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U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released a statement this week following an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruling that establishes renewable volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
“I am disappointed that the biofuels volume requirements announced by the EPA today are not higher, but thanks to input from thousands of farmers and industry partners, this rule is much stronger than the original proposal,” Durbin said. “I will continue working with Illinois stakeholders to ensure that our state is in a position to take advantage of federal resources to support the biofuels industry.”
Durbin, briefed earlier about the announcement by EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, has long championed support of the biofuels industry. The EPA first announced a proposed change to the RFS program in 2013 and, since then, Durbin has led bipartisan efforts in Congress to revise the rule to better support the industry.
In September, U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded Illinois $11.9 million in federal funding for Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP), a new initiative. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is using the funds to expand the state’s biofuels infrastructure, and Durbin, along with U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), wrote in support of the program.
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