Court rejects Big Oil’s attempt to prevent the use of renewable fuels
WASHINGTON, DC — Following the decision of the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, in which the court found that API and other associated special interests of Big Oil were preventing retailers from blending ethanol into their gasoline for sale, Tom Buis CEO of Growth Energy released the following statement:
“Big Oil has been consistently fighting the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and has done everything in their power to prevent the blending and sale of renewable fuels. The recent decision by the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals is a win for the ethanol industry and will help break down the market barriers that the oil industry has erected.
“By trying to prevent the retailers from blending higher levels of ethanol into their gasoline, they are preventing market competition, and the court specifically noted, that, ‘suppliers are essentially seeking to exclude retailers from participating in the process of ethanol blending, therefore creating a monopoly.’
“The statements by the court just reaffirm what producers and stakeholders in the biofuels industry have been saying for years — Big Oil is operating a monopoly on the liquid fuels market and it is time to end these practices that restrict competition, harm consumers, and stand in the way of true energy independence.”