The Environmental Protection Agency is holding a virtual hearing today with fuel industry stakeholders on proposed renewable volume obligations for 2020 through 2022.

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper kicked off the hearing for the ethanol industry with his comments that EPA’s proposal marks “an important and long-awaited step toward restoring order, integrity and stability to the Renewable Fuel Standard program.”

However, Cooper noted that there is plenty of room for improvement. “RFA supports the proposed volumes for 2022 for all categories of renewable fuel, and we specifically commend EPA for proposing to set the implied requirement for conventional renewable fuels at the statutory level of 15 billion gallons,” Cooper said. “We also support EPA’s proposal to account for projected exempt volumes from small refineries when setting RVO percentages. And, RFA agrees with EPA that, ‘in the interest of transparency,’ the Agency should release basic information about entities seeking exemptions from RFS compliance.” Cooper also voiced RFA’s strong support for EPA’s related proposal to deny 65 pending small refinery exemption petitions.

Listen to Cooper’s comments here:
EPA RFS hearing - Geoff Cooper, RFA (3:34)