BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA – U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a lifelong family farmer and member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, joined U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and a bipartisan group of senators to introduce a bipartisan resolution celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
“Renewable fuels lower prices at the pump, strengthen our energy security and support our rural communities. For 20 years, the Renewable Fuel Standard has strongly supported Iowa agriculture, and I’m proud to join my colleagues to introduce this resolution celebrating two decades of hard work and innovation. As a lifelong family farmer, I’ll never stop advocating for our rural communities,” Grassley said.
The resolution was co-led by U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Reps. Max Miller (R-Ohio) and Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill). Additional cosponsors include U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), as well as U.S. Reps. Adrian Smith (R-Nebraska), Angie Craig, (D-Minn.), Mike Flood (R-Neb.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Mike Bost (R-Ill.), Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa).
Click HERE to view text of the resolution.
Background:
Grassley helped establish the RFS in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which requires oil refiners to blend volumes of renewable fuels into the transportation fuel supply. The program created marketplace certainty and predictability that spurred a surge of investment in biorefineries and renewable fuel production facilities across the country.
Iowa is the largest ethanol producing state. On average, the RFS reduces gasoline prices for consumers by 10-30 cents per gallon.
In April, Grassley and Klobuchar sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin encouraging the agency to restore integrity in the RFS. In May, Grassley and Ricketts introduced the bipartisan resolution marking May as Renewable Fuels Month.
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