The Renewable Fuels Association, together with Growth Energy, filed a petition in the Supreme Court of the United States Monday requesting review of a Fifth Circuit Court opinion on proper venue for challenges to the Environmental Protection Agency’s small refinery exemption (SRE) petitions under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In a November 2023 decision, the Fifth Circuit concluded that it …
Court Rejects Oil Industry Challenge to RFS
A D.C. Circuit Court ruling on Tuesday upholds EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standards for 2020-2022 and rejects the oil refining industry’s challenges to the rule. The Court found that EPA acted appropriately in setting RFS standards for those years, including a supplemental volume requirement to comply with a 2016 D.C. Circuit Court decision. “Once again, renewable fuel producers claim that EPA’s …
Trade Groups Urge EPA to Meet 2026 RFS Volumes Deadline
Clean Fuels Alliance America and other trade associations representing feedstock providers, advanced biofuel producers, and low-carbon fuel customers are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to propose and finalize 2026 Renewable Fuel Standard volumes by this November’s statutory deadline. In a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, the nine organizations highlighted the dramatic drop in the value of RFS compliance credits …
GREET Model Update Expected Tuesday
The Biden administration is expected to finally release on Tuesday the long-awaited update to the GREET model to determine eligibility for feedstocks to make sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), according to news reports. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack was in Michigan last week with House Agriculture Committee Member Elissa Slotkin to discuss various issues, including the pending GREET model changes. Brownfield …
Ethanol Industry Pleased EPA Issues Summer E15 Waiver
The Environmental Protection Agency today issued a waiver to allow E15 (15 percent ethanol fuel) to continue to be sold this summer. The temporary waiver under the Clean Air Act was issued “to address extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstances caused by a confluence of events, including the ongoing war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East, that are …
Iowa Ag Secretary Urges EPA to Approve Summer E15
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig this week sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan urging him to immediately sign an “emergency waiver” to allow summer sales of E15 (15% ethanol fuel) this year. In February, the EPA approved a request by Governor Reynolds and seven other Midwest governors to allow the sale of E15 fuel …
New Tailpipe Emissions Rules Would Impact Corn Demand
The National Corn Growers Association reports new tailpipe emissions rules would be a “major shock on demand for corn used to produce ethanol” that could result in potentially devastating impacts on farmers and the rural economy. EPA’s recently released final rule for multi-pollutant emissions standards for model years 2027 and later light-duty and medium-duty vehicles dictates that sales of non-electric …
Farmers and Ethanol Workers Call for E15 Waiver
Nearly 1,000 farmers, ethanol industry workers and other supporters from across the country sent a letter to President Biden this week calling for action to allow continued access to E15 throughout the upcoming summer driving season. “With the 2024 summer driving season just a few months away, we are urging your administration to take additional action that will ensure consumers …
Clean Fuels Disappointed in Heavy Duty Vehicle Standards
The Environmental Protection Agency was very proud of its new “Strongest-Ever Greenhouse Gas Standards for Trucks” released on Friday, but Clean Fuels Alliance America was extremely disappointed in the outcome. EPA did not evaluate use of biodiesel and renewable diesel as part of engine systems to meet the new standards, focusing primarily on tailpipe emissions. However, the agency considered a …
EPA Committee Gives Ag Seat at the Table
EPA Administrator Michael Regan recently responded to recommendations from the agency’s Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee (FRRCC) on how EPA can best support the agriculture sector’s climate mitigation and adaptation goals. FRRCC consists of representatives appointed by the agency that provide independent policy advice and information on a range of environmental issues that are of importance to …