On Friday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Growth Energy agreed under their consent decree to delay issuance of the proposed 2023 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by two weeks to no later than November 30, 2022. EPA is still required to adhere to the consent decree deadline for finalizing the RVOs by no …
RFA Calls GAO Report on SREs “Flawed and Obsolete”
The head of the Renewable Fuels Association slammed a report from the General Accounting Office on small refinery waivers (SREs) released this week that was requested over three years ago as both flawed and obsolete. “You simply can’t make this stuff up,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “In the summer of 2019, a bipartisan group of renewable fuel …
RFA Files Motion in Lawsuit Against EPA over RFS
The Renewable Fuels Association has filed a motion to intervene on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency in a suit brought against the agency by the Center for Biological Diversity over the Renewable Fuel Standard. The environmental organization’s suit seeks a court review of EPA’s renewable volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard for compliance years 2020 through 2022, and …
Ethanol Report on The Set
When Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) that authorized the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), annual volume requirements were specified through the year 2022 for renewable fuels. But that does not mean this year is the end of the RFS. After this year, the law requires EPA to set RFS volumes for 2023 and beyond, in …
Clean Fuels and EPA Pause Food Waste Records Litigation
Clean Fuels Alliance America and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have agreed to pause on a lawsuit challenging new recordkeeping requirements for biodiesel and renewable diesel producers who use separated food waste, such as used cooking oil, as a feedstock. The parties agreed to put the case in abeyance through November 30, 2022, while Clean Fuels and its members continue …
EPA Ag Advisor Updates ACE Conference
Rod Snyder, Senior Advisor for Agriculture at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was a keynote speaker for the 35th American Coalition for Ethanol annual conference Friday in Omaha to provide an update on the role of biofuels in forthcoming EPA actions. Regarding year-round sales of E15 (15% ethanol), Snyder says EPA recognizes the importance of higher level ethanol blends and …
EPA Finalizes RFS Rules
The Environmental Protection Agency finalized a package of actions Friday setting biofuel volumes for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for years 2020, 2021, and 2022, and introducing regulatory changes intended to enhance the program’s objectives. EPA also established a 250-million-gallon “supplemental obligation” to the volumes finalized for 2022 and stated its intent to add another 250 million gallons in …
RFA Concerned With EPA Candidates for RFS Review
At least three of the 20 candidates the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to review the environmental impacts of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for Congress have a serious bias against ethanol, according to the Renewable Fuels Association, and should not be considered. In comments submitted this week, RFA urged EPA to exclude these candidates from consideration to serve on …
EPA Administrator Regan on Agri-Pulse Newsmakers
The latest episode of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers is out and the featured interview is with EPA Administrator Michael Regan. EPA sent its proposed biofuel blending requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard to the White House Office of Management and Budget for final review this week in an effort to get those finalized by June 3. Agri-Pulse host Spencer Chase asked Regan …
EPA Issues Emergency Fuel Waiver for E15 Sales
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing an emergency fuel waiver to allow E15 gasoline—gasoline that uses a 15 percent ethanol blend—to be sold during the summer driving season. EPA’s emergency fuel waiver will go into effect on May 1 when terminal operators would otherwise no longer be able to sell E15 in the effected regions of the country …