NOPA Champions Soy-Based Biofuels in Washington Clean Fuels Program
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2024 – The National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) today submitted comments to the Washington State Department of Ecology in response to proposed changes to the Washington Clean Fuels Program (CFS) Rulemaking.
NOPA urged regulators to address the legitimacy of imported feedstocks and oppose any cap on vegetable oil as a biofuel feedstock.
“While we recognize and support the need for low carbon and waste-based feedstocks, NOPA encourages Ecology to undergo additional scrutiny, monitoring, and traceability of imported feedstocks. Such actions will ensure continued program confidence and compliance,” NOPA President & CEO Kailee Tkacz Buller wrote.
“An artificial cap on vegetable oil feedstocks will lead to more combustion of fossil diesel fuel, higher fuel prices at the pump, and poorer air quality. It may also lead to a surge of more imported foreign feedstocks – some of which may not be legitimate – being used to fuel Washington instead of local U.S. grown options – all at the expense of the U.S farmer, the U.S. crusher and the Washington state taxpayer,” Buller added.
###
Organized in 1930, the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) represents the U.S. soybean, canola, flaxseed, safflower seed, and sunflower seed-crushing industries. NOPA’s membership is engaged in the processing of oilseeds for meal and oil that are utilized in the manufacturing of food, feed, renewable fuels, and industrial products. NOPA’s 17 member companies operate over 70 softseed and soybean solvent extraction plants across 21 states, crushing over 95% of all soybeans processed in the United States, the equivalent to more than 2 billion bushels annually. More information at www.NOPA.org