The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has joined a coalition of biofuel and agriculture groups in a lawsuit against EPA over lost volumes of renewable fuel resulting from retroactive small refinery exemptions from Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) obligations. RFA is also a petitioner in a lawsuit filed last week over three specific small refinery exemptions granted by the agency. “EPA Administrator …
Farm and Biofuel Groups Sue EPA Over Lost Gallons
A coalition of biofuel and agriculture groups have petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to change its regulations to “account for lost volumes of renewable fuel resulting from the unprecedented number of retroactive small refinery exemptions from Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) obligations recently granted by EPA.” The petitioners are the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Growth …
E15 Gone Today Despite Trump Promises
It’s June 1 and fuel retailers in the majority of the country who were selling 15% ethanol blends yesterday can’t today because of what President Trump calls “unnecessary and ridiculous” summertime E15 restrictions. With the deadline approaching yesterday, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig joined the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) in calling on EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to use …
Ethanol Coalition Suing EPA Over Refinery Waivers
A coalition of farm and ethanol organizations has filed a lawsuit over the Environmental Protection Agency’s “secretive small refinery exemptions.” The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and National Farmers Union (NFU), with support of Farmers Union Enterprises, filed the suit late Tuesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th …
Waivers Continue as Officials Plan Biofuels Meeting
As officials with the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture were preparing for a meeting today on the Renewable Fuel Standard, reports surfaced that the nation’s second largest oil refiner has requested a “hardship waiver” for one of its facilities. Marathon Petroleum is in merger talks with Andeavor, one of the first large oil companies reported to …
ABFA Suing EPA Over Small Refinery Waivers
The Advanced Biofuels Association (ABFA) has filed a lawsuit against U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt over the agency’s process of granting small refinery exemptions from compliance Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) obligations. “We have seen reports that the number of small refinery exemptions recently granted for compliance years 2016 and 2017 have doubled compared to previous years,” said …
Groups Urge EPA to Move on Pathway Approvals
As the Environmental Protection Agency has been approving small refinery exemption requests at a record pace, dozens of ethanol plants have been waiting for months to receive approvals for new pathways to produce cellulosic ethanol, including from corn kernel fiber. Five state biofuels organizations sent a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt this week asking him to “shift administrative time …
Senators Push President for E-15 RVP Waiver
With a growing number of “small refinery” exemptions being granted by EPA to not-so-small companies, a bipartisan group of senators is asking President Trump to allow 15% ethanol fuel (E-15) to be sold during the summer all over the country starting this year. In a letter to the president Monday, 18 ethanol state senators made two specific requests. First, they …
EPA Data Shows Waivers Have Lowered RFS Obligations
An analysis of EPA data by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) shows that small refinery exemptions for 2016 and 2017 have cost at least 1.6 billion gallons of biofuels in lost blending obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The volume of lost blending obligations for these two years is 10 times the collective volume of lost volume from 2013-2015. …
Ag Reporters Grill EPA Chief on RFS Issues
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt faced a grilling from agricultural reporters Tuesday about the agency granting waivers exempting refineries from Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) obligations and why it is taking so long to decide on allowing year round use of 15% ethanol in all markets. The embattled administrator, who faces Congressional hearings this week where he will likely be questioned on …