communities.”
“The RFS is the foundation of America’s bioeconomy,” said Emily Skor, CEO, Growth Energy. “It supports hundreds of thousands of rural jobs and has shielded an entire generation of drivers from volatility in global oil markets. More than 10 percent of U.S. fuel supplies now come from renewable sources like ethanol, representing billions of gallons in savings. And it’s still fueling growth. As part of a drive toward U.S. energy dominance, the U.S. EPA recently proposed to set biofuel blending at the highest volume in the history of the program. Those numbers aren’t yet final, and the EPA still needs to address petitions from refiners seeking to skirt the RFS, but if we remain on a growth trajectory, the benefits to American motorists and farmers are overwhelming.”
“For 20 years, the Renewable Fuels Standard has strengthened American farmers, manufacturing, and energy security,” said Nick Smith, President, North America Energy and Biofuels, ADM. Today, our domestic biofuel industry supports hundreds of thousands of good jobs across the American Heartland. Our farmers know that they have access to a key market and help fuel our cars and trucks. ADM appreciates the work of Congressman Miller, Senator Ricketts and all the cosponsors for recognizing the 20th Anniversary of this important policy. We remain committed to the continued growth and success of our domestic biofuel industry.”
“The RFS has created new grain markets and supported rural communities, all while lowering costs at the pump,” said Joshua Shields, POET Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs. “As the bioethanol industry increased from less than one to over ten percent of the nation’s fuel supply, farm income nearly tripled, and land values more than doubled. Looking ahead, expanding biofuels in the U.S. will strengthen the nation’s energy security and deliver lasting benefits to America’s farmers and rural communities.”
BACKGROUND:
The Renewable Fuels Standard is the federal government’s most successful clean fuels policy. Established in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the RFS requires oil refiners to blend volumes of renewable fuels into the transportation fuel supply. The marketplace certainty and predictability of the RFS spurred a surge of investment in biorefineries and renewable fuel production facilities across the country.
Nebraska is the nation’s second-largest ethanol producer. Nebraska’s 25 ethanol plants produce nearly 2.2 billion gallons annually. Those plants provide more than 1,800 jobs with an average salary of nearly $80,000. Overall, their annual economic impact is more than $6 billion.