Trump Faces Pressure from Farmers as Small-Refinery Exemption Plan Stirs Debate
A coalition of U.S. farm and biofuel groups has urged President Trump to reject a White House-backed plan that would significantly expand small-refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard.
The group, which includes the National Farmers Union, Growth Energy, and the Renewable Fuels Association, warned that flooding the market with waivers could weaken rural economies already stretched thin after a record 2025 harvest.
The administration is expected to decide on the exemption expansion before the end of August. The plan would roughly double refinery exemptions from about 950 million credits to as many as 1.8 billion credits.
Farm-state lawmakers and biofuel producers are watching closely to see whether the White House sides with refiners or with the rural economies that supply the corn and soybeans behind the nation's biofuel supply.