Rep. Escobar to visit Rio Valley Biofuels plant in El Paso, Texas

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, co-sponsor of the Biodiesel Tax Credit Extension Act (H.R. 2089), is scheduled to visit Rio Valley Biofuels, a biodiesel production facility in El Paso, Texas, on Nov. 26. Escobar serves Texas’ 16th District, the seat previously held by former Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke.

Rio Valley Biofuels started producing biodiesel at its community-scale plant in Anthony, New Mexico, in 2006. Several years ago, its New Mexico facility was destroyed by fire and, through an arrangement with Global Alternative Fuels in El Paso, the company relocated to west Texas where it restarted production and grew to produce 15 million gallons of biodiesel per year.

“Our continuing goal is to provide affordable biodiesel to businesses and farms in the Southwest,” the company stated. “We started producing biodiesel in 2006 for sale locally to help businesses and farms in the area and now distribute our biodiesel throughout Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and the western United States. Rio Valley Biofuels is recognized as a leader in the local community as we provide employment and growth opportunity to residents and businesses in our area and directly support 150 jobs.”

H.R. 2089 provides a two-year extension of the biodiesel tax credit and, if passed, would reinstate the incentive retroactively from its expiration at the end of 2017 for last year through this year.

“Like Rio Valley Biofuels, producers and businesses at every stage of the biodiesel production and consumption across the country rely on these tax credits to plan their investments, grow their businesses, and pass on the savings to consumers,” Rio Valley Biofuels stated. “We currently provide quality biodiesel year-round to a large customer base including, truck stops, school buses, government fleets, commercial fleets, farms and individuals. When we produce and supply the local fuels market, we dramatically reduce carbon emissions.”