Hinson Says Bill Would Protect Ethanol Blends

December 06, 2021

Print This Article Share it With Friends

by Dar Danielson (Radio Iowa) Iowa Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says two Democrats are co-sponsoring a bill with her dealing with ethanol. “There are a lot of rumors circulating that the EPA might retroactively reduce the biofuels blending requirements for 2020. So, I felt it was imperative that we had to act,” she says.

The goal is to stop the EPA. “It’s a move that is not only illegal — but it would be detrimental to Iowa’s biofuels industry,” Hinson says. Hinson says the Defend the Blend Act would hold the administration accountable. READ MORE

Growth Energy supports Defend the Blend Act (Biofuels International)

THE CORN STATES STRIKE BACK: (Politico's Morning Energy)

Klobuchar, Grassley Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Provide Certainty To Biofuel Producers (Public Now)

Senators introduce bill to defend RFS (Farm Progress)

Grassley takes RFS concerns to Regan in private phone call (Agri-Pulse)

Defend the Blend Act Introduced in Senate (Energy.AgWired.com)

Klobuchar, Grassley introduce Defend the Blend Act (Ethanol Producer Magazine)

RFA Thanks Senators for Introducing ‘Defend the Blend’ Bill to Stop Retroactive RFS Cuts (Renewable Fuels Association)

Klobuchar, Grassley Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Provide Certainty To Biofuel Producers (MyAlbertLea)

Ethanol Coalition Supports the Defend the Blend Act (GrainNet/American Coalition for Ethanol)

KIND SAYS MOMENTUM IS BUILDING FOR DEFEND THE BLEND ACT (Brownfield Ag News)

Excerpt from Politico's Morning Energy: THE CORN STATES STRIKE BACK: A bipartisan bunch of biofuel backing senators are introducing a bill today to bar EPA from retroactively lowering 2020 biofuel blending targets. The Defend the Blend Act, introduced by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and cosponsored by Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), would prohibit lowering the minimum applicable volume of biofuels once levels are finalized for any given year. Reps. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), and Ron Kind (D-Wis.) introduced companion legislation (H.R. 6071) in the House last month.

EPA released its blending proposals last week, retroactively lowering targets for 2020 to soften the burden for refineries reeling from the pandemic and raising them for 2022. The 2020 target was a blow to ethanol backers, who say it would harm farmers who also had to deal with decreased demand. READ MORE