Columbus Standard

U.S. Congressman Greg Pence (R-IN) participated in a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget for fiscal year 2025, held in Washington D.C. During the hearing, Congressman Pence expressed his concerns to EPA Administrator Michael Regan about the potential implications of the electric renewable identification numbers (eRINs) program.

Drawing from his firsthand experience with RINs during his tenure in the petroleum industry, Congressman Pence voiced his apprehensions. “As you know, RINs intentionally, or maybe not intentionally, picked winners and losers and costs one segment a great deal of money to continue to operate,” he said. He further added that eRINs could cover more people than initially intended and could potentially become a significant profit source for Wall Street.

In 2023, Congressman Pence introduced the No Fuel Credits for Batteries Act. This act aimed to prevent the EPA from implementing a proposed Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) rule that would allow eRINs to satisfy renewable fuel volume obligations. Despite removing eRINs from the final rule, it remains a consideration for future regulations.

A video recording of these remarks is available online.