Biofuels stakeholders are celebrating some good news today with word that the Trump administration had made the decision not to request a rehearing of the recent unanimous ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit that the EPA had “vastly exceeded its authority in granting exemptions from 2016 and 2017 RFS requirements to three refineries.” The challenge …
Coalition Launches Drop the Appeal Campaign
The Trump Administration needs to make a decision by March 23 whether to appeal the unanimous 10th Circuit Court decision against the EPA’s small refinery exemption program, and the coalition that brought the case has launched a new social media campaign urging the administration to drop the appeal. The coalition, made up of the Renewable Fuels Association, National Corn Growers …
Ethanol Case Groups Disappointed in Appeal Extension
The four organizations involved in the case against the Environmental Protection Agency over granting of small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) are disappointed the Trump Administration has been granted more time to consider an appeal of the court decision siding with the plaintiffs. The petitioners in the case—the Renewable Fuels Association, National Corn Growers Association, American Coalition …
Still Waiting on EPA Response to 10th Circuit Court Ruling
No announcement yet from EPA on how the agency will address the recent 10th Circuit Court ruling regarding small refinery exemptions (SREs), but officials continue to promise it will be soon. “We are working through the issues on the court decision, trying to decide the right path forward,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing Wednesday. …
Court Strikes Down EPA Small Refinery Exemptions
On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit struck down three small refinery exemptions (SREs) that were improperly issued by Environmental Protection Agency under a May 2018 case brought against EPA by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), the National Corn Growers Association, the American Coalition for Ethanol and National Farmers Union. The three refineries are owned by …
Biofuels Industry to EPA: Restore Lost Gallons
Ethanol and biodiesel producers, corn and soybean farmers, all had the same message to the Environmental Protection Agency regarding proposed renewable volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) – restore the gallons of biofuel blending volumes lost under the numerous small refinery exemptions granted by the agency over the past two years. Industry organizations delivered comments to the EPA …
Coalition Wants EPA to Reconsider Higher Ethanol Blends
A coalition of ethanol, agriculture, and clean fuel organizations has requested judicial review of a recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rulemaking that would limit ethanol blending and restrict the use of blender pumps. The Urban Air Initiative (UAI) and National Farmers Union (NFU) are leading the alliance. The petitioners believe that while the rule EPA approved to allow year round …
NFU Concerned E15 Waiver Will Impact Higher Blends
National Farmers Union (NFU) is concerned EPA’s proposed rule allowing year-round use of E15 gasoline will make it harder for retailers to sell higher level blends of ethanol. In a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, NFU President Roger Johnson urged EPA to rewrite a provision contained within the rule that could amount to a cap on ethanol. It is …
More Comments on House Fuels Act
Many industry organizations provided feedback yesterday to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment on the discussion draft “21st Century Transportation Fuels Act,” both in person and in writing. The legislation proposes an exchange of a national (95 RON) octane fuel requirement for repeal of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian …
Groups Disappointed in Final RFS Rule
Most organizations weighing in on the final rule for required renewable fuel volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for 2019, and biomass-based diesel for 2020, released by EPA on Friday are disappointed. The rule maintains the 2019 conventional biofuels level at 15 billion gallons, in line with statute, while biomass-based diesel, advanced, and cellulosic categories all were increased …