A pair of ethanol industry trade groups on Thursday accused lawmakers and livestock groups of spreading misinformation to kill a rule that promotes corn ethanol production.

Some lawmakers critical of ethanol have called for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) renewable fuel standard (RFS) to be waived because of drought conditions lowering the corn harvest and raising prices. 

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers held a press conference earlier Thursday urging EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to waive the standard. They said the EPA can waive the RFS in whole or in part when complying with the rule causes severe economic or environmental harm.

But Renewable Fuels Association CEO Bob Dinneen said the rule should only be waived when ethanol refiners say they cannot meet the rule’s production targets. He added that this won't happen this year. 

“The bottom line is this — the RFS is about refiners being able to meet their obligations,” Dinneen said. “Refiners can meet their obligations because of the flexibility built into this program.”

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