Friday caps a busy week for biodiesel on Capitol Hill. This week, EPA confirmed that they have submitted the new draft Proposed Rule to the White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB) for review.  Previously EPA announced their intent to issue the Proposed Rule by June 1 and the Final Rule by Nov. 30. The rule will provide the volume requirements for biomass-based diesel for 2014 through 2017.  There will be a comment period on the Proposed Rule and ASA will submit comments.

Also, on Thursday, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) led a press conference highlighting the harmful impact the EPA delays have had on the domestic biodiesel industry.  Several other Senators participated in the press conference, including Dick Durbin (D-IL), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Al Franken (D-MN).  The Senators called on the EPA and President Obama to move forward on the RFS rule and set strong renewable volume obligations through 2017. The Senators reinforced the impact that the uncertainty caused by EPA’s delay in setting the volume requirements for 2014 and 2015 has had on farmers and biodiesel workers.

Kent Engelbrecht, the manager of the biodiesel division at ADM, as well as Todd Ellis, vice president at Imperium Renewables near Seattle, also joined the press conference to provide the perspective of producers.  According to the National Biodiesel Board, the uncertainty has forced 54 biodiesel plants in 30 states to close or idle since November 2012.

This follows a letter that was sent two weeks ago by a bipartisan group of 37 Senators urging the EPA to reverse course from their previous proposal on volume requirements and ensure that the new Proposed Rule ensures a strong RFS for 2014 and subsequent years. Below is the full text of the letter, which was signed by the Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Thune (R-SD), Al Franken (D-MN), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Dan Coats (R-IN), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), John Hoeven (R-ND), Ed Markey (D-MA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jon Tester (D-MT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Click here to read the entire letter.