News

RFA baffled by EPA formula in supplemental biofuels proposal

The head of the Renewable Fuels Association says it took about five minutes to realize the EPA is trying to pull a bait-and-switch with its supplemental biofuels proposal.

Geoff Cooper tells Brownfield it’s baffling the EPA would use Department of Energy recommendations to calculate a three-year rolling average instead of actual gallons lost to small refinery exemptions.

“It is frustrating and head-scratching. It isn’t what we were promised, and it just seems apparent that EPA is trying to mislead us here.”

He says the reason using DOE recommendations is problematic is because the EPA has always ignored them, instead granting an amount of exemptions that was virtually double what the DOE had recommended.

“So what we’re concerned about is EPA would use the DOE recommendations as the basis for this 3-year average, and then they would kind of do what they’ve been doing the last few years at the end of the compliance year and grant 1.3 or 1.4 billion gallons-worth of exemptions. And that takes us back down under 15 billion gallons.”

Cooper says RFA will take every opportunity during the public comment period to ensure President Trump’s original promise of a minimum of 15 billion gallons is honored.