Congressman Adrian Smith praised the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to reject dozens of small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The program requires gasoline to have a certain amount of renewable fuel like ethanol.
Smith said the move is a major victory for Nebraska’s agricultural industry, which ranks second nationally in ethanol production.
"I know that there's been a lot of uncertainty just with the pandemic and everything, and I appreciate the president for his leadership on providing opportunity for the biofuels industry," Smith said.
Smith recently joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers asking President Trump to deny the requests. The agency is still deciding the fate of 33 more exemptions from 2019 and 2020.