The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and the California Biodiesel Alliance have launched online petitions to facilitate submitting comments to U.S. EPA to let the agency know it must grow—not cut—biodiesel volumes in the Renewable Fuel Standard. The EPA recently requested public comments on a proposal to lower the 2018 and 2019 RFS biodiesel levels based on unsubstantiated claims of supply concerns.

“EPA should be increasing the proposed 2.1 billion-gallon biodiesel level, not seeking to cut it further,” said IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “In 2016 the country used 2.9 billion gallons of biodiesel. With biodiesel use on the rise year after year it is counter to the intent of the RFS for EPA to take a step backward. With many Iowa plants running below capacity, there is no doubt the U.S. biodiesel industry can easily rise to the challenge of higher volumes.”

Renewable fuels champions wishing to sign a petition supporting Iowa biofuels can go to iowarfa.org/dont-cut-rfs.

The California Biodiesel Alliance is working with the National Biodiesel Board “to bombard the office of the EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, with strong messages that it is not okay to do Big Oil's bidding by cutting RFS volumes even further than the already unacceptably low proposed levels.”

The CBA is asking supporters to send a prewritten letter of comment to Pruitt, and then to write the White House to protect biodiesel volumes under the RFS.

“The president's fingerprints aren't on this NODA per se, so the editable template letter politely reminds him of his campaign promises to support the RFS,” the CBA stated.

The comment period closes Oct. 19.