Tell Washington: Don’t GUT the RFS!
- The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is the federal law that helps get domestic, renewable,cleaner-burning corn ethanol blended in the nation’s fuel supply.
- The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed to set the renewable volume obligation (RVO) annual target for corn-based (or conventional) ethanol at 13 billion gallons, a drastic reduction from the RFS statute of 14.4 billion gallons.
- This ill-advised and unnecessary cut in required volumes could have a devastating effect on farmers and rural communities across the country.
- American farmers have produced a record corn crop of 14 billion bushels, according to USDA estimates, and corn prices are falling and currently stand close to where they were when the RFS was enacted in its current form in 2007.
- While corn prices have returned to previous levels, the cost of producing the crop has continued to increase. Based on this year’s projected yields, a farm price of $4.25 per bushels would be required to cover production costs.
- If this proposal comes to pass, corn prices will continue to fall below the cost of production. To put this into perspective, if corn prices dropped to $3.50 a bushel farmers, the rural economy would lose over $10 billion.
- We’re growing more than enough corn to meet all needs. There’s no need to change something that works well. It has reduced greenhouse gas emissions, decreased our reliance on foreign oil, lowered gasoline prices for consumers, increased economic stability in rural America and spurred innovation in advanced and cellulosic biofuels.
You need to contact the EPA today to tell them how much harm this decision is causing your farm and your community. There are two ways you can stand up for your operation
and corn ethanol:
- Visit www.ncga.com/rfs to quickly and easily submit your views to the EPA.
- If you don’t have computer access, you can send your written comments via US mail to:
Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 2822T
Air and Radiation Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0479
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
Washington, DC 20460
This information is taken from the flyer published by the National Corn Growers Association.