Six trade associations wrote to President Trump urging him to unleash U.S. biodiesel and renewable diesel production to bolster America's energy security during the conflict with Iran.
The disruption in the global oil market is constraining diesel fuel supplies, which threatens to raise the cost of all U.S. consumer goods and further harm the agriculture sector as farmers start this season's planting. Immediately finalizing the 2026 and 2027 Renewable Fuel Standards would encourage the U.S. clean fuel industry to quickly ramp up enough production capacity to meet 3% of the nation's demand for diesel, the groups wrote.
The letter is signed by Clean Fuels Alliance America, American Soybean Association, National Energy & Fuels Institute, National Oilseed Processors Association, North American Renderers Association and U.S. Canola Association, representing the full biomass-based diesel value chain: farmers, feedstock providers, clean fuel producers and customers.
"The biodiesel, renewable diesel and SAF industry is ready to meet the challenge of providing crucial supplies of diesel fuel free from overseas threats," the groups wrote. "The RFS rule should be finalized as quickly as possible. Continued delays in finalizing and publishing the RFS rule would extend market uncertainty for farmers and stakeholders across our value chain as well as exacerbate the recent spike in diesel fuel prices."
America's biodiesel and renewable diesel industry produced more than 5 billion gallons of affordable fuel in 2024, meeting 10% of the nation's demand for on-road diesel fuel. With 6.5 billion gallons of existing production capacity and billions of pounds of available feedstocks, the industry can quickly ramp up production for domestic consumption.
Uncertainty and delays in regulatory policy forced biodiesel and renewable diesel producers to idle nearly 1.8 billion gallons of existing capacity last year, according to Kurt Kovarik, Clean Fuels' vice president of federal affairs. The slowdown threatens American jobs, consumers' pocketbooks and American farmers' livelihoods.
