Lima Mayor Berger and others are asking the United States Environmental Protection Agency to honor the law when it comes to renewable fuel standards.
Lima Allen County is home to Guardian Lima, an ethanol plant where nearly 1-thousand area farmers sell their corn. Their concern is that the demand for ethanol is decreasing as the E.P.A. is granting a large number of exemptions to refineries so that they are not required to blend biofuels into their petroleum. This policy is making a dent into the ethanol industry and it’s trickling down to the local farmer.
Guardian Lima Plant Manager Jack Wolfcale says, “The small refinery waivers have already idled 19 plants across the country. What that’s doing is it’s creating less demand for the ethanol that we produce here at Guardian Lima using 70 truckloads of corn every day. That equates to about 425 acres of corn.”
Putnam County Farmer Dennis Vennekotter says, “When the plant doesn’t have to sell as much or make as much ethanol they don’t need as much corn from the area farmers. The price goes down and it’s harder to find a place for your corn to go.”
The 2020 Renewable Volume Obligation plan is now under public comment. Both say that President Trump and the U.S. E.P.A. need to honor the law and not break promises to the American farmer.
