The American Soybean Association (ASA) needs farmers and state leaders to submit comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this month on the 2018 and 2019 volumes for biomass-based diesel under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). As you know, EPA released its proposed 2018-19 RFS volumes in early July, calling for biodiesel volumes of 2.1 billion gallons in 2019, and an Advanced Biofuels volume of 4.28 billion gallons for 2018. Those numbers reflect no increase for biodiesel, and a 40 million gallon decrease for Advanced Biofuels over the previous year, a proposal that ASA called a "missed opportunity."

Ask:
In our comments to EPA, ASA calls for an increase in the volumes for biomass-based diesel to at least 2.75 billion gallons for 2019 and in total Advanced Biofuels volumes to 5.25 billion gallons in 2018. Please direct farmers in your states to the Soy Action Center to submit comments to EPA asking for the same. The deadline for comments is August 31.

State Staff: A template based on ASA’s official comments is available, with a highlighted spot for customized comments from state affiliates. If you would like to submit your comments as a state association in that fashion, please do so via the comment portal at Regulations.gov.

Background:
As you know, biodiesel has grown into a domestic market approaching 3 billion gallons, of which soybean oil remains the largest source of biodiesel feedstock. Biodiesel has expanded markets for farmers and livestock producers and created new jobs and economic growth, particularly in rural America. Biodiesel also provides additional economic, energy, and environmental benefits, such as increasing volumes of domestically produced, renewable energy while providing significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions resulting in improved air quality. The biodiesel industry has provided these benefits without any significant disruption or adverse impacts to consumers. Our industry has always advocated for RFS volumes that are modest and achievable and we have met or exceeded the targets each and every year that the program has been in place.  

Again, we ask you to submit comments to EPA before the August 31 deadline urging an increase in the volumes for biomass-based diesel to at least 2.75 billion gallons for 2019 and in total Advanced Biofuels volumes to 5.25 billion gallons in 2018.

Goal:
During the last round of comments on the RFS volumes, ASA and our state affiliates generated more than 700 comments to EPA. Our goal this time is 750 comments, or roughly 30 for each ASA affiliate.

State staff, please include the link to the Soy Action Center in your social media, publications and communications to your members, and if you need customization or help for your state in particular, please ask and we’ll be happy to make it happen. Also, if you have your own advocacy tool through which you will ask farmers to engage, please let us know so we can count that toward our goal.

Please contact Tom Hance in the ASA Washington office with policy questions at thance@soy.org, or Patrick Delaney with communication questions at pdelaney@soy.org.