New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Saturday that he “absolutely” supports the renewable fuel standard because it is the law of the land.
Mr. Christie has been slipping in the early presidential polls and made the remarks during his second high-profile trip this year to Iowa, where he is among a slate of likely presidential hopefuls taking part in the an agricultural summit hosted by Bruce L. Rastetter, a major GOP donor who has made part of his fortune off the ethanol industry and supports the renewable fuel standard, also known as RFS.
The RFS — passed in 2005 and expanded in 2007 — requires that 10 percent of the nation’s fuel supply comes from renewable sources — helping Iowa corn farmers. Under the law, the EPA is tasked with setting new renewable fuel starts, but has delayed doing so since 2014.
“The law requires the president to establish RFS, and he should,” Mr. Christie said. “Certainly anybody who is a competent president would get that done and their administration should get done.”
Asked whether he would support the RFS as president, Mr. Christie told Mr. Rastetter, “absolutely.” “It is what the law requires,” Mr. Christie said. “So let’s make sure we comply with the law.”
Opponents of the RFS say that ethanol-based fuels should compete on its own in the free market and say that the blended fuels can damage cars and power equipment like chainsaws.
Others point out that GOP polls have shown that Iowans are skeptical of the standard, even if it helps local farmers.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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