WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and other Republican senators in urging Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan to relieve the economic burden of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) on oil refining states to protect oil and gas jobs in Louisiana and across the country.
“We request your timely consideration of this request as obligated parties under the RFS struggle with muted demand for refined petroleum products and skyrocketing compliance costs. In turn, the states and regions in which these obligated parties operate stand to suffer the precise severe economic harm the waiver provision is designed to prevent,” the senators wrote.
“The renewable fuels for the 2020 compliance year have already been produced and blended. Thus, a waiver presents no risk of harm to the biofuels industry. This necessary action would provide a degree of relief for these states and avert additional refinery closures and the ensuing economic ripple effects. If relief is not provided in a timely manner, more refineries will be forced to shut down and place thousands of workers on the unemployment rolls just as the economy is beginning to roar back,” the senators continued.
Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) also signed the letter.
The letter is available here.