WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), issued the following statement on the forthcoming biofuel mandate for 2019.
“I will carefully examine EPA’s proposed rule, especially its impact on small refineries,” said Barrasso. “The law requires EPA to provide relief to any small refinery that suffers disproportionate economic hardship under the Renewable Fuel Standard. EPA must not take any steps that would limit the ability of small refineries to obtain hardship relief in the future. That includes restricting when they can apply for hardship relief or increasing the burdens on other refineries in the process.”
Background Information:
The EPW Committee has jurisdiction over the Renewable Fuel Standard.
On April 24, 2018, Barrasso and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), chair of the EPW Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt and Energy Sec. Rick Perry calling on them to protect the confidential business information of America’s small refineries.
On April 12, 2018, Barrasso released a statement on the necessity and importance of EPA granting hardship relief for small refineries under the Renewable Fuel Standard.
On March 5, 2018, Barrasso and Capito sent a letter to Administrator Pruitt and Energy Sec. Perry emphasizing the importance of granting hardship relief for America’s small refineries. The letter also reminded the administrator and the secretary that small refineries submit confidential business and other highly sensitive information that the agencies and their contractors must protect from all outside parties.
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