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The next meeting in the debate over the future of biofuels policy set for Monday morning has been called off, sources tell Agri-Pulse.

A bill that would exempt animal feeding operations from reporting their air emissions should be able to move through the Senate quickly, given its bipartisan support and a looming deadline from a federal appeals court.

Last year, U.S. cellulosic ethanol production rose to 10 million gallons, a milestone but still a tiny fraction of the 2007 Energy Bill’s original 5.5 billion-gallon mandate for 2017. Still, with the lure of big premiums, the industry expects the expansion to continue.

The Trump administration this week finalizes hefty steel and aluminum tariffs that have farm groups bracing from retaliatory trade actions, and the president also is pushing forward to address complaints by refiners about the cost of complying with federal biofuel mandates.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue took center stage at the Commodity Classic today, offering a forceful defense of his support for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), while trying to settle down concerned corn growers who are counting on the Trump administration’s support.