NCGA
Urges EPA Administrator Leavitt Not to Grant Waivers (6-8-04)
In a letter today to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Administrator Michael Leavitt, the National Corn Growers Association
(NCGA) urged the agency to deny Clean Air Act waiver requests from
California and New York and instead support a national Renewable
Fuels Standard (RFS) that would continue to grow the ethanol market
and revitalize rural America.
“Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA is clearly prohibited
from granting a request based on gasoline price or supply alone.
California and New York wrongly believe that the waiver would reduce
gasoline prices, when in actuality, the exact opposite would result,” stated
NCGA President Dee Vaughan in the letter.
In a recent analysis conducted by the Renewable Fuels Association
(RFA), it was found that elimination of the oxygenate requirement
would likely decrease air quality with respect to attainment of
the ozone and particulate standards.
“We understand that the EPA is required to give full consideration
of the waiver,” the NCGA letter says. “However, by
granting such a waiver, EPA would be ignoring the enormous benefits
of the Clean Air Act’s oxygenate requirement, particularly
a healthier environment and the growth of the ethanol market.”
Vaughan emphasized that
ethanol production provides more than 200,000 U.S. jobs annually.
In addition, corn-based ethanol reduces
pollution, contributes to new business opportunities for corn growers,
boosts the economy, and aids in securing a long-term solution to
the nation’s energy security.
NCGA’s letter and the RFA
analysis are available at www.ncga.com.