National Biodiesel Board Thanks Senators For Urging EPA to Reject Exemption Petitions

Washington, DC - The National Biodiesel Board thanks the bipartisan group of 16 Senators who today urged EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to immediately reject the 52 recently filed exemption petitions for prior compliance years.

The letter expresses the Senators' frustration and alarm that Administrator Wheeler is considering exemptions for refineries that either did not submit petitions or were not granted waivers in past years but are now seeking to circumvent a January 2020 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit.

Kurt Kovarik, NBB's VP of Federal Affairs, states, "Biodiesel producers and soybean farmers across the country are already facing unprecedented economic challenges.

A brand-new flood of unlawful small refinery exemptions is guaranteed to compound the damage from the past several years.

"The Senators are exactly right that EPA should immediately reject these petitions as inconsistent with a federal court decision.

"We thank Senators Amy Klobuchar and Joni Ernst for their leadership."

The letter is signed by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Gary Peters (D-MI), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), John Thune (R-SD), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Deb Fischer (R-NE).

A copy of the letter is available for download.

For more information, please contact Paul Winters at 202-737-8803 or pwinters@biodiesel.org