The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy in pursuit of more information regarding Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) compliance exemptions to dozens of oil refineries.

“We want to know how many (refineries) and how many gallons are impacted by these small refiner exemptions,” says RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen. “And more importantly, what these companies had to demonstrate in order to claim a unique hardship under this program.”

“Ethanol is less expensive than gasoline today,” Dinneen continued. “It is impossible to demonstrate an economic hardship to blend more of a less expensive product.”

The FOIA request follows a January letter to EPA in which RFA asked for data and documents regarding small refiner exemptions and called for more openness and transparency in the Agency’s process to consider exemption requests. EPA never responded to the January letter.

Listen to Dinneen’s comments on the request here:
RFA CEO Bob Dinneen comments on FOIA request