ST. PAUL — Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) was pleased with the recent action taken by President Donald Trump and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt to assure corn producers that the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) will not change.
However, several senators from major oil-producing states have spoken up against this. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, put a hold on the Senate’s nomination of Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey as Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation at USDA, after two senators from Iowa fought back against the proposed RFS changes. Nine senators, including Cruz, sent a letter asking the president for a meeting about the issue.
“If your administration does not make adjustments or reforms on matters related to the Renewable Fuel Standard, it will result in a loss of jobs around the country, particularly in our states,” they wrote.
MFU urges the administration to keep its promise to support a strong RFS, which benefits farmers and rural communities in the Midwest and across the country, as well as strengthening our national security.
“Many of the people who voted for President Trump did so believing he would support their needs with the RFS,” said MFU President Gary Wertish. “Keeping the RFS at its current levels, or even increasing it, would provide more opportunities for family farmers to market products and find jobs.
“Ethanol and other renewable fuels are critical in the battle with climate change,” said President Wertish. “They provide countless jobs for people in rural America and lift up a farm economy that’s in crisis. Trump needs to keep this promise to rural America.”
— Minnesota Farmers Union
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