Mandates under the Renewable Fuel Standard are displacing much more affordable petroleum fuel with expensive biodiesel. That includes millions of gallons that are imported from overseas. Regardless of your opinions on free trade or globalization, you should look with suspicion on a policy that creates an artificial need for a fuel-rich country to import foreign fuel.

The fact is, American biodiesel production is simply not keeping up with the levels required by the RFS mandate. Yet, the Environmental Protection Agency continues to propose higher biodiesel blending targets as part of the RFS — most recently recommending a biodiesel mandate of 2.43 billion gallons, a 15 percent increase over the previous mark. This plan is unwelcome news to taxpayers. The government appears to be betting the farm on one of the RFS mandate’s biggest flaws.