(NAFB) – The ethanol industry is warning the Biden administration that pulling back the nation’s biofuel-blending rules to lower gasoline prices would be a big mistake.

“We were shocked to learn that one of the potential actions reportedly being discussed at the White House is relaxing mandates to mix gasoline with biofuels,” says Renewable Fuels Association CEO Geoff Cooper.

The RFA sent a letter to Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic Council, pointing out that lowering blending requirements would lead to higher, not lower, gas prices. It would also boost tailpipe pollution tied to climate change and risk public health. Instead, the group wants the administration to focus on proposing overdue biofuel blending rules and expanding higher ethanol blends around the nation.

The RFA letter says ethanol is extending the U.S. gasoline supply by nearly 1.1 million barrels per day, equivalent to the combined crude oil production of Alaska, California, Utah, and Wyoming.