Senators Lodge Concerns About Icahn’s Control of Renewable Fuel Standard
Having been ignored by the White House, Whitehouse, Stabenow, Brown, Klobuchar, Franken, Baldwin, and Warren submit their concerns to the EPA
A PDF copy of the letter is available here.
Washington, DC - The White House has ignored seven Senators' request for information on oil refining executive Carl Icahn's role in determining the fate of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)-a regulation that Icahn claims will cost his business hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Now the group has filed that request with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of its notice and comment process.
In a letter sent to White House Counsel Don McGahn last Monday, February 13, the Senators asked what role Icahn is playing in President Donald Trump's White House, whether any steps have been taken to address his financial conflicts of interest, and if Icahn is pressing for changes to the RFS that would benefit one of his holdings, CVR Energy. The Senators, Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Al Franken (D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), asked for a response by February 15, 2017.
The RFS, a program administered by the EPA, requires oil refiners and importers to blend renewable biofuels, like corn-based ethanol, with their gasoline and diesel. Citing the compliance cost burden on the industry, some oil refiners have filed petitions with the EPA to reform its regulations to relieve their responsibilities under the RFS. The Senators have submitted their letter on Icahn to the Agency, which must now consider it as part of its notice and comment process.
A PDF copy of the letter is available here.
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