Terry E. Branstad	 OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR	 Kim Reynolds 

GOVERNOR	 LT. GOVERNOR 

December 12, 2013 

The Honorable Barack Obama 

President of the United States 

The White House 

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW 

Washington, DC 20500 

The Honorable Tom Vilsack 

Secretary 

United States Department of Agriculture 

1400 Independence Avenue SW 

Washington, DC 20250

The Honorable Gina McCarthy 

Administrator 

Environmental Protection Agency 

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW 

Washington, DC 20460 

Dear President Obama, Administrator McCarthy, and Secretary Vilsack: 

As elected officials from a leading agricultural and biofuels state, we write to express our strong 

opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposal to reduce renewable fuel 

volume obligations and weaken the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), and we request further 

opportunities for citizens from rural America to inform your decisions. Biofuels have diversified 

America's energy portfolio, strengthened our national security by reducing reliance on foreign 

oil, reduced transportation fuel emissions, given consumers lower cost options, and energized 

rura) America by increasing family farm incomes and creating high-skilled, rewarding careers. 

The EPA recently held a field hearing in Crystal City, Virginia, to discuss proposed RFS volume 

obligations. Throughout the day, the EPA heard from agricultural leaders, public officials, and 

private citizens, including many individuals from rural America. However, many more farmers, 

business leaders, and interested citizens wanted to participate in the hearing, but were unable 

to make the trip to Washington, DC, on such short notice. A reduction in the RFS will 

disproportionately affect rural America and will leave thousands unemployed. Weakening the 

RFS would increase prices at the pump and negatively impact air quality across the country. We 

believe the hard-working men and women in lowa and across the Midwest deserve the 

opportunity to make the case at a hearing in the Heartland. 

We request that the EPA, in conjunction with the White House Rural Council, hold a field 

hearing in the State of lowa to enable lowans and other Midwesterners to testify to the 

benefits of the RFS and provide Federal leaders with additional data to inform your decisions. 

We invite you to join the hearings and to join us in visiting at least one biofuel facility, which 

STATE CAPITOL DES MOINES, IOWA 50319 515-281-5211 FAX: 515-725-3528


www.Governor.lowa.gov
Chuck Grassley	

Oft 

United States Senator 

United States Congressman 

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Tom Latham 

United States CUn6rebJ111an 

Bruce Braley 

will enable you to see firsthand the many benefits of biofuels and the broad importance of a 

robust RFS. 

lowans, Midwesterners, and American consumers deserve an honest debate that is not clouded 

by the politics of Washington, DC. 

We hope to welcome you to lowa soon. 

Sincerely,

#^{n^td^. 

Terry E. Branstad	

Kim Reynolds 

Governor of lowa	

Lt. Governor of lowa 

Bill Northey 

Secretary, lowa Department 

of Agriculture & Land Stewardship 

Tom Harkin 

United States Senator 

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IG Steve King

United States Congressman 

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United States Congressman