{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-statement-on-renewable-fuel-standard-final-rule", "Blunt Statement on Renewable Fuel Standard Final Rule", "2019-12-19", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON - U.S.\r\nSenator Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement today after the\r\nEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its Renewable Fuel Standard\r\n(RFS) supplemental rule:\r\n The Trump administration needs to live up to the commitments it made to\r\nMissouri farmers and the biofuels sector. In\r\nthe wake of historic flooding and months of market instability, it's important\r\nfor growers to be certain that EPA will uphold the 15 billion gallon\r\nblended fuel target. This rule falls short by ignoring industry recommendations\r\nfor how EPA should fully account for small refinery exemptions moving forward.\r\n\r\n There are six ethanol plants in Missouri that produce nearly 300 million\r\ngallons of ethanol annually. Missouri is the second largest state nationwide\r\nwith regard to biodiesel production.\r\n\r\n Blunt continued, I've heard a lot of skepticism from Missouri growers about\r\nwhat this rulemaking will mean for them and the future of the biofuels\r\nindustry. The Trump administration has an important opportunity to make it\r\nclear that agency decisions moving forward will maintain the integrity of the\r\nRFS.It's an issue I'll be watching very closely and I'll continue working\r\nwith my colleagues to ensure EPA is held accountable.\r\n \r\n\r\nBlunt has repeatedly advocated for policies to promote a strong biofuels\r\nindustry.In November, he joined five other Midwest senators in sending a letter to EPA urging the\r\nadministration to take corrective action in its RFS rulemaking to uphold the\r\nagreement reached between President Trump and Midwest senators on September 12,\r\n2019. Blunt also submitted comments to EPA expressing\r\nconcerns about the manner in which the agency planned to calculate the\r\nreallocation of biofuel gallons due to exemptions for oil refineries. \r\n\r\n In August 2018, Blunt led a bipartisan group of 35 senators in a letter to EPA urging the agency to increase volume obligations for\r\nbiomass-based diesel and advanced biofuel and ensure any small refiner economic\r\nhardship exemptions are appropriately accounted for in its final rule for the\r\nRFS. \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nIn\r\nOctober 2018, Blunt commended the administration for\r\nmoving to allow 15 percent ethanol blends (E15) to be sold year round. Blunt had\r\npreviously advocated for the move in a letter to EPA.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-statement-on-renewable-fuel-standard-final-rule"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.491847913712263, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}