The National Farmers Union (NFU) represented agriculture on a Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) advisory group that helped develop a new report on “Options for Reforming the Renewable Fuel Standard.”

“It was very important that agriculture that supports the renewable fuels industry be present at the table,” said NFU vice president of programs Chandler Goule, who notes that while the meetings were held in a very professional manner, “they were heavily skewed toward big oil.”

In fact, the 23 member advisory group included seven representatives of the oil industry, who apparently heavily influenced the report recommendations. Goule says NFU has major objections to two of the policy recommendations made in the report. “The flattening of the total renewable fuel mandate at its current level going forward, but continuing to increase the three advanced categories, we have significant concerns about what that would to do ethanol and biodiesel,” he said. “Even more concerning was removing the total renewable fuel mandate and only mandating the three advanced categories. Basically what they are doing is giving in to Big Oil’s conclusion that a blend wall exists, which it does not.”

In this interview, Goule also comments on NFU’s concerns with the spending bill passed by Congress, their pleasure with the tax extenders package, what they are looking forward to in 2015, and the NFU annual meeting in March. Interview with Chandler Goule, NFU