Heitkamp Helps Lead Bipartisan Push to Support RFS for North Dakota Farmers and Biofuel Producers

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp is making a bipartisan push for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to increase quotas for biofuels, and to ensure the agency is not improperly using refinery waivers to undermine a strong Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that supports North Dakota biofuel producers and farmers.

After Heitkamp pushed the EPA to boost biofuel quotas, the agency recently proposed raising the biomass-based diesel volume for 2020 to 2.43 billion gallons and increase the advanced biofuel volume for 2019 to 4.88 billion gallons. While the increases were encouraging, Heitkamp helped lead a bipartisan push with U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to urge EPA to further boost the quotas, and to ensure that they are met. Click here to read their letter.

“A strong RFS is critical to support North Dakota farmers, biofuel producers, and jobs in rural communities across the state,” Heitkamp said. “I spoke out against EPA’s efforts to undermine biofuels under Administrator Pruitt’s tenure at EPA, and I’ve proactively met with Acting Director Wheeler to urge him to reverse course and boost support for biofuels that are a key part of North Dakota’s successful all-of-the-above energy strategy. We finally appear to be moving in the right direction, but we can set quotas even higher and allow for the year-round sale of E15 to fully realize the job and energy-creating potential of biofuels.”