Biofuels groups offered testimony to the Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday during a virtual public hearing for the proposed rule to establish required Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes and percentage standards for 2023-25. “Overall, we believe the proposed ‘Set’ rule establishes a firm foundation for the future of the RFS and creates a pathway for sustainable growth in the production and …
Ethanol Industry Provides Comments on California LCFS
Ethanol industry stakeholders submitted comments to the California Air Resources Board this week regarding the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). The Renewable Fuels Association stressed its ongoing support for the LCFS and provided recommendations to strengthen and expand the landmark program beyond 2030. However, RFA underscored that without complementary regulatory actions—like expeditious approval of E15 and support for E85 …
EPA Finalizes Canola Oil Pathways Rule for RFS
In addition to proposing new Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes and percentage standards for 2023, 2024, and 2025 this week, the Environmental Protection Agency also released a rule finalizing pathways for certain biofuels produced from canola/rapeseed oil. With this action, these fuel pathways will be eligible to generate Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), provided they satisfy the other definitional and RIN …
RFA CEO Discusses EPA Proposed RFS Volumes Rule
Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper held a telephone media call with reporters Thursday shortly after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its proposed rule to establish required Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes and percentage standards for 2023, 2024, and 2025, as well as to propose a series of important modifications to strengthen and expand the RFS program. …
EPA Proposes RFS Biofuel Standards for Three Years
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published its proposed rule to establish required Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes and percentage standards for 2023, 2024, and 2025, as well as to propose a series of important modifications to strengthen and expand the RFS program. The proposal sets next year’s (2023) total RFS requirement at 20.82 billion gallons, including 5.82 billion in …
Columbia Economist Wrong on Ethanol
Dr. Noah Kaufman is an economist who has worked on energy and climate change policy in both the public and private sectors. Under President Biden, he served as a Senior Economist at the Council of Economic Advisers. He also just published a commentary about ethanol earlier this month in Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) website called “A Chance …
Ethanol Blend Rates Hit Record Levels in Summer 2022
The Energy Information Administration reports that this past summer, the price of fuel ethanol was lower than the price of the petroleum component of gasoline, which led to record-high fuel ethanol levels in gasoline sold in the country. “The fuel ethanol blend rate, based on our data going back to 2007, established a new record summer average of 10.5% in …
EPA Biofuel Proposal Deadline Extended to Nov 30
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 …
Biofuel Groups Praise EPA Reversal of Refinery Exemptions
The Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, the American Coalition for Ethanol and National Farmers Union this week filed a motion to intervene in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to deny 69 petitions from refineries seeking small refinery exemptions (SREs) from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for one or more …
Senators Ask EPA for RFS “Set” Rulemaking
Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) this week led a bipartisan group of colleagues in a letter urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish renewable volume obligations that are additive for all fuel types in the upcoming “set” rule under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The senators also highlighted additional actions EPA should take in order to …