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RFS rule to be sent to White House for review

The EPA is reportedly on track to send the proposed renewable volume obligations for 2020 to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget for review. Agri-Pulse reports it could be sent as early as today.

The rule will include a supplemental rule on how to account for small refinery exemptions in 2020. A public comment period for the supplemental rule ended on November 29.

National Corn Growers Association President Kevin Ross says NCGA is hopeful the rule will reflect small refinery exemptions granted by the EPA and not the Department of Energy recommendations.

“They haven’t used those DOE recommendations before so it’s pretty tough to justify or believe them when they say they’re going to use them now,” he says. “And we just know what this first-year calculation would come out to is about a 700-million-gallon difference which is significant dollars and demand that’s directly to the farmer’s bottom line when those gallons are consumed and moved.”

He thanked farmers for getting vocal on the issue and said he is hopeful there will be a resolution that will return integrity to the Renewable Fuel Standard.

Ross spoke to media this week at the Ag Policy Forum by Indiana Corn Growers Association and Indiana Soybean Alliance.