A bipartisan group of senators led by Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) are asking EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to stop issuing so-called “hardship” waivers exempting obligated parties from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The 13 senators are also requesting that EPA provide “information about the waivers already issued, disclose whether or not the agency redistributed the waived volume …
Ethanol Report on Demand Destruction
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has yet to reveal just how many small refiner exemptions have been granted from blending obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and how many are still pending but the reduction in ethanol blending over recent months and a sharp drop in the price for Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) indicate the impact they are having. …
Evidence Shows Waivers Reducing Ethanol Demand
Evidence is mounting that the Environmental Protection Agency’s granting of numerous “small refiner exemptions” from blending obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard is indeed working to destroy demand for both ethanol and corn. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Executive Vice President Geoff Cooper lays out the evidence in a column on the E-Blog detailing the reduction in ethanol blending over recent …
House Hearing to Focus on High Octane Fuels
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment will be holding a hearing this morning on “High Octane Fuels and High Efficiency Vehicles: Challenges and Opportunities.” The hearing will take a look at the potential for high octane fuels and the vehicles designed for them to further the goals of the Renewable Fuel Standard and Corporate Average Fuel Economy/Greenhouse Gas …
Ethanol Industry Pleased with POTUS Support of E15
President Trump’s comments Thursday confirming that the administration is working on allowing year-round sales of 15% ethanol blends (E15) sparked a flurry of press releases from ethanol supporters. Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen called it “welcome news to consumers across the country, farmers who have worked to build value-added markets here at home in the face of …
Ag Secretary Says RFS Waivers Create Demand Destruction
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue had the opportunity to give his opinion about the EPA granting numerous Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) waivers to refiners during a Senate Agricultural Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Wednesday. While the purpose of the hearing was to review USDA’s FY2019 budget request, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) brought up the RFS waiver issue and pointed out that he …
#RFSWorks Takes Twitter by Storm
The hashtag #RFSWorks was trending on Twitter yesterday morning as farmers, ethanol and biodiesel producers, organization leaders, and dozens of other stakeholders sent on-line messages to President Trump and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to support the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) as promised. Quad County Corn Processors was one of many ethanol plants that joined in the Twitter storm. “@realDonaldTrump, please …
Ethanol Report on EPA Small Refinery Waivers
Outrage is growing this week over revelations that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been granting Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) compliance exemptions to dozens of oil refineries. Combined with the approval of the Philadelphia Energy Solutions bankruptcy agreement and the agency’s refusal to enforce the 2016 RFS requirements as remanded by the courts, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is saying …
RFA Request Demands Answers on Refinery Waivers
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy in pursuit of more information regarding Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) compliance exemptions to dozens of oil refineries. “We want to know how many (refineries) and how many gallons are impacted by these small refiner exemptions,” …
RFS Waiver for Big Refiner Sparks Backlash
A Reuters report about EPA exempting one of the country’s largest oil refiners from complying with the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) touched off a backlash from farm groups and ethanol organizations Tuesday. The National Farmers Union (NFU) was first to respond to the report that Texas-based Andeavor received small refiner economic hardship waivers for three of its 10 refineries that …