A new survey of registered voters finds strong opposition to allowing oil refiners out of their obligations to blend renewable fuels into gasoline. New polling data released today by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) found opposition to refinery waivers by a margin of nearly two to one. The nationwide survey by Morning Consult also found strong support for ethanol and …
Corn Growers Urge President to Uphold RFS
As harvest is getting into high gear at the end of a difficult year, corn farmers are urging President Trump to follow the law and keep the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) whole. Leaders of corn grower organizations in 23 states sent a letter to the president last week, calling on him to stop the harm caused by waivers and restore …
RFA to Lawmakers: Thanks for Letter to EPA
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is applauding lawmakers for support of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). RFA thanked a bipartisan group of 25 members of the U.S. House of Representatives for asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to prospectively restore RFS volumes lost to small refinery exemptions. In a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, the House group also asked …
Court Rules Against NBB on Small Refinery Exemptions
Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit dismissed a petition filed by the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) on regarding the 2018 Renewable Fuel Standard rule EPA’s refusal to properly account for retroactive small refinery exemptions. The Court dismissed NBB’s petition on the technicality that the biofuel industry did not comment on the topic and provide EPA …
RFS Support is Key Iowa Voter Issue
A majority of Iowa voters say the future of biofuels will play a role in how they vote in 2020, according to the Iowa Biodiesel Board. New public opinion research shows a decisive 78 percent of voters in Iowa support expanding biofuel usage in the U.S. through the federal Renewable Fuel Standard. In addition, 77 percent of voters said it’s …
Biodiesel Industry Hits Keep Coming
At the same time the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) submitted comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s annual proposed Renewable Fuel Standard rule on Friday, the industry was hit with a court ruling that upholds the agency’s method for setting biomass-based diesel volumes in the 2017 RFS rules. In comments on the RFS rule, NBB urged EPA to increase advanced biofuel …
Biofuels Industry to EPA: Restore Lost Gallons
Ethanol and biodiesel producers, corn and soybean farmers, all had the same message to the Environmental Protection Agency regarding proposed renewable volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) – restore the gallons of biofuel blending volumes lost under the numerous small refinery exemptions granted by the agency over the past two years. Industry organizations delivered comments to the EPA …
RFA: Docs Show EPA Ignored Recommendations
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is sharing documents that show the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disregarded Trump Administration recommendations regarding small refinery exemptions. Documents obtained by RFA show that the EPA ignored strong recommendations from within the Trump Administration to redistribute Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) blending obligations lost to small refinery exemptions in the proposed rule for 2020 Renewable Volume …
Fallout from EPA Refinery Waivers Continues
President Trump reportedly held a meeting with his cabinet Monday concerned about backlash from farmers over new small refinery waivers, but an EPA official added fuel to the fire yesterday by saying there was “zero evidence” of demand destruction for ethanol due to the numerous refinery exemptions allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency. “To suggest that there is ‘zero evidence’ …
RFA CEO Surprised by New Waivers
Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper was surprised and angry when the Environmental Protection Agency waited until the very end of the day Friday to announce 31 more exemptions from complying with the Renewable Fuel Standard were granted to oil refineries, representing 1.43 billion gallons of additional lost RFS demand. “We don’t understand how in the world …