NCGA Asks for More Flexibility on EPA Fuels Proposal (11-14-06)

Calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rule “detailed and complex,” the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and other agricultural groups asked for greater flexibility by EPA in regulating the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

NCGA along with the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives said EPA’s proposal would place too great a burden on the nation’s developing ethanol producers.

“EPA’s proposed program requires a costly tracking system that needs adequate time to develop upon finalization of the rule,” said NCGA President Ken McCauley in the submitted comments. “Ethanol producers today are not required to maintain such a tracking system.”

The RFS is a cornerstone of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and is making a positive impact. Supporters expect it to reduce consumer fuel prices, increase energy security, stimulate rural economies by harnessing America's renewable energy potential, and promote investment in U.S. agriculture and the American farmer. The program would require fuel refiners, blenders and importers to use set amounts of renewable fuels or to obtain credits from others who use more than required.

NCGA asked EPA to allow some flexibility in where the renewable fuels are actually sold and used, as long as the industry meets requirements for total volume of the fuels that are sold and used.

NCGA and the other organizations also asked EPA to provide more time for the industry to establish a standardized reporting and recordkeeping system to ensure compliance.

To view NCGA’s comments in their entirety, please click here.