Conservatives are calling on President Trump to fire EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt over Renewable Fuel Standards

Source: Breaking Energy

What is the motivation to move from a 'fossil fuel' based economy toward a renewable energy economy?  According to an excerpt which arrived in my e-mail box yesterday morning from 'Politico Energy,' farmers are not happy with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's handling of the Renewable Fuel Standard as shown below:

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Following his talks Tuesday with Kansas farmers, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is expected to travel today to a sorghum farm in Reliance, S.D., where corn growers will take to their tractors to protest his moves on biofuels. In particular, the farmers are angry about his proposed changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard, and they're accusing him of siding with oil refiners.

Already, Pruitt faced some heat when he met with farmers and ethanol producers in Kansas on Tuesday. "To be honest, Administrator Pruitt, we're mad as hell," Kansas Corn Commissioner Dennis McNinch told Pruitt, according to a KCC press release. "We are under attack once again from the oil industry as they try to unravel the RFS using their latest scare tactic claiming that RINs are about to put them out of business. Big oil is enjoying wide profit margins today. People like Sen. [Ted] Cruz believe that the oil industry needs to be thrown a bone. How many bones do they need?"

From Pruitt's corner, the administrator called the visit "a candid and productive dialogue" on the RFS in a statement. Statements from farmers indicate Pruitt also said EPA has the authority to reallocate blending requirements from exempted small refiners to large refiners, which farmers say would stabilize biofuel credit prices. Bill Pracht, CEO of the East Kansas Agri-Energy, the ethanol producer Pruitt visited, said in a separate statement he told Pruitt that biofuel credit prices had been so volatile over the last year that the company had idled a brand new biofuel plant.

The administrator tweeted out images from his trip Tuesday. "I strongly believe the most effective way to make decisions is to hear directly from stakeholders," he wrote. "The Trump Administration is committed to standing up for the American farmer."

And he tipped some WOTUS news: During his visit to Dedonder Farms in Kansas, the administrator told farmers that he would send the agency's new Waters of the U.S. rule to OMB later this week, according to a tweet from local media at the event.

Still, ahead of his trip today, the American Future Fund, an Iowa-based 501(c)(4) focusing on conservative and free market ideas, announced a new TV ad campaign targeting Pruitt. "Scott Pruitt is a swamp monster," the ad says. "Mr. President, you know what to do," before playing a clip of President Donald Trump declaring, "You're fired." The ad is initially set to air in Nebraska and South Dakota. Watch it here.

ON THE HILL: GOP Sen. John Cornyn says finding common ground on an overhaul of the RFS is "like trying to come up with peace in the Middle East." Cornyn has not yet put pen to paper on a bill, though he's still holding discussions and he hopes to at least introduce a bill this year. "It's not easy," he said. "There's a reason this has been hanging around for a long time. We're just trying to grind it out day by day."

Not into octane: Cornyn is not enthusiastic about swapping out the RFS for a national octane standard, a policy that seems to have taken center stage in talks led by Rep. John Shimkus. The octane standard has some backing from both oil and ethanol interests, but support will depend on the details of the plan. "No decision is made on our side," he said. "I'm not sure we need another government mandate when we're trying to get rid of one, so that's a concern."

The excerpt above raises the obvious questions: Where does oil come from?  The ground.  Why is oil in the ground to begin with?  Why is oil called 'fossil fuels'?  If Google is consulted, then the following answer is shown below:

Which translates to the following picture shown below from the website 'Quora':

Source: Quora

A picture is worth a thousand words!  There are only a limited number of 'fossils' which were buried many thousands of years ago.  If there have been no recent extinction events which have caused a replenishing event, then why would a society think that 'fossil fuels' will be around forever?  The world operates on around 94 billion barrels a day.  Oil rich regions like Iraq where oil seems to be endless are speculated to only be able to support the world for 4 years.  That is, of course, if the world was drawing oil only from Iraq.  Given the distribution of oil from around the world, the estimate is probably much longer.


Despite the obvious decline in investment in 'fossil fuel' based energy -- as discussed in this blog post previously, the Trump Administration continues to seek waivers for the refineries to please the oil industry.  Why?  I am amazed.  Even after being criticized heavily by Congress - as noted in the previous blog post on the Renewable Fuel Standard.



Although, presently, the Administration is caught in their own conundrum -- which was brought on by earlier language sent out to please both parties.  In earlier discussions, both the White House and the EPA Administrator seemed sincerely interested in 'bailing out' both industries -- which seemed impossible at the time -- and is now coming to light to be impossible.  Lesson learned: Watch out what you promise to whom you promise!



As a result, farmers in the Mid West have now started to turn against the White House and the EPA Administrator.  The turning tide might not be very strong at the moment.  Although, the blatant display of displeasure is certainly a sign of the changing times.  The conservative nonprofit group 'American Future Fund' has produced the following video (commercial - 30 seconds in length) calling for EPA Administrator to be fired:

Wow.  Maybe the time has arrived for the White House to make changes which are more in line with the changing world.  Which is to say, adhere to the targets for the Renewable Fuel Standard set by Congress.  Stay within the goals set by the Paris Agreement.  And drop support for the aging (and dying) coal and nuclear power plant industries.  The world is changing.  Why is the U.S. not in line to change with other countries?  Lets start demanding change too.



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