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Wisconsin Soybean President supports more oversight of EPA

The President of Wisconsin’s Soybean Association is critical of the Trump administration’s additional small refinery waivers. Tony Mellenthin of Eau Galle, Wisconsin says, “Quite frankly, the EPA is ignoring the law, and that’s hurting farmers just as much as this trade war is.”

Mellenthin tells Brownfield the latest RFS small refinery waivers will nullify any possible gains farmers hope to make in biofuel consumption. “We applauded E15, that’s great, and, now we get these small refinery exemptions and it takes away an extreme amount more demand than what we gain with E15 so we’ve been taken from more than we’ve been given. That’s for sure.”

The EPA just approved year-round E-15 use at the end of May.  Mellenthin encourages Congress to get involved. “This administration’s EPA is undermining the RFS and this is something that needs oversight.”

Mellenthin farms about 7,000 acres of corn and soybeans near Eau Galle, Wisconsin along with his father.  He spoke to Brownfield during a Mississippi River infrastructure tour in La Crosse, Wisconsin Wednesday, August 21st.