A coalition of agriculture and biofuel groups is urging the administration to propose a higher octane fuel standard as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updates its greenhouse gas emissions standards for passenger vehicles and light duty trucks, In a letter to President Joe Biden, the group also requested that EPA open a comment period on the role that high octane …
Congressional Democrats Urge Support for RFS
Democratic leaders in both the House and Senate are urging the Biden administration “reject any actions under discussion to exempt oil refiners of their obligations under the RFS and uphold your commitment to combating climate change and supporting our nation’s farmers.” Representatives Cindy Axne (D-IA), Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Angie Craig (D-MN), and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) led a letter with …
RFS Integrity Act Introduced in Senate
U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) this week introduced the bipartisan RFS Integrity Act of 2021 to “provide more certainty for rural America by bringing transparency and predictability to EPA’s small refinery exemption process.” The bill would require small refineries to petition for Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) hardship exemptions by June 1st of each year. This change …
Court Vacates Last Minute Refinery Exemptions
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has issued an order vacating three small refinery exemptions granted by EPA in the waning moments of the Trump Administration. The court’s decision came promptly after EPA petitioned for the vacatur and remand of the exemptions on April 30 and Sinclair responded on May 18 that it did not oppose EPA’s …
Biodiesel Group Requests Meeting with EPA Admin
The National Biodiesel Board is asking EPA Administrator Michael Regan for an opportunity to present the findings of a new study, “Assessment of Health Benefits from Using Biodiesel as a Transportation Fuel and Residential Heating Oil.” The study from Trinity Consultants quantifies the public health benefits and resulting economic savings of using 100% biodiesel in U.S. communities near heavy transportation …
EPA to Provide GAO With SRE Info
The Environmental Protection Agency announced this week it will provide requested information to the Government Accountability Office related to small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard. \ The EPA announcement published in the Federal Register says it will provide the GAO with “…all documents, information, and data related to all small refinery exemption petitions received by EPA from the …
EPA Asks Court to Vacate Last-Minute Refinery Waivers
The Environmental Protection Agency has filed a motion asking the the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit to vacate and remand three last-minute small refinery exemptions granted to Sinclair by the previous administration. The filing says the Trump administration’s EPA “…granted exemption extensions that EPA now believes are ‘outside the scope of the EPA’s statutory authority.’” Renewable Fuels …
New EPA Chief Pledges to Get RFS Back on Track
The day after the Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule to extend the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) compliance deadlines for 2019 and 2020 until 2022, Administrator Michael Regan told the Agri-Pulse Ag and Food Policy Summit they are focused on getting the program back on track. “More transparency, more certainty in the decisions that we’ve made and looking at fuel …
EPA Extends RFS Compliance Deadlines
The first decision by the new administration that impacts biofuels is a disappointment to the industry. Late Tuesday afternoon, the Environmental Protection Agency extended compliance deadlines for the Renewable Fuel Standard, a move proposed under the Trump Administration that is opposed by biofuels supporters. EPA finalized a rule to extend the renewable fuel standard (RFS) program’s compliance deadlines for 2019 …
RFA Urges New EPA Admin to Support RFS
The Renewable Fuels Association is urging new EPA Administrator Michael Regan to “stay the course” on the Renewable Fuel Standard, as the policy faces renewed attacks from oil refiners. In a letter to Regan, RFA responds to several assertions about the RFS and RIN credits made by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM). “Contrary to the refiners’ claim that …