Source: Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 11/8/11

The Supreme Court is not going to sweep away the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) and resolve the ethanol issue in favor of meat processors.

The nation’s highest court in July was asked to hear a case for striking down the RFS, by the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association and the American Petroleum Institute. At issue, the associations said, was whether a “federal agency that misses a statutory deadline for writing regulations may engage in retroactive rulemaking based on implied, rather than express, authorization from Congress,” according MarketWatch, quoting court documents.

The Court denied the petition on Monday, letting stand the lower court ruling in favor of the RFS.
The Renewable Fuels Standard, which creates competition with livestock producers for corn — the primary ingredient in ethanol — is seen by processors as a major factor in rising feed prices and, ultimately, the rising cost of meat and other foods.

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