EPA officials visit a farm; will ’seeking first to understand’ lead to new era of high effectiveness at EPA?

In Iowa, U.S. Senator Charles Grassley today hosted senior EPA officials at a Newton, Iowa biodiesel plant managed by Renewable Energy Group. Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation at EPA, and Margo Oge, Director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality at EPA were the visitors.

The invitation was initially issued by Senator Grassley in comments to Biofuels Digest, after it was revealed in House testimony on indirect land use change that the senior EPA official in charge of regulating farm-based biofuels had never visited an American farm.

Grant Kimberly, whose farm near Maxwell was the site of the visit that was arranged over the summer by the EPA and Grassley’s office, told Radio Iowa that “the D.C. folks were apprehensive when they arrived,” but added that after climbing on a combine, “I could see that they were certainly engaged and listening and very excited to be here.” Kimberly described the dialogue as warm and said that the officials had invited him to Washington and said that the visit was helpful.

Grassley said in remarks to reporters that “the idea is to bring them out here and acquaint them with American agriculture, and Iowa agriculture — in particular, the institution of the family farm — in order so when they’re making decisions that affect farming they know more about farming.”

The tour included a session on low carbon fuel standards as well as the EPA’s AgSTAR program, followed by a family farm visit and a tour of the REG biodiesel facility.

Biofuels Digest editor Jim Lane, who initially contacted Senator Grassley following EPA House testimony, said that “Steven Covey wrote that ’seeking first to understand’ was one of the seven habits of highly effective people. This visit gives hope that EPA will commence a new era of effectiveness.”

Of the visit, Manning Feraci, NBB Vice President for Federal Affairs noted “Biodiesel stakeholders have made important business decisions based on the modest biodiesel volume requirements provided for in RFS-2.  Yet the regulatory steps needed to enforce these renewable goals have not been implemented, and the domestic biodiesel industry is suffering as a result.  We appreciate Senator Grassley inviting EPA officials to Iowa to see first-hand the need to implement a workable RFS-2 program that capitalizes on the energy security, economic, and environmental benefits associated with the domestic production and use of biodiesel.”

“We thank Senator Grassley for hosting this event and hope this will help the EPA appreciate the biodiesel industry’s plight and the need to for immediate steps to implement the RFS-2 biodiesel volume goals required by law,” concluded Feraci.

The visit highlighted the challenges facing the biodiesel industry in Iowa and the need for the Environmental Protection Agency to take interim steps to implement the biodiesel volume goals under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS-2) as enacted in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA).

The RFS-2 program, which by statute was supposed to be fully implemented by January 1, 2009, provides for the use of 500 million gallons of Biomass-based Diesel in 2009 and 650 million gallons in 2010.  According to the National Biodiesel Board, these renewable volume targets are not currently being enforced due to continued delays associated with implementing RFS-2 program.  24 bipartisan Senators sent a letter to President Obama urging the Administration to take interim steps to implement the 2009 and 2010 RFS-2 volume requirements for Biomass-based Diesel.

Meanwhile, according to Len Kosar, CEO of Lake Erie Biofuels, only 10 percent of US biodiesel plants are currently still in operation and fewer than five are producing at full capacity.

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