We are hearing from the Renewable Fuels Association about a recent Supreme Court decision in favor of the EPA. The court gave the agency an extra month to respond to a petition seeking a review of small refinery waiver exemptions.
Additionally, the agency says that it likely will not have the 2021 volume obligations ready by the November 30th deadline.
RFA CEO Geoff Cooper says that this basically gives refiners a pass to seek more waivers, since they can claim they did not know how much ethanol they would be required to blend.
“It just sort of makes us think that the EPA is wanting to further delay and further ‘kick the can’ on making any decisions on the 2021 RFS volume requirements, and ‘kick the can’ on making any decisions on the 35 pending small refinery exemption petitions that are sitting at the agency,” Cooper states
The EPA also claims RIN prices are out of control, but Cooper says that prices have firmed up, sitting between 50 to 60 cents now, compared to highs of around 80 cents to a dollar.
Related:
EPA is ordered to reject gap year waivers by President Trump
Lawmakers push for EPA answers on gap-year refinery waivers
EPA denies 54 gap-year waivers
Next year’s blending rates for renewable fuels is still up in the air