WASHINGTON, 2015-12-1 — /EPR Retail News/ — The National Council of Chain Restaurants today issued the following statement from Executive Director Rob Green following the Environmental Protection Agency’s release of regulations that would increase the amount of corn-based ethanol used in the nation’s gasoline supply under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard:
“Today’s announcement, which is two years late, demonstrates once and for all that the EPA cannot fix the failed Renewable Fuel Standard. As expected, the EPA has once again bowed to political pressure from special interests and ignored the widespread harm caused by the RFS.
“The EPA has chosen to please a small group of ethanol lobbyists to the detriment of the nation’s small business restaurants and everyone who depends on the food chain across the country. The EPA’s failure demonstrates the need for Congress – who created this mess – to quickly pass legislation to eliminate the corn ethanol mandate and take the RFS off the menu.”
The EPA today released regulations that would increase the amount of corn ethanol used under the RFS in 2016. The long-delayed regulations also include retroactive numbers for the amount that was supposed to be used in 2014 and 2015.
A PricewaterhouseCoopers study conducted for NCCR concluded that if the corn ethanol mandate is left unchanged, chain restaurant industry costs will increase by up to $3.2 billion a year, with a typical chain restaurant location facing $18,000 in increased food commodity costs. NCCR’s RFS off the Menu campaign continues to highlight the negative consequences of the RFS on the food supply chain.
The National Council of Chain Restaurants is the leading trade association exclusively representing chain restaurant companies. For more than 40 years, NCCR has worked to advance sound public policy that best serves the interests of restaurant businesses and the millions of people they employ. NCCR members include the country’s most-respected quick-service and table-service chains. NCCR is a division of the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade group.
Treacy Reynolds
press@nrf.com
(855) NRF-Press
SOURCE: National Retail Federation