Corn and ethanol producers are expressing disappointment over EPA’s decision on biofuel mandate waivers.
The agency denied three dozen small refinery requests to ease up on mandated blending, but it paved the way for most of them to comply with the 2018 obligations. The EPA says that it found no basis to grant hardships and says that the decision applies its new interpretation of the law, after a series of court rulings.
The agency still has 69 pending requests, dating as far back as 2016. After Thursday’s decision, industry leaders issued a joint statement.
They said in part, “While today’s decision is an important step in reversing past abuse of refinery exemptions, the decision fails to remedy the economic harms the improperly granted 2018 SREs have already caused.”
From Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas: “One step forward and two steps back. EPA denied the several small refinery exemptions, but might as well have granted them because they aren’t requiring RINs for compliance. More lost biofuel gallons and still no waiver for E-15. Clear indication Biden doesn’t care about clean fuel.”
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