The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) is urging the Environmental Protection Agency to resist calls for to waive or significantly reduce the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs).

“None of the requests from governors, senators, and attorneys general for EPA to waive the RFS this year have been accompanied by the evidence, which is required by the law and previous precedent, showing how the RFS is the cause of ‘severe economic harm’ because such evidence does not exist,” said ACE CEO Brian Jennings. “More importantly, oil refiners and the politicians beholden to them who keep calling on EPA to reduce RFS blending obligations for 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic are disingenuously ignoring the fact that ethanol blending is already falling below statutorily-required levels this year with no action by EPA because COVID-19 has cut U.S. motor fuel use by approximately 50 percent in recent months. If EPA were to cave in to requests for an unjustifiable RFS waiver, it would amount to a dual cut to renewable fuel use, giving refiners further license to escape their legal responsibility to blend and inflicting gratuitous pain on ethanol producers and farmers.”

During an appearance before a Senate committee last week, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said no decision has been made on recent waiver requests to the Renewable Fuel Standard.