U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson announced today that the agency will not meet its July 24 deadline to issue a decision on the renewable fuels standard (RFS) waiver request submitted by Texas Governor Rick Perry.

Johnson said in a statement, “Given the amount of work that remains to sufficiently answer the Texas request for a waiver from the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), it is now clear that a final decision on the request will not be completed by July 24. Rather, additional time is needed to allow staff to adequately respond to the public comments and develop a decision document that explains the technical, economic and legal rationale of our decision.”

EPA received over 15,000 comments on the issue and the agency is also required to consult with the Departments of Agriculture and Energy in considering whether to grant or deny the waiver request.

Johnson stated that “the process remains fair and open and no agreements have been made with any party in regard to the substance and timing of the decision on the waiver request.”

A final decision is now expected in early August.