Reps. Smith, Budzinski lead letter urging Trump administration to support America’s biofuel industry

U.S. Reps. Adrian Smith, R-Nebraska, and Nikki Budzinski, D-Illinois, led a bipartisan letter Oct. 8 with 37 of their colleagues to U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, urging the administration to maintain its commitments to America’s biofuel industry. 

In the letter, the lawmakers ask the administration to uphold its commitment to American-grown energy by proposing a supplemental rule that preserves the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard’s biofuel volume requirements for 2026-’27 by Oct. 16.

They warn that delays would undermine much-needed market certainty for American farmers and biofuel producers while putting savings at the pump for American families at risk. 

The full letter is below.

“The Set 2 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) are the strongest in the history of the Renewable Fuel Standard, supporting a much-needed market for American farmers, feedstock processors, biofuel producers and rural economies. Our constituents responded to that call to action with investment, expansion and hiring across the biofuels value chain. Further, the administration’s commitment to reallocate the waived small-refinery exemption (SRE) volumes announced Aug. 31 reinforced this market signal.

“We write today to urge swift action to propose a supplemental rule by Oct. 16, which ensures obligated volumes are in line with those announced under Set 2 for compliance years 2026 and 2027. Until the supplemental rule process is complete, the market will not be able to fully respond, putting the momentum of the Set 2 RVO, and the lower fuel prices that homegrown biofuels provide for American families, at risk.

“The stakes for our constituents could not be higher. Biofuel demand keeps commodity prices competitive for farmers, sustains tens of thousands of rural manufacturing jobs, and delivers measurable savings at the pump for working families. E15 saves drivers an average of 30 cents per gallon compared to E10. B20 biodiesel runs approximately 11 cents cheaper than regular diesel. The 2026 and 2027 volumes in Set 2 were built to capture these cost-savings at scale, but SREs alongside a flawed reallocation approach would erase them. 

“Now more than ever, our biofuels policy must deliver certainty for American farmers, feedstock processors, biofuels producers and consumers. We stand ready to work with you in implementing a supplemental rule that is consistent with Set 2 projections, and encourage you to ensure that DOE conducts meaningful, transparent engagement with biofuel stakeholders on any methodology change for adjudicating future SREs.”