Illinois Corn Growers Association President Ken Hartman, and Illinois Corn Growers Association vice-president, Jeff Jarboe, will both be traveling to Kansas City for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Hearing on the proposed Renewable Fuel Standard RVO numbers. Hartman and Jarboe will be joined by a researcher from the University of Illinois at Chicago who will testify about ethanol’s clean air benefits.

ICGA reacted swiftly and with decisiveness in late May, condemning the USEPA’s latest plan to limit corn ethanol in the fuel market. Operating far outside the Congressional statute, EPA has decided to make its own rules.

At the time, Hartman said of EPA’s plan, “My initial reaction was to say out loud, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ “Does EPA even know how to read the real-world conventional corn-based ethanol production and usage numbers? It seems like they’re spinning some fairy tale here and expecting the rest of us to play along in this game of make believe.

“Is EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy driving this nonsense? Is it the Obama Administration? Who wants to take credit for EPA’s actions this week?”

Testimony from the ICGA leaders will focus on the fact that EPA is taking action in direct defiance to U.S. law. They’ll also address the positive economic and air quality benefits that ethanol brings to the U.S.

Look for more from IL Corn on this issue in the coming weeks. We’ll be asking you to again make comments to EPA, letting them know that they continue to operate out of bounds.