WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp expressed support for the administration’s endorsement of the year-round sale of E15, which would support farmers and biofuel producers in North Dakota, but warned that other actions by the administration could harm the biofuel industry and threaten North Dakota jobs.

Heitkamp joined U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators expressing deep concerns about the administration’s actions to undermine the commitments the president has made to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt.

Recent reports indicate that dozens of waivers intended for small refineries have been granted to large, multi-billion dollar companies. These waivers hurt biofuel producers and farmers in North Dakota and across the country by effectively reducing biofuel demand by 1.5 billion gallons.

“Biofuels are an essential part of our all-of-the-above energy strategy, and farmers dealing with low commodity prices need to know that the administration intends to uphold its commitment to protect the RFS,” Heitkamp said. “While it’s encouraging that the president has expressed support for year-long E15 – which I’ve long advocated for – we have to make sure he follows through with that commitment, and I’m deeply concerned about other actions that could undermine year-round E15’s upshot to refineries and farmers. Granting small refinery biofuel waivers to large, multi-billion dollar companies is a violation of the administration’s commitment to biofuel producers and farmers, and I’ll keep fighting to protect this job-creating industry in North Dakota.”

Click here to read the bipartisan letter to Pruitt sent by Heitkamp, Grassley, Klobuchar, and others expressing concerns about the small refinery waivers.

Heitkamp has strongly supported North Dakota farmers and biofuel producers by repeatedly pressing the administration to uphold its commitment to a strong RFS. In a letter to Pruitt in March, Heitkamp reminded him of the commitment he made to support the RFS.

Last fall, Heitkamp led a bipartisan push urging EPA to increase its proposed 2019 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) for biodiesel to encourage growth in the industry and support good jobs in North Dakota, and abandon its effort to reduce biofuel production in 2018. 

According to a study conducted last year by LMC International and released by the National Biodiesel Board, the 2.1 billion gallons of biodiesel and renewable diesel used by Americans in 2015 supported 47,400 jobs and $1.9 billion in wages, and had an $8.4 billion economic impact.

In North Dakota, nearly 50 percent of corn can be turned into ethanol, according to the North Dakota Corn Growers Association, reinforcing how important it is that we maintain a robust biofuels market through the Renewable Fuel Standard.

As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Heitkamp has been a vocal advocate for biodiesel and ethanol – industries that support over 400,000 American jobs, including many in North Dakota. Heitkamp has fought for the EPA to provide certainty to farmers and biofuels workers, and has continually pressed the agency to issue a strong RFS rule.

In 2016, EPA released final 2017 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) for ethanol and advanced biofuels, and 2018 RVOs for biodiesel under the RFS. As Heitkamp had long pushed for, the corn ethanol blend levels met the statutory requirements for the first time in years. The EPA is required by law to set fuel blending levels annually so biodiesel and ethanol producers can plan for the future, but the agency failed to do so for years, creating uncertainty for farmers as well as advanced biofuels research and development.

After the EPA released its proposed RVOs in May 2016, Heitkamp called on the Administration to set more ambitious targets, as the law requires. She followed up on this in a call with Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shaun Donovan. Heitkamp also helped lead 40 senators in urging the Administration to increase biodiesel RVOs to encourage continued industry growth and diversity in the nation’s energy supply.

Heitkamp led the charge in the Senate to successfully push the EPA to set timely RVOs in 2015 for the first time in years. When the RVOs released in May 2015 were lower than levels needed to comply with law and promote the ethanol and biofuels industries, Heitkamp led a bipartisan group of 36 senators in calling on the EPA to increase the RVOs, and joined a bipartisan group of more than 40 senators to put pressure on the EPA for strong corn ethanol blend levels in June 2016.