As gas prices go, so goes the price of ethanol, and right now the industry is being adversely affected by the economic constraints caused by the coronavirus, the oil price war, ongoing trade disputes and EPA’s small refinery waivers.

“While the policy response to turbulence in the energy markets has so far focused largely on supporting crude oil producers, we urge the Administration to recognize that biofuel and agricultural commodity markets are suffering as well,” said Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Geoff Cooper. “Ethanol futures prices hit a record low in recent days, as the coronavirus is expected to negatively impact domestic and international fuel demand in the near term. With many ethanol plants on the verge of shutting down, we implore the Trump administration to take action that equitably supports all liquid fuel industries, including ethanol producers, during this time of unprecedented market uncertainty and unrest.”

Cooper suggests one important step the President could take immediately would be to announce that EPA will not appeal the recent 10th Circuit court decision on small refinery waivers and will implement the 500 million gallon remand as ordered by the D.C. Circuit Court in 2017. “Given the robust financial assistance the Trump administration is planning to provide to oil producers, immediate actions to ensure EPA abides by these court decisions can help soothe concerns among those whose livelihoods depend on agriculture and renewable fuels,” said Cooper.