Ag Policy Blog

Although the House Energy and Commerce committee has started the process of reviewing the Renewable Fuels Standard that include calling a number of witnesses and issuing so-called white papers on various RFS questions, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., may attach a potential RFS reform bill to negotiations on an upcoming debt-ceiling debate, according to a story Wednesday from the Oil Price Information Service, or OPIS.

The story written by reporter Rachel Gantz cites Cantor spokeswoman Megan Whittemore who told OPIS, "The majority leader listed a number of options to fix this issue (of the RFS), and one option was if we came up with a good bipartisan reform agreement out of the Energy and Commerce committee, then maybe we could try attaching it to a must pass bill like the debt ceiling."

"Cantor made the comments during a July 25 meeting between himself and a handful of top petroleum industry executives, including those representing Valero, Marathon Petroleum, Tesoro, Phillips 66, Chevron, ExxonMobil and PBF Energy, several sources confirmed to OPIS," the story said.

"Additionally, American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard and American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers President Charles Drevna were in attendance."

Ethanol industry groups have cried foul several times this summer, after members of Congress didn't ask industry representatives to testify during a number of House hearings looking at potential RFS reform.

A number of pieces of legislation have been proposed to make changes to the RFS. Some have called for the outright repeal of the law while others have proposed changes.

Oil industry advocacy groups have asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to waive the RFS for 2014, claiming that gasoline infrastructure and vehicles are not adequate in expanding the use of ethanol beyond E10.

Access the OPIS story here, http://www.opisnet.com/….

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