Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS):

After more than a year's delay, the Environmental Protection Agency has finally proposed the 2021 and 2022 Renewable Fuel Standards. Unfortunately, the agency is also proposing to "reset" the 2020 obligations, creating uncertainty for the biodiesel and renewable diesel industry. Further, the agency delayed compliance deadlines for refiners and delayed decisions on small refinery exemptions.

EPA's proposals are open to public comment through early February 2022. You can use this form to submit a brief comment on EPA's proposal to set the 2020-2022 RFS volumes. 

As our members and industry supporters communicate with Washington policy makers, the media, and the public, NBB provides the resources to the right and works with them to amplify these points:

• EPA knows that RFS deadlines are important to all program stakeholders. Biodiesel and renewable diesel producers particularly rely on market signals from annual rules.
• The missed deadlines create additional uncertainty for biodiesel and renewable diesel producers, who have set goals for continued growth through 2030.
• EPA destroyed demand for hundreds of millions of gallons of biodiesel over the past several years by abusing small refinery exemptions. EPA has many options to repair the damage to the biodiesel industry and is required to do so.
• Each small refinery exemption can eliminate demand for an entire biodiesel facility’s annual production. A “small” oil refinery can produce up to 3 million gallons of fuel per day. Its annual RFS obligation would include 20 million gallons of biodiesel, the amount some small plants produce in a year.
• A U.S. Court of Appeals decision from January 2020 limited EPA’s authority to grant small refinery exemptions. EPA should immediately apply the court’s ruling to all pending and future exemptions.
• EPA also ignored a 2017 U.S. Court of Appeals order to reconsider a waiver of 500 million gallons of renewable fuel. It is long past time for the agency to address the shortfall.
  

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