Olson Statement on EPA RFS Mandate

Statement

Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX) today issued the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issuing a long-awaited corn ethanol level related to the Renewable Fuel Standard:

"While I appreciate EPA's long awaited decision to finally provide clarity on the RFS, this remains a fundamentally flawed mandate. This standard was written when America relied heavily on energy imports and has had a market-distorting impact on our food chain and energy markets. Rather than rely on the whims of EPA's Administrator, Congress should develop a transportation fuel policy that reflects reality. Ethanol will be a part of the fuel supply for many years to come. However, mandates that inch us closer and closer to fuels like E15 that consumers likely neither want nor understand, will do more harm than good. We should allow the free market to dictate the levels of ethanol in our fuel supply."

In 2005, Congress established the RFS effectively requiring refiners to blend increasing volumes of biofuels (e.g., corn ethanol) into the nation's gasoline supplies. In 2007, Congress expanded the RFS effectively requiring refiners to blend ever higher volumes of biofuels and advanced biofuels (e.g., cellulosic ethanol) into the nation's gasoline and diesel fuel supplies no matter market conditions.

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