Grassley: Biden rules could hurt farmers, biofuels industry.
[Iowa Capital Dispatch] U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said he plans to vote against a key environmental agency appointment to protest Biden administration regulatory moves that could hurt farmers.In a call with Iowa reporters, Grassley said he would vote against the appointment of Radhika Fox of California as assistant administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That vote was expected as early.
Grassley said EPA’s June 9 announcement indicating it would reverse former President Donald Trump’s move to lessen restrictions under the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule could burden farmers. He also has heard reports EPA may approve more waivers on ethanol requirements for small refineries, which would disadvantage corn growers, in Grassley’s view.
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, also questioned the EPA move on waterways, calling for legislation allowing a federal watchdog agency to question rules that could hurt farms and other small businesses.
A group of Congressional Democrats, including Rep. Cindy Axne of Iowa, also joined in a letter urging the Biden administration to deny ethanol waivers and to establish a 500 million gallon annual blending requirement.
Iowa is the top producer of corn and ethanol produced from the grain. The state is a major agricultural center, regularly a leader in production of corn and soybeans on fields drained for production. The WOTUS rule guides what lands are considered waterways that must be protected under federal regulations.
Chuck Grassley U.S. Sen. said.
When (Fox) was called before the committee, we couldn’t even get her to say if there is anything bad about the Waters of the U.S. (rule).
“If you can’t get a direct answer out of these people, you just kind of figure there are bad days ahead,” he added.
Grassley said some analyses have indicated 97% of Iowa could include protected waterways under the original rule Trump moved to change.
Biden threw out Trump’s version of WOTUS in one of his first executive orders, bringing a protest from Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig.
On the future of biofuels, farmers are having a hard time figuring out whether Biden truly supports the industry, Grassley said. (Biofuels associations had plenty of complaints about Trump, too.)
“I think farmers are getting mixed messages from the Biden administration on biofuels,” Grassley said. “He needs to stand up to Big Oil and fight for the family farms.”
The letter that Axne signed read in part: “Exempting refiners of their obligations to blend biofuel would mean increased reliance on oil and more carbon emissions — a result this country cannot afford if we are to meet our new commitment under the Paris Agreement to reduce emissions by 50% to 52% by 2030.”
READ the latest news shaping the biofuels market at Biofuels Central
Grassley: Biden rules could hurt farmers, biofuels industry, Jan 26, 2021
