EPA Wheeler Senate Hearing

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EPA Wheeler Senate Hearing
Andrew Wheeler, Acting Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

This morning, during a U.S. Senate hearing, Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler answered questions about ethanol, biofuels, the RFS, and small refinery waivers. He appears to be holding the same line Scott Pruitt took during his time at the helm of the agency with some notable differences.

Wheeler told U.S. Senator Joni Ernst from Iowa…
2:36 radio
2:55 radio self-contained

Wheeler told U.S. Senator Joni Ernst from Iowa that EPA is looking for ways to improve transparency as it is related to the issuance of small refinery waivers. It is the reallocation of the waived ethanol gallons which has raised the ire of farm country politicians… that’s because EPA has seen fit not to reallocate those gallons to larger refineries. Here’s a portion of the exchange between Senator Ernst and Acting Administrator Wheeler.

Ernst & Wheeler :58 …but we are confined by the law.

Ernst says some 2.25 billion gallons worth of ethanol waivers have been issued. Wheeler, like his predecessor believes this is proper under the law, and because it isn’t clearly written into the statute, doesn’t think those waivers need to be reallocated in order to maintain the 15 billion gallon legal requirement.

Iowa’s Ernst also asked if EPA, in Wheeler’s opinion, could grant an RVP waiver which would clear the way for the use of higher blends of ethanol, E15 and above, year round.

Wheeler :26 …on moving forward on an RVP issue.

So, a non-committal answer from Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler testifying on the priorities of his agency. For his part President Trump has said he supports year round use of E15.