Hundreds rally against current alternative fuels process

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A rally was held on Monday calling for changes in the Renewable Fuel Standard and the RINs that have to be purchased by refineries.

On hand was Delaware Gov. John Carney,  local union officials and executives at PBF Energy and Monroe Energy. More than 300 people turned out for the rally outside the Delaware City Refinery, including a number of workers from  Monroe Energy’s  refinery in Trainer, PA, near the Philadelphia International Airport.

“We’ve got a regulation that was well-intended, that is getting in the way. We need a smarter approach,” Carney stated.

 “This is a false choice to pick one over the other,” he said about picking between refiners and biofuel producers,” Carney added.

“We spent more than $200 million last year on RINs. That’s more than we paid for the refinery. That’s ridiculous. We’re not fighting biofuels. What we’re fighting is the way that it was administered,”  said  Jeff Warmann, CEO of Monroe Energy

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 Matt Lucey, president, PBF Energy said. “We’re being crippled by a federal program.”  Only two groups of people pay for the skyrocketing costs of RINs – merchant refiners and people who buy gasoline.

There had been hope that the RIN process would be reformed under the Trump Administration. However, opposition from members of Congress from the Corn Belt,  shattered that optimism. Ethanol is largely derived from corn cobs in a costly process that critics claim has limited environmental benefits.

More than 300 attended the rally.

 

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