THE WHITE HOUSE OFFICE


REFERRAL

December 04, 2013 

TO: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 

ACTION COMMENTS: 

ACTION REQUESTED: DIRECT REPLY W/COPY 

REFERRAL COMMENTS: 

DESCRIPTION OF INCOMING: 

ID: 1126617 

MEDIA: LETTER 

DOCUMENT DATE: November 14, 2013 

TO: PRESIDENT OBAMA 

FROM: THE HONORABLE AL FRANKEN 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

WASHINGTON, DC 20510 

SUBJECT: EXPRESSES CONCERNS REGARDING THE LEAKED DRAFT PROPOSAL OF 

THE ADMINISTRATION 2014 VOLUMETRIC TARGETS UNDER THE RENEWABLE 

FUEL STANDARD (RFS) AND URGE THE PRESIDENT TO REJECT ANY 

PROPOSED RULE FROM EPA OR OMB THAT MIRROS THE CONTENT OF THE 

LEAKED DRAFT

COMMENTS: 

PROMPT ACTION IS ESSENTIAL -- IF RECIUIRED ACTION HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN WITHIN 9 WORKINO DAYS OF RECEIPT, 

UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED, PLEASE TELEPHONE THE UNDERSIONED AT (202) 458-2690. 

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..	

t 

THE WHITE HOUSE


DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT AND


TRACKING WORKSHEET 

DATE RECEIVED: November 21, 2013 

NAME OF CORRESPONDENT: THE HONORABLE AL FRANKEN

,^ 

^	^ 

CASE ID: 1126617 

SUBJECT: EXPRESSES CONCERNS REGARDING THE LEAKED DRAFT PROPOSAL OF THE 

ADMINISTRATION 2014 VOLUMETRIC TARGETS UNDER THE RENEWABLE FUEL 

STANDARD (RFS) AND URGE THE PRESIDENT TO REJECT ANY PROPOSED RULE FROM 

EPA OR OMB THAT MIRROS THE CONTENT OF THE LEAKED DRAFT 

ROUTE T0:	 TYPE	 DATS 

AGENCY/OFFICE	 (STAFF NAME)	CODB	DATE RESPONSE CODE CONfP1.ETED 

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS	

MIGUEL RODRIGUEZ ORG 11/22/2013 

ACTION COMMENTS: 

ACTION COMMENTS: 

ACTION COMMENTS: 

ACTION COMMENTS: 

ACTION COMMENTS: 

COMMENTS: 

MEDIA TYPE: LETTER	USER CODE: 

;	ACTION CODES I 

 A = APPR OPRIATE ACTION B j	TYPE RESPONSE 

= RESEARCH AND REPORT BACK ^_..._ ._..	...	 __	

-	-- 

D= DRAFT RESPONSE INITIALS OF SIGNER (W.H. 

I= INFO COPY/NO ACT NECESSARY STAFF) 

R= DIRECT REPLY W/ COPY NRN = NO RESPONSE NEEDED 

ORG = ORIGINATING OFFICE OTBE = OVERTAKEN BY EVENTS

...__--_..-...__.	..^^_.^.^...	 m DISPOSITION

_._.	. _	_ ..... .. . . .	.. . .. .......... 

DISPOSITION CODES j COMPLETED DATE 

A = ANSWERED OR	

DATE OF 

ACKNOWLEDGED	

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

C = CLOSED	

OR CLOSEOUT DATE 

X = INTERIM REPLY	

(MM/DDlYY) 

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S oRnn by 
// a ^VI17, 

ALFRANKEN

	

SUITE 

MINNESOTA

	

SH-309 

202-224-5641 

'United .15tates ^5enate 

WASHINGTON, DC 20510-2309 

November 14, 2013 

The Honorable Barack Obama 

President 

United States of America 

The White House 

Washington, D.C. 

Dear President Obama: 

I am writing to express serious concerns regarding the leaked draft proposal of the Administration's 

2014 volumetric targets under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). This approach, if adopted, would 

further lock our country into dependence on oil, and it would cripple the growing cellulosic and 

advanced biofuels industry just as it approaches the cusp of commercial-scale production. This leaked 

draft proposal is inconsistent with the Administration's energy security and economic growth 

objectives. I urge you to reject it. 

At a time when new cellulosic and advanced biofuels plants are fully expected to ramp up commercialscale production, any cut to the RFS would be particularly damaging. The RFS is a policy foundation 

on which the cellulosic and advanced biofuels industry must be built. Weakening this foundation just 

as cellulosic and advanced biofuels begin to take off would jeopardize decades of research and 

development and negate important economic progress in the biofuels sector. 

The RFS is designed to give investors long-term, stable energy policy that they can use as a foundation 

for large-scale, innovative investment into the development of next-generation biofuels. The policy 

was intended to break the oil industry's monopoly over our nation's transportation fuel system. It was 

also designed to give low-carbon competitors in the cellulosic and advanced biofuels space access to 

the market. That is why the low renewable fuel targets in the leaked draft are of concern. While the 

RFS allows EPA to adjust volumetric targets when there is not enough available fuel to meet the target, 

the leaked draft proposal lowers targets for a number of critical biofuel categories that are meeting and 

even surpassing RFS targets. The uncertain investment environment this would create would be 

particularly harmful for innovative startup companies in the cellulosic and advanced biofuels space. 

If adopted, this leaked draft would hurt innovation and investment in the U.S. economy, including rural 

economies. It will negatively impact our environmental and energy security goals, and it will further 

increase our reliance on oil. I therefore urge you to reject any proposed rule from EPA or OMB that 

mirrors the content of the leaked draft proposal. 

Sincerely, 

Al Franken 

U.S. Senator 

W W W. FRANKEN.SENATE.GOV