A bipartisan group of 47 legislators from both Chambers of Congress petitioned the EPA to finalize its proposal for the Renewable Fuel Standard Program, which includes measures to discourage the use of imports into the U.S. biofuels market.

The group sent a letter to Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, asking him to advocate for the proposal. The legislators say it represents a common-sense approach that puts America’s farmers first in line, strengthens U.S. domestic biofuel markets, and delivers tangible economic benefits to rural communities.

An EPA proposal in June would change the RFS program to increase the Renewable Volume Obligation, or RVO, reduce the value of the Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) for foreign-produced fuels and biofuel components, and reallocate unmet regulatory costs from exempted small refineries to larger ones.

The group argued that the RIN reduction measure would provide essential support for the farm economy.