Four governors urge USDA to allocate additional COVID-19 resources to biofuels industry

April 20, 2020 |

In Washington, four governors sent a letter urging U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to allocate additional resources under the COVID-19 relief package to address the “economic harm and job losses that biofuel producers are suffering.” An initial tranche of aid, announced last Friday by USDA, included welcome funding for farmers and ranchers, but no direct relief for U.S. biofuel producers.

Signed by U.S. Governors Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Tim Walz of Minnesota, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, and Kristi Noem of South Dakota, the letter also offered a powerful rebuke against recent oil-backed efforts to “waive blending requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard for petroleum refineries.” They note, “Using this global pandemic as an excuse to undercut the RFS is not just illegal; it would also sever the economic lifeline that renewable fuels provide for farmers, workers and rural communities across the Midwest.”

Category: Policy

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