The Trump administration ordered U.S. refiners on Friday to blend a record amount of biofuels into their gasoline and diesel this year and next, a move intended to help farmers but that the refining industry said would only backfire by raising pump prices already spiking due to the war in Iran.
The rebuke from the U.S. refining industry revealed a rare public rift between President Donald Trump’s White House and oil companies that have traditionally backed his efforts to bolster the fossil-fuel energy sector.
“It’s baffling, with fuel prices already rising due to the conflict in Iran, that EPA is finalizing a rule that will make things far worse for consumers,” said Chet Thompson, president and CEO of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers.
“This is not what energy dominance looks like.”
Trump is seeking to consolidate support among the important agriculture and energy constituencies ahead of the November midterm elections while battling consumer inflation, most visible at the gasoline pump. Since the outset of the Iran war, average retail U.S. gasoline prices have risen to nearly $4 a gallon nationwide.
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