EPA Unresponsive to Letter on RIN Prices

The official position of the Environmental Protection Agency is that high-priced Renewable Identification Numbers do no significant harm to refiners. That position was made public most recently in November of last year. Grassley, along with a handful of other Senators, sent a letter to the EPA in January asking about the agency’s previous findings that RIN prices don’t affect the success of the nation’s refiners. EPA has yet to respond to the letter, in spite of numerous attempts by staff to follow-up with them. Grassley says leaders are being told that steps are needed to lower RIN prices to help refiners. However, under Democratic and Republican administrations, EPA found that RIN prices don’t determine the success or failure of refiners. “Several of my colleagues and I sent a letter to the EPA in light of calls to make changes to the RFS, with no response,” Grassley says. “I’m always willing to engage in good faith discussions. But changing the RFS based on misinformation and baseless arguments wouldn’t be fair to the thousands of farmers and workers throughout rural America that would be harmed if the RFS is undermined.” EPA found that refiners recovered the cost of RINs in the prices they get for their products.