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Sen. Pat Toomey went to a local refinery with the Environmental Protection Agency's top administrator Monday and says he wants to get rid of the Renewable Energy Standard, a policy created under President George W. Bush.
It calls for a certain amount of renewable fuel to replace a certain amount of oil-based fuel.
"It was invented for a different era, and I don't think it was ever a good idea, but it's certainly obsolete now," Toomey said.
Toomey was at the Monroe Energy Refinery in Trainer, Delaware County, speaking to hundreds of workers about how he wants to reform the policy.
EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler was also there, and believes deregulation is the way forward on energy production.
"We have finalized 41 deregulatory actions, saving Americans more than $3.5 billion over the last 2 1/2 years," Wheeler said.
And Wheeler says 47 more deregulations are in the works.
Ryan O'Callaghan, president of United Steelworkers Local 10-1, represents workers at the soon to be closed PES refinery.
"We don't need the law any more, and it created a situation that is costly to merchant refiners, and it may stop someone from investing in PES," he said.
The Union of Concerned Scientists is critical of Wheeler, saying he has done more in one year to undermine safeguards to the environment than any other head of the EPA.