Urge EPA to Provide Real Drought Relief and Waive the Ethanol Fuel Mandate

America is firmly in the grip of a severe and devastating drought that has spread across more than half the nation’s counties.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture has predicted that this year’s corn harvest will be amongst the worst in recent history, resulting in increased costs for food makers and higher prices at the grocery store for consumers. 

Unfortunately, the devastating effects of this prolonged drought will only intensify without action by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure that desperately needed corn supplies are not diverted for vehicle fuel production.

EPA’s Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) mandates the production of 13 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol, an amount that requires nearly 5 billion bushels of corn. EPA has the authority to waive this mandate under the Clean Air Act if doing so would prevent the U.S. from suffering economic harm.    

Write your members of Congress and urge them to tell EPA to protect American food companies and families from massive cost increases caused by using corn for fuel instead of food at a time when our corn production is being ravaged by a savage drought.