Ethanol industry organizations commended Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler for his commitment to getting a rule allowing year-round sales of E15 (15% ethanol blended fuel) before the start of this year’s summer driving season but still expressed some concerns. “We were encouraged to hear Acting EPA Administrator Wheeler commit to completing the year-round E15 regulatory fix before the summer driving …
Happy 11th Anniversary RFS2!
Eleven years ago today, President George W. Bush signed the expanded Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) into law with the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Since then, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says the United States has experienced cleaner air, greater energy security, revived economic activity in rural areas, and more affordable choices at the pump. …
EPA Finalizes RFS Renewable Fuel Volumes
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the finalized rule for required renewable fuel volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for 2019, and biomass-based diesel for 2020. The key elements of the final rule include maintaining the “conventional” renewable fuel volumes, primarily met by corn ethanol, at the current 15-billion gallon level set by Congress for 2019; increasing …
House Bill Would Replace RFS
Congressman John Shimkus (R-IL) and Congressman Bill Flores (R-TX) are proposing new legislation that would replace the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) with the 21st Century Transportation Fuels Act. In a discussion draft released last week, the congressmen proposed a “transition from the RFS beginning in 2023 to a national octane specification” which they say would create “new market opportunities for …
Ethanol Groups Blast EPA for Chevron Waiver
A report out yesterday that EPA granted Chevron a 2017 hardship waiver earlier this year is causing some pre-Thanksgiving heartburn for ethanol producers. “While Chevron and other refiners enjoy their record profits and “economic hardship” waivers from EPA on Thanksgiving, many farmers and ethanol producers in rural America are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet,” says American …
NBB Urges EPA to End Demand Destruction for Biodiesel
The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is asking the Environmental Protection Agency to “fully account for small refinery exemptions in the annual Renewable Fuel Standard rules and end the demand destruction for biodiesel.” In a letter sent to EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, NBB requests that EPA set the RFS biomass-based diesel volumes for 2020 at 2.8 billion gallons, consistent with …
Democrat Reps Ask EPA to Uphold RFS
Nearly 20 members of Congress are sounding the alarm about how small refinery waivers causing less ethanol to be blended into gasoline disproportionately impacts communities of color. Reps. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Danny Davis (D-IL) and 17 of their colleagues sent a letter this week to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressing concern over how the widespread issuance of waivers …
EPA Updates RFS Website to Improve Transparency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today updated the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program website to increase transparency and include new data and information for both stakeholders and the public. The data will provide new information for renewable fuel producers, fuel refiners, importers, and marketers including: The number of small refinery exemption petitions received, approved, and denied for each compliance year; …
Summer Restriction on E15 Sales Ends Sunday
The kids are back in school now and this weekend E15 will be back at the pump. The regulatory restriction, which President Trump has called “ridiculous” and “unnecessary,” that prevents gasoline retailers from selling 15% ethanol (E15) in much of the country during the summer will finally be lifted on Sunday, Sept. 16. This will once again allow consumers across …
Ethanol and Farm Groups Getting Impatient for Answers
In the wake of repeated promises and assurances from the Trump Administration, but no actions, ethanol stakeholder groups are running out of patience. In a joint letter to President Trump today, the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, National Farmers Union, National Sorghum Producers, American Coalition for Ethanol, Growth Energy, and Renewable Fuels Association urged the administration to …