ACE issues call to action to ethanol industry on EPA Administrator nomination

In South Dakota, the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) issued a call-to-action to its grassroots membership urging ethanol supporters to contact their U.S. Senators about the nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Mr. Pruitt needs a majority vote of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and if so, 51 votes in the full U.S. Senate to earn confirmation as the next EPA Administrator.  As is Senate custom, Pruitt is beginning individual meetings with Senators about his confirmation.

“We encourage you to contact your Senators and urge them to secure commitments from Mr. Pruitt to remove regulatory restrictions on the use of E15 and flex fuels and to publicly agree with President-elect Trump’s position in support of the U.S. ethanol industry and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) before agreeing to cast affirmative votes for Pruitt during the confirmation process,” ACE said in the call-to-action.

While President-elect Trump enthusiastically campaigned in support of ethanol, as the Oklahoma Attorney General, Mr. Pruitt filed a “friend of the court” brief in support of a lawsuit by the American Petroleum Institute and Grocery Manufacturers Association to overturn EPA’s approval of E15 for 2001 model-year and newer vehicles. Moreover, Mr. Pruitt has called the RFS “unworkable.”

“Given the role EPA has in clearing regulatory roadblocks for ethanol to compete in the marketplace, it is critically important for ACE members and ethanol advocates from all walks-of-life to encourage their U.S. Senators to ensure Mr. Pruitt will keep the RFS on track and remove government restrictions on the use of higher blends of ethanol before they vote to confirm him to lead EPA,” according to ACE.