releases: https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=eb62cbba-8fe8-4ec1-a7ce-676a9db8fa5f
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
This data as json
| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=eb62cbba-8fe8-4ec1-a7ce-676a9db8fa5f | Heitkamp Statement on Final Renewable Fuel Standard | 2015-11-30 | 2015 | 2015-11 | Democrat | House | ND | Heidi Heitkamp | H001069 | www.heitkamp.senate.gov | legacy | MANDAN, N.D. U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today issued the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final renewable volume obligations (RVOs) for biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). EPA is required by law to set fuel blending levels annually so biodiesel and ethanol producers can plan for the future, but the agency had failed to do so for years. After years of delays, the EPA has finally lived up to its obligation to set biofuels blend levels and give producers and biofuels workers the certainty they need to go to work, said Heitkamp. This rule still doesnt give us the ambitious targets we need or that Congress intended, but at least there is some progress as after I pressed EPA to set bolder targets the agency increased its targets from those proposed in May. Unfortunately, these levels still fall far short of what Congress set out. Theyre below what we need to guarantee the thriving biofuels industry that North Dakota famers and workers deserve, and that would support energy from a clean, reliable fuel. Biofuels are just one component of the all-of-the-above energy strategy we pursue in North Dakota. But if EPA doesnt get serious about encouraging biofuels as the law requires the agencys inaction and unambitious targets will hamper North Dakota job growth and reduce energy security. Earlier in November Heitkamp organized a call with Howard Shelanski, the Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, to push for a strong Renewable Fuel Standard. Heitkamp led the charge in the Senate to successfully push the EPA to live up to its obligation to set timely RVOs. But those proposed RVOs, issued in May, were lower than levels needed to comply with the law and promote the ethanol and biodiesel industries. In July, Heitkamp led a bipartisan group of 36 Senators to call on the EPA to increase the proposed RVOs it had set for biofuels. The Senators expressed concern that the EPAs set biodiesel levels for 2017 were well below the projected capacity of the industry. In October, Heitkamp announced $1.2 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding to boost the number of North Dakota pumps carrying ethanol. Those federal funds will help make renewable fuels more readily available for U.S. consumers. While USDA has provided $100 million in energy infrastructure investments to allow for more ethanol in gasoline, the EPAs RVO proposals are much lower than those set by Congress, with flawed justification for the low targets. Heitkamp has been a leader in supporting biodiesel and ethanol industries that, combined, support over 400,000 American jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to petroleum diesel. Since November 2012, 54 biodiesel plants in 30 states have closed or idled because of the lack of certainty from the EPA, according to the National Biodiesel Board. And in 2014,nearly 80 percent of U.S. biodiesel producers scaled back production, with almost 6 in 10 idling production altogether. Heitkamp has long fought for the EPA to provide certainty to farmers and biodiesel workers, and has pressed the agency to issue a strong RFS rule. As part of those efforts, she has: Called for the EPA to prioritize American biodiesel. In January, Heitkamp called out the EPA for prioritizing the import of biodiesel from abroad over biodiesel from American producers including those in North Dakota. Prioritizing foreign biodiesel hurts farmers, industry jobs, and rural communities. She reinforced that layoffs and plant closures in the biodiesel industry underscored the need for the EPA to provide certainty for biodiesel industry workers at home by setting production levels under the Renewable Fuel Standard. Last month, Heitkamp joined her colleagues in calling on EPA to follow Congressional intent when setting RVOs. Brought the EPA head to ND to hear from farmers and producers. In February 2014, Heitkampbrought EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to North Dakota to hear firsthand from farmers and biofuels producersabout how the agencys 2013 proposal would reduce the effectiveness or the RFS and decrease the required amount of U.S.-produced biofuels. Heitkamp encouraged McCarthy to reverse the EPAs proposal and instead put forth a proposal that would promote investment in the next generation of biofuels, and support our economy and good jobs in rural North Dakota. Last November, theagency heeded her call, delaying the implementation of the misguided new standards. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |