EPA eased hardship waiver criteria four months before court decision

May 16, 2019 |

In Washington, Reuters reports that the Environmental Protection Agency eased its hardship waiver application approval criteria four months before the legal case that it uses to justify the easier process that has been saving the oil industry money while jeopardizing the ethanol industry.

“EPA repeatedly told Congress its hands were tied and blamed the courts. That appears to have been a lie. EPA also said it was following Department of Energy recommendations. We also know that’s bunk. I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” Senator Chuck Grassley said. “I’ve asked EPA more times than I can count about how it makes its decisions to grant exemptions, and now that its excuses have turned out to be untrue, I’m going to demand answers. Hardship waivers should be the exception, not the rule. Executive branch agencies don’t make law, they implement law as intended by Congress. Former Administrator Pruitt’s use of the waiver process as a backdoor means to help the entire oil industry is in direct violation of a plain reading of the law. Congress has a clear oversight responsibility to see that EPA implements the law as intended. The time for stonewalling is over. After two years of dishonesty, Midwest farmers and biofuels workers deserve the truth.”

Category: Fuels

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