Criticism from the oil industry caused the Trump Administration to restart talks over a proposal to require large refineries to blend more biofuel to make up for exemptions granted to smaller refineries. Three people with knowledge of the situation told Bloomberg that, because of the new discussions, the Environmental Protection Agency called off a planned Friday announcement on proposed biofuel …
EPA RFS Volumes Proposal Expected Friday
The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to roll out a proposal for volume requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard for 2019 Friday, June 22, 2018. Some suspect the proposal will include a reallocation of gallons displaced by hardship waivers, according to Politico. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said late last month that he spoke with EPA administrator Scott Pruitt about the …
EPA Admin Says EPA Will Move on Year-Round E15
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt spent part of a trip in Kansas at an ethanol production facility. Pruitt’s trip included a stop at the East Kansas Agri-Energy ethanol plant, along with meeting local agriculture groups. The visit comes a week after the White House stopped a proposal that ethanol groups say would harm the industry, allowing RIN exports, …
Cruz Still Pushing for Biofuels Overhaul
The lead Senator pushing for biofuels reform, Ted Cruz, met with Environmental Protection Agency Chief Scott Pruitt, one day after the White House announced a biofuels deal fell through. Pruitt had dinner with the Texas Republican on Wednesday night and declined to comment after it was over. Cruz did say the meeting was about the Renewable Fuels Standard and was …
USDA Announces $309 Million Investment in Rural Electric Utilities
Loans Will Improve System Efficiency and Resiliency in 12 States Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett announced that USDA is investing $309 million in 16 projects (PDF, 107 KB) to improve rural electric infrastructure in 12 states. “Robust, modern infrastructure is a foundation for quality of life and economic opportunity no matter the zip code in which you live,” …
No RFS Changes From the White House, For Now
President Trump indicated he would not be signing a White House proposal that was “bad for farmers,” referring to the proposal offering changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard. The pledge followed an apparent conversation with Iowa Senator Joni Ernst. Further, the comments came the same day Ernst criticized Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt over his handling of the …
Ernst Expresses Frustration with EPA
Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa expressed deep frustration Tuesday regarding the Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump. Speaking of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Ernst told an energy symposium in Washington, D.C. “If the President wants to drain the swamp, he needs to take a look at his own cabinet.” Pruitt has been a target of biofuels states after granting …
Trump Voters in Midwest States Losing Faith in Administration’s Commitment to Renewable Fuels
New polling shows that voters across three Midwestern states are disappointed with Trump Administration decisions regarding biofuels. Released by the National Biodiesel Board this week, a survey of voters in Iowa, Missouri and Minnesota overwhelmingly say they support federal policies to encourage growth in biodiesel and renewable fuels use. Their support cut across party lines, with more than two-thirds of …
Farm and Biofuel Coalition Demands that EPA Account for Lost Volumes
Coalition Petitions EPA to Revise the Way It Calculates Annual Renewable Fuel Obligations; EPA Is Failing to Comply with Statutory Mandate A coalition of biofuel and agriculture groups petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to change its regulations to account for lost volumes of renewable fuel resulting from the unprecedented number of retroactive small refinery exemptions from Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) …
EPA Awards Biofuel Waivers Worth Tens of Millions of Dollars
A Reuters report says the Environmental Protection Agency has awarded tens of millions of dollars’ worth of biofuel blending credits for this year to refiners HollyFrontier and Sinclair Oil. Two sources tell Reuters the refiners argued that the agency had wrongly denied them waivers from the country’s biofuels law as far back as 2014. It’s likely to add fuel to …