(ND Ag Connection) – Clean Fuels Alliance America filed comments supporting the proposed consent decree in Growth Energy v. Regan (D.D.C. No. 1:22-cv-00347), which would establish a June 3 deadline for the Environmental Protection Agency to finalize the 2021 and 2022 Renewable Fuel Standards.

Clean Fuels emphasized in its comments that U.S. producers need certainty and depend on the market signals from the RFS to continue investing in increasing production.

“Our growing contribution to U.S. fuel supplies over the past half-decade reduced diesel prices by an average 3.23% each year,” Kurt Kovarik, vice president of federal affairs for Clean Fuels writes in the comments. “Reducing the availability of biodiesel and renewable diesel right now would impose higher costs on American consumers — both in the price of fuel and other goods today and in terms of health tomorrow.”

Kovarik adds, “Right now, America is facing a shortage of diesel fuel, high prices at the pump, and high transportation costs that are adding to supply chain disruptions and inflationary pressures. The Renewable Fuel Standard is crucial to sustainably meeting America’s growing demand for better, cleaner fuels. We stand ready to work with EPA to get this program back on track.”

The U.S. biodiesel and renewable diesel industry supports 65,000 U.S. jobs and more than $17 billion in economic activity each year. Every 100 million gallons of production supports 3,200 jobs and $780 million in economic opportunity. Biodiesel production supports approximately 13 percent of the value of each U.S. bushel of soybeans.