Letter to Donald Trump, President of the United States - Continue Commitment to Renewable Fuel Standard

Letter

Dear President Trump:

As members of the Congressional Biofuels Caucus, we write you today to urge your administration to continue to support a strong Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). This is an important policy that creates jobs in rural America, boosts economic growth, and lowers gas prices nationwide.

As you know, communities in rural America depend on agriculture and manufacturing jobs for employment. The RFS supports 400,000 of these jobs across the nation. In 2015 alone, the RFS is directly responsible for creating nearly 86,000 jobs ranging from farms to equipment manufactures to ethanol production facilities. There is no doubt that rural Americans and their families benefit from the economic expansion and jobs created by the RFS.

In 2015, the RFS added $44 billion in economic activity. This is felt throughout greater America as farmers produce larger harvests to meet fuel demand. In turn, equipment manufacturers produce more efficient farm machinery, and truckers are relied on to move products. Engineers at ethanol and biodiesel facilities across the nation produce the most cost-effective biofuels in the world, lowering gas prices for all Americans and bringing high-paying jobs to rural areas.

In fact, biofuels play a major role in the reduction of gas prices. The biofuels production capabilities of our nation are extraordinarily efficient. Studies show that ethanol can reduce gas prices by as much as $1.00 per gallon. With ethanol blended in 97% of gasoline, it is helping consumers save money virtually every time they fill up. A strong and continued RFS can reduce gas prices even further.

We encourage your administration to engage with the Congressional Biofuels Caucus to generate strategies that ensure the RFS remains strong. Continued commitments to this biofuels policy will create certainty and lead to additional jobs in rural America, enhanced economic growth, and help keep gas prices low. We look forward to working with you in the years that follow.