U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan paid a visit to Iowa today, visiting with representatives of the Iowa Soybean Association and Iowa Biodiesel Board, among others. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack also attended the meetings. Grant Kimberley, Iowa Biodiesel Board executive director, issued the following statement:

“We greatly appreciate Administrator Regan prioritizing a visit to Iowa, a state which leads the nation in the production of biofuels, and a top soybean-producing state. His engagement in understanding our priorities and challenges was well-received.

“We shared with him our strong belief that biofuels must be a significant part of this country’s response to climate change. Biofuels like biodiesel have a proven record of reducing emissions like greenhouse gases for the past decade and are the best tool available now to cut carbon from the transportation sector over the next decade. The average carbon reduction for biodiesel is 74%, and U.S. biodiesel producers are achieving carbon reductions up to 88% in California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard program.

"EPA and the Biden Administration should tout the benefits of low-carbon advanced biofuels, and support and grow their use, particularly through higher volumes of the Renewable Fuel Standard. Although there is certainly a place for electrification, we can’t electrify the entire heavy-duty truck market any time soon. We’re going to need ultra-low carbon biofuels for decades to come – and biodiesel is one answer for today and in the future.”

Biodiesel is an advanced biofuel made from agricultural byproducts and co-products, such as soybean oil.

For more information on biodiesel, visit IowaBiodiesel.org.