Managers at 150 U.S. biofuel refineries across the heartland have sent a letter to President Donald Trump, urging him to “stand strong in defense of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).”

The plant managers, which represent the majority of U.S. ethanol production, address proposals by oil refinery supporters to “cut, cap, or eliminate” Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), which they say “would eliminate market access for higher ethanol blends, and they are deal-killers for rural America.”

“The campaign against RINs is based on fairy tales, designed to justify handouts for the same folks who raided corporate funds at the expense of local workers in Philadelphia,” Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor said. “Instead of pitting their own workers against rural jobs, refinery owners should be talking about pro-growth options, like lifting needless limits on summertime sales of E15.”

“Just last evening, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue again affirmed the administration’s support for a robust RFS,” said Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Bob Dinneen. “The U.S. ethanol industry is asking the President to continue honoring his commitment to Rural America by rejecting efforts by Sen. Cruz to destruct renewable fuel demand and harm consumers across this country.”

In addition to today’s effort, military veterans working in the ethanol industry sent President Trump a letter last year at this time, reminding him that his “continued commitment to the RFS and pledge to ‘end restrictions that keep higher blends of ethanol from being sold’ are among the strategies that will help free our economy from the influence of OPEC oil ministers once and for all.”