Bakers Dismayed As EPA Denies Ethanol Waiver, ABA Calls On Congress To Reevaluate Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. – “Bakers are dismayed that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied a waiver request under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) for corn-based ethanol,” said Robb MacKie, American Bakers Association (ABA) president and CEO. “It’s stunning. More than half of the nation’s counties have been declared drought disaster areas, crop yields hit new lows and yet EPA denies a waiver to provide much needed relief.”

In formal comments to US EPA, ABA supported waiving the RFS to provide some stability for the both livestock and food industry.  The extreme drought conditions have already led the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to forecast an increase in retail food prices for consumers for the coming year.

“The Clean Air Act provides authority to the EPA administrator to waive the RFS requirements in circumstances that threaten economic harm. This is the time for Congress to re-evaluate the corn-based ethanol program and consider whether it contains an appropriate relief valve to address conditions such as those we face in our country this year” said MacKie.

Source: American Bakers Association