A coalition of six biofuel and farm organizations filed a brief Tuesday challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s August 2019 decision to exempt 31 small refineries from their obligations to comply with the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2018. The Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association, National Biodiesel Board, American Coalition for Ethanol, and National Farmers Union, collectively known …
Growth Energy Threatens to Sue EPA
Growth Energy has submitted a notice of intent to sue letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding its failure to fulfill its statutory obligation to issue the 2021 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) by the November 30th statutory deadline. The notice gives EPA 60 days to issue the 2021 RVO before risking a lawsuit in federal court. Growth Energy CEO …
NFU Disappointed by EPA Failure to Set 2021 RVOs
The National Farmers Union (NFU) is disappointed by the Environment Protection Agency’s (EPA) failure to meet the November 30 deadline to issue 2021 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). “By punting a decision on 2021’s RVOS to the next administration, EPA is introducing yet more uncertainty to the biofuels industry – uncertainty that most farmers and …
EPA Misses 2021 RFS Deadline
For the first time under the Trump administration, the Environmental Protection Agency missed the November 30 statutory deadline for publishing the final rule for next year’s Renewable Volume Obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In fact, EPA never even issued a proposed rule for the 2021 RVOs. “And even if a proposed rule was released today, it would be …
Farm & Biofuel Groups Ask Court to Enforce EPA Ruling
Farm and biofuels leaders say it’s way past time for EPA to act on a court order from 2017 and they are going back to the court to make it happen. A coalition of biofuels and agricultural trade groups filed a motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia Monday asking the court to enforce its …
RFA Congratulates President-Elect Biden
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is congratulating President-Elect Joe Biden on his victory, as projected by the Associated Press and others. RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper says they look forward to working with the Biden administration on issues important to the ethanol industry. “Mr. Biden made it clear as he was campaigning that he would put a stop to …
EPA Delay on Waivers Comes as a Surprise
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler has confirmed that the agency will delay action on dozens of outstanding Small Refinery Exemption petitions until after the Supreme Court rules on an appeal from refining companies over EPA’s waiver policy. That means it would be December 14 before EPA would decide on whether to approve or reject the pending waiver requests. …
Ethanol Groups File Motion for EPA Transparency
The Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy filed a motion this week for partial summary judgment in the federal District Court of the District of Columbia calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to make information about small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard available to the public. The ethanol organizations filed the motion in response to EPA’s “failure to …
Ethanol Stakeholders Comment on FFV Standards
Ethanol stakeholder organizations submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency this week regarding the E85 Flexible Fuel Vehicle Weighting Factor (F-factor) for Model Year 2021 and Later Vehicles. Comments from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) support EPA’s new approach to maintaining some level of certainty for automakers, but would like to see the agency “provide a long-term floor and “more …
Ethanol Remains Top Priority with New NCGA President
It’s a new year for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) with new president John Linder of Edison, Ohio who took over the post on October 1. Linder, along with his brother, Mike, and wife, Cheryl, run a fifth-generation farm raising corn, soybeans, soft red winter wheat and soybeans for seed in central Ohio. In addition to traditional row crop …