"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is backing off from changes it floated to biofuels policy after significant pushback from Midwestern GOP senators and a direct intervention from President Trump.

In a letter to seven senators Thursday, EPA head Scott Pruitt pledged that he would not move forward with various ideas regarding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), including lowering the biodiesel mandate and allowing ethanol exports to count toward the mandate.

'EPA has not taken any formal action to propose this idea, nor will EPA pursue regulations,' Pruitt wrote about the export idea in the letter, which Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) released publicly late Thursday."

Timothy Cama reports for The Hill October 20, 2017. [2]