Endangered Refinery Workers Will Descend on Capitol Hill to Rally Support for Renewable Fuel Standard Reform

Contact: Roy Houseman, (202) 288-3573, rhouseman@usw.org

PITTSBURGH – The United Steelworkers (USW) today said that 30 workers from over a dozen independent merchant oil refineries in 11 states are taking their fight to save their jobs to Washington, D.C., next week. They will discuss the urgent need for Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) reform with legislators.

Union members will meet with senators and representatives on Tuesday, March 6, and Wednesday, March 7, to raise awareness about how the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) use of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) to track RFS compliance threatens thousands of family-supporting, community-sustaining jobs across the country.

USW National Oil Bargaining Chairman Kim Nibarger, who will be in Washington for the meetings, said that refiners currently are forced to purchase RINs at artificially inflated prices because they lack the size and infrastructure to blend ethanol into their gasoline.

“Although the multi-billion dollar ethanol industry and its powerful lobbyists are determined to prove otherwise,” Nibarger said, “our laws are not intended to guarantee profits for RIN traders.”

“A growing number of elected leaders from both parties have already joined us in calling for RFS reform that benefits consumers and protects oil community jobs without significantly impacting the ethanol industry,” he said. “We welcome the support of others who will stand with us to demand a fair compromise.”

NOTE: Interviews with Participants Available in Advance

Contact Roy Houseman at (202) 288-3573 or rhouseman@usw.org for details.

The fly-in will feature workers from the Philadelphia Energy Solutions and Monroe Energy refineries near Philadelphia, as well as:

PBF Energy refineries in Torrance, Calif.; Delaware City, Del.; Paulsboro, N.J.; Chalmette, La.; and Toledo, Ohio

HollyFrontier refineries in El Dorado, Kan.; Cheyenne, Wyo.; and Salt Lake City

Valero refineries in Meraux, La.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Dumas and Port Arthur, Texas