03.23.17

Cantwell Statement on National Biodiesel Board Fair Trade Coalition Petition Against Illegal Biodiesel Imports from Argentina, Indonesia

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) release the following statement after the National Biodiesel Board Fair Trade Coalition filed a trade case with the International Trade Commission and Department of Commerce alleging that Argentina and Indonesia are providing illegal subsidies to their domestic biodiesel industries and dumping products onto the US market in violation of US trade laws:

“We’ve known for a long time that foreign producers of biodiesel have been flooding our markets at the expense of American producers, knowing they can take advantage of our tax policy. Today’s suit confirms just how dire the situation has become. I hope that the Department of Commerce and ITC will give this suit every appropriate consideration and work to protect American biodiesel producers. I will continue to work across the aisle to reform the biodiesel tax credit so that it does what it was intended to do: incentivize the production of clean, renewable biodiesel here in the United States.”

Last Congress, Senator Cantwell, along with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), introduced bipartisan legislation to reform the biodiesel tax credit and extend the new policy for three years. The bill would convert the current biodiesel blenders credit to a domestic production credit, which would prohibit foreign produced biodiesel imports from taking advantage of the credit.

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