WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) are calling for 2026 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes that keep pace with biofuels production and availability. In a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the bipartisan senators, along with 16 colleagues, urged higher RFS levels for biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuels, with an equal increase in total volumes.

“America’s environmental and energy security depend on the widespread production, availability, and use of biofuels. Biofuels play a particularly critical role in emissions reduction for heavy-duty transportation — including aviation, shipping, rail, and trucking — while opening up economic opportunities for American farmers. A strong RFS and broad availability of homegrown agricultural feedstocks are critical for ensuring we keep up the progress we have made in decarbonizing our roads, seas, railways and skies,” the lawmakers wrote to EPA Administrator Michael Regan.

The senators highlighted the environmental benefits biofuels bring to the table, noting biomass-based diesel can cut carbon emissions by over 70 percent. They also underscored economic advantages for the entire supply chain, from the farmer to the consumer. But by failing to adequately increase Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) levels in 2023, the Biden administration has effectively stifled industry capabilities and discouraged outside investment. 

Kurt Kovarik, Vice President of Federal Affairs for Clean Fuels Alliance America, said of the letter, “More and more heavy-duty transportation industries are looking for reliable, cost-effective, low-carbon solutions that are available now. U.S. clean fuels producers and feedstock suppliers have made significant investments to build the capacity to deliver those solutions right now. Those investments expand markets for U.S. agriculture, support domestic energy security, and drive economic opportunities for rural communities. EPA must act in a timely manner on the 2026 RFS volumes and utilize the best available production data to support advanced biofuel market adoption.”  

Grassley and Klobuchar were joined by Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Roger Marshall (R-Kan,), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.).  

Download the letter HERE.

Background: 

Since he helped establish the RFS in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Grassley has worked to ensure the executive branch implements it as intended. This latest letter targeting 2026 RVOs is on the heels of a Grassley-backed bicameral push to raise 2024-25 RVOs and follows multiple biodiesel plant closures, including one in Ralston, Iowa.

Grassley and his colleagues last year wrote the Biden administration regarding a number of rules it issued under the RFS program. Among the proposals they urged the Biden administration to revise were the unrealistic RVOs lawmakers are now pressing EPA to change.

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