Today we spotlight the US Senate race between incumbent candidate, Sen. Tina Smith, and Karin Housley. Here are their responses to our questionnaire:
Tina Smith (D)
Q. The Renewable Fuel Standard calls for the use of increasing amounts of ethanol to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and cut greenhouse gas emissions. Do you support the Renewable Fuel Standard?
A. Yes, I support the Renewable Fuel Standard. I have been working hard with my midwestern colleagues on both sides of the political aisle to fight back against attempts by the EPA to reduce the amount of ethanol and biodiesel blended into the U.S. fuel supply.
Q. This year, the EPA has granted RFS waivers to 48 small refiners for the years 2016 and 2017, representing an estimated 2.25 billion gallons of ethanol. Do you support the EPA's actions? If no, will you pressure the EPA and the Trump Administration to halt issuing RFS waivers for 2018 and beyond, to identify the recipients of the 2016 and 2017 waivers and lastly, to reallocate the 2.25 billion gallons of ethanol that were lost due to the 2016 and 2017 waivers?
A. I oppose the waivers, and have been working across party lines to pressure the administration to end the practice. The loss of biofuel sales due to these waivers has hit Minnesota farmers and the Minnesota rural economy hard. Yes, I support not only an end to the abuse of waivers by the current administration, but I also support “making up” for loss of biofuel sales via increasing blending requirements going forward.
Q. At present, E15 cannot be sold in the summer months since Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) regulations have not kept pace with the addition of E15 into the fuel market. Would you fix this problem by a Congressional Act, similar to how E10 (10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline) was handled? Or, would you try to expedite the solution by pushing the White House and EPA to use existing regulatory authority to give E15 the same RVP treatment as E10?
A. I co-sponsor legislation to allow for year-round sales of E15. I also feel that the legislation shouldn't even be necessary. Existing regulatory authority gives the current Administration the power to fix the problem-- the EPA just needs to exercise that authority.
Q. The number of stations offering E15 in Minnesota has increased exponentially the last two years (nearly 300 at present) and a big reason for this increase was the financial assistance provided by the federal government's Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership program for storage and dispensing equipment upgrades. Would you support renewing funding for this program so that even more stations in Minnesota can offer E15?
A. I would strongly support such funding.
Karin Housley (R)
Q. The Renewable Fuel Standard calls for the use of increasing amounts of ethanol to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and cut greenhouse gas emissions. Do you support the Renewable Fuel Standard?
A. I support the Renewable Fuel Standard.
Q. This year, the EPA has granted RFS waivers to 48 small refiners for the years 2016 and 2017, representing an estimated 2.25 billion gallons of ethanol. Do you support the EPA's actions? If no, will you pressure the EPA and the Trump Administration to halt issuing RFS waivers for 2018 and beyond, to identify the recipients of the 2016 and 2017 waivers and lastly, to reallocate the 2.25 billion gallons of ethanol that were lost due to the 2016 and 2017 waivers?
A. I do not support the EPA's actions regarding the waivers. I will take action to stop the waivers if elected.
Q. At present, E15 cannot be sold in the summer months since Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) regulations have not kept pace with the addition of E15 into the fuel market. Would you fix this problem by a Congressional Act, similar to how E10 (10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline) was handled? Or, would you try to expedite the solution by pushing the White House and EPA to use existing regulatory authority to give E15 the same RVP treatment as E10?
A. I would push for the White House to use existing regulatory authority to make E15 available all 12 months of the year. If that does not work, I will push it through Congress.
Q. The number of stations offering E15 in Minnesota has increased exponentially the last two years (nearly 300 at present) and a big reason for this increase was the financial assistance provided by the federal government's Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership program for storage and dispensing equipment upgrades. Would you support renewing funding for this program so that even more stations in Minnesota can offer E15?
A. I would support renewing funding for this program, especially if we can move on to year-round E15.
Candidates and Biofuels Election 2018 Archives:
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US Rep MN 6: Tom Emmer Vs Ian Todd
US Rep MN 5: Ilhan Omar
US Rep MN 3: Dean Philips
US Rep MN 2: Jason Lewis Vs Angie Craig
US Rep MN 1: Dan Feehan Vs Jim Hagedorn
MN District 04B: Paul Marquart
MN District 27B: Jeanne Poppe
MN District 16B: Marinda Kimmel Vs Paul Torkelson
MN District 55A: Brad Tabke
MN District 27A: Peggy Bennett
MN District 08A: Bud Nornes
MN District 24A: John Petersburg Vs Joe Heegard
MN District 28B: Gregory Davids Vs Thomas Trehus
MN District 23A: Bob Gunther Vs Heather Klassen
MN District 22B: Rod Hamilton Vs Cheniqua Johnson
MN District 18B: Ashley Latzke Vs Glenn Gruenhagen
MN District 12B: Paul Anderson Vs Ben Schirmers