National Farmers Union Biofuels Adviser Anne Steckel describes this as a dynamic time for renewable fuels. The Environmental Protection Agency must release a proposal for the Renewable Fuel Standard, which will likely come out in July. Certain parts of the RFS were cut or flat-lined last year. If it is, again, left unchanged, Steckel says it doesn’t show a strong commitment to the renewable fuels industry. “It shows they don’t want to grow it, they think it should be left at the volumes it is. It also impacts farmers in a negative way. It is incredibly important we continue to diversify our fuels through higher level volumes of ethanol and other renewable fuels. The big question is the numbers. There’s lots of uncertainty.”
RRFN’s Farm Bill Focus coverage is sponsored, in part, by the National Farmers Union.