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EPA’s Small Refinery Exemptions are hurting Hoosier farmers

The head of the Indiana Ethanol Producers Association says the EPA’s small refinery exemptions are hurting Hoosier farmers.

During his testimony at the EPA hearing on the proposed 2020 Renewable Fuels Standard supplemental rule this morning, Tim Phelps said the EPA has allowed the volume of SREs to increase by more than 485 percent – destroying demand for 4 billion gallons of renewable fuels.  “That’s nearly four times the annual production capacity of the state of Indiana,” he says.  “The pain on the ground in Indiana has been real.  With one ethanol plant permanently shutting down with more slowing down or slashing jobs.”

He says the EPA needs to stop abusing the small refinery exemption and restore the promise of the RFS.  “The EPA’s actions amount to a bailout for some of the globe’s largest companies,” he says.  “On the backs of struggling Hoosier farm families.”

Biofuels production in Indiana contributes more than $5.4 billion to the state’s economy. Dozens of farmers, retailers, and ethanol producers testified at a hearing on the EPA’s latest proposal for Renewable Fuels Standard volumes for 2020 in Michigan on Wednesday.