C4L President Norman Singleton Testifies at EPA Hearing

Campaign for Liberty President Norman Singleton testified before the Environmental Protection Agency this morning regarding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for cellulosic biofuel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel for calendar year 2018:

Thank you for allowing me to testify on behalf of Campaign for Liberty, a free-market advocacy organization founded in 2008 by Dr. Ron Paul.

Campaign for Liberty opposes the renewable fuel standard for several reasons. The standard violates the principles of a free society and harms consumers by forcing them to use biofuels, raising fuel costs and forcing consumers to spend more on fuel, and less on other goods, than they would prefer. The mandate also harms consumers by diverting the use of corn from food to fuel production, thus increasing food prices and even causing shortages.

Furthermore, interventions in the marketplace that favor certain producers encourage those producers and their rivals to spend their time, money, and talent lobbying legislators and federal agencies to maintain and expand their subsidies. The resources spent on lobbying would be better spent developing new products that better serve the needs of consumers.

Finally, the mandate exceeds the powers granted to the government by the United States Constitution. If the renewable fuel standard, and all other interference in the fuel marketplace, was repealed, entrepreneurs could find innovative ways to provide consumers with affordable energy that protects the environment. For all these reasons, the renewable fuel standard should be repealed.