The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) signaled last week via the unified agenda released November 20 that they would not be finalizing the 2020 biofuel and 2021 biodiesel levels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by the November 30 deadline. Rather, the agency said they intended to file a final rule in December.
An EPA spokesman is now telling media outlets that the agency would finalize the plan “this winter.” The Winter Solstice arrives December 21, so EPA’s guidance in the regulatory agenda of issuing a final rule in December would certainly match what the EPA is telling media outlets.
Meanwhile, EPA has updated their data on small refinery exemptions (SREs). For the 2018 compliance year, EPA data shows 42 were submitted, 31 were approved and six were rejected. EPA data had previously shown three to have been withdrawn or declared ineligible. In late August, EPA data showed two were still labeled as pending.
As of November 21, EPA now shows 42 were requested, 31 were approved, six were denied, and now it has separated the declared ineligible or withdrawn categories. Those figures now show that two have been declared ineligible and three have been withdrawn and no petitions are shown as pending for the 2018 compliance year.
For the 2019 compliance year, EPA now lists 10 petitions for SREs having been received as of November 21, and all 10 are still shown as pending.
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