Senator Lankford Releases Statement On EPA’s Supplemental RFS Proposal
In response to EPA supplemental proposal outlined above, on October 15, 2019, U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued a statement expressing his disappointment with EPA’s RFS mandates. Senator Lankford’s statement reads in part:
The RFS has been a problem since day one, and the proposed increase to the mandate only further complicates a broken federal requirement to blend biofuels into gasoline. This proposal continues allowing exemptions for small refineries but spreads their biofuels-blending obligation out to other refiners in the market. Despite the possibility that small refiners will get waivers from the Standard, the cost of compliance will likely go up for everyone else trying to provide fuel to American consumers—a cost that will surely be passed down to the consumer. As I have said many times, if the market demands higher biofuel blends, our producers can supply it, but we should not require biofuels to be blended, since it will ultimately increase gas prices for Oklahomans. Higher gas prices mean higher prices for many things our families need, like groceries. Higher gas prices especially affect those on a fixed income.
Critical of EPA’s management of the RFS program, Senator Lankford has called for a repeal of RFS a number of times in both the House and Senate. Senator Lankford continues to speak out about having a market-driven energy policy.