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“No way” Trump can please both sides in RFS debate
An ag economics professor says President Trump is caught
between two warring camps when it comes to the Renewable Fuels Standard.
Scott Irwin, with the University of Illinois says it’s
apparent, after the industry reacted to the EPA’s latest round of refinery
waivers, Trump wants to make it up to farmers somehow, “I don’t believe that
there is a way to make everyone in the debate happy.”
Irwin proposes removing the small refinery issue by giving a
blanket waiver to all small refiners when the annual rule making takes place, “And
that the removal of the obligated gallons from those small refineries be
reflected in the formulas so that there’s none of this retroactive cutting
through the mandates through the SREs that’s going on now.”
Irwin admits his three-year proposal would make farmers and
small refiners happy but large refiners very unhappy. But, says that’s probably
the best that could be done.
Irwin says Trump’s EPA “clearly has been siding more with
the crude oil/refining side than the ag and biofuels side.”
