The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the final Renewal Fuel Standard (RFS) required volume obligations for 2014, 2015 and 2016 at higher levels than proposed by the agency in May 2015.  Specifically, the EPA has raised the implied corn mandate over the three years by more than 1.5 billion gallons and has set the 2016 ethanol mandate at a level beyond the 10 percent blendwall limits. “EPA’s action will cost consumers at the pump and on the plate by effectively raising fuel and food prices,” said National Chicken Council President Mike Brown. “By increasing the mandated volume of ethanol beyond the blendwall for next year, and retroactively increasing the mandates for 2014 and 2015, more corn from feed and food will be diverted into fuel production, resulting in increased costs for poultry and livestock producers.  Since the RFS was enacted, chicken producers alone have incurred more than $50 billion in higher actual feed costs due to the ethanol mandates, and the tab keeps getting run up under this broken law.  Read More

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