AMA Calls For Overhaul Of Failed Renewable Fuel Standard

“The federal government’s Renewable Fuel Standard is a failed strategy that must be completely reconsidered and restructured,” said Wayne Allard, vice president of government relations for the American Motorcyclist Association, on Wednesday.

Allard’s remarks came during the National Renewable Fuel Standard “Day of Action,” organized to urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to maintain its proposed 2014 renewable volume obligation and for Congress to take up legislative reform that would permanently address the problems inherent in the current RFS.

“The RFS is not working for Americans who breathe air, eat food, ride motorcycles, drive cars or mow their lawns. And, the action you’ll see around the U.S. today is emblematic of the wide-reaching support that exists for RFS reform. It’s time to readdress this flawed policy,” said Allard, a former U.S. senator from Colorado.

Motorcyclists, environmentalists, farmers, and business leaders lobbied the EPA and key members of Congress before gathering for a press conference to declare that America’s engines, environment and food supply are endangered by the production, distribution and use of ethanol.

The AMA opposes E15 fuel (15 percent ethanol by volume) because inadvertent misfueling can cause engine and fuel system failure to the estimated 22 million motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles currently in use and can void manufacturers’ warranties.

U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) has offered a number of potential solutions, including the “RFS Reform Act of 2013” (H.R. 1462). Others participating in the event included U.S. Reps. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and Steve Womack (R-Ark.); Justin Oldfield, of the California Cattlemen’s Association; Ron O’Connor, of the HeartLands Conservancy of Illinois; and Paul Navarro, of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

The AMA has repeatedly expressed concerns to government officials and federal lawmakers about possible damage to motorcycle and ATV engines caused by the inadvertent use of E15. For more information, visit: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/rights/amafuelforthought.aspx.