The Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act passed by the U.S. House includes provisions of the Renewable Fuel Standard Integrity Act put forth by Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN).

The provisions set an annual deadline for refiners to request exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard and requires EPA to publicly release the name of refiners requesting a waiver, the number of gallons requested to be waived, and the number of gallons of biofuel that will not be blended as a result of the waiver.

“The House passage of H.R. 4447 moves us closer to holding EPA accountable for its reckless use of small refinery waivers,” Peterson said. “EPA has granted dozens of waivers in recent years and has refused to share details of their justification with Congress and the public. The waivers undermine the blending requirements required by law and harms rural communities that produce biofuels.”

National Biodiesel Board VP of Federal Affairs Kurt Kovarik said, “This is a commonsense step to ensure that RFS biomass-based diesel volumes are fully met and to prevent a recurrence of the demand destruction for biodiesel that we’ve seen over the past several years. Biodiesel and renewable diesel producers have a right to know how many gallons of their product may be lost from RFS volumes when major refiners like Exxon ask for special treatment.”