EPA Finalizes RFS Ethanol Blending Volume Higher Than Originally Proposed

On Friday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized RFS blending mandates for 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The EPA set 2022 volume mandates for ethanol at 20.63 billion gallons and retroactive volume mandates for 2021 at 18.84 billion gallons. Retroactive volume mandates for 2020 are set at 17.13 billion gallons.

The EPA also announced the denial of 69 petitions from small refineries seeking small refinery exemptions (SREs) from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for one or more of the compliance years between 2016 and 2021.

Petition denials are based on a recent federal Appeals Court decision finding small refinery exemptions may only be granted when a hardship is caused by compliance with the RFS program.

However, the EPA is allowing small refineries to demonstrate compliance with RFS blending mandates for 2016, 2017 and/or 2018 without purchasing or redeeming additional RIN credits.

EMA will be reporting more on the RFS proposal.

NewsClip:

— AP: EPA Raises Amount Of Ethanol That Must Be Blended With Gasoline

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