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RFA head hopes Pruitt ‘learned a lesson’ on RFS

The head of the Renewable Fuels Association, Bob Dinneen, says he hopes EPA administrator Scott Pruitt has “learned a lesson” when it comes to the Renewable Fuel Standard.

“I am hopeful that Administrator Pruitt will now get the message that the RFS is a policy not to be tinkered with,” Dinneen tells Brownfield. “You know, implement the law. Allow biofuels to grow. Don’t look for ways to nibble away at the program to accommodate the business plan of some oil company.”

Under heavy pressure from farm state lawmakers and other biofuels supporters, Pruitt announced Thursday that the EPA will abandon proposed changes to the RFS. He also promised to take a closer look at the regulation that prevents year-round sales of E15, which Dinneen says is a “hopeful sign”.

“If indeed he learned a lesson this week, it is to be looking for ways to maximize the use of renewable fuels, not to be imposing artificial barriers to growth,” he says. “The best way to do that is by allowing E15 to be marketed year-round so that consumers have access to that higher octane, lower cost fuel.”

Dinneen says the biofuels industry will be watching closely “to make sure his (Pruitt’s) actions match up with his rhetoric”.

AUDIO: Bob Dinneen