The Environmental Protection Agency has approved 29 small refinery exemption petitions from 2025 Renewable Fuel Standard requirements, exempting a total of 1.76 billion renewable identification numbers, or RINs. EPA granted full exemptions to 18 refineries and 50 percent exemptions to 11 others. Three petitions were denied, while two were ruled ineligible. The Renewable Fuels Association says the exemptions could reduce demand for domestic biofuels. However, the group is encouraged by EPA’s plan to propose reallocating 100 percent of the exempted volume into the 2026 and 2027 Renewable Volume Obligations. RFA President Geoff Cooper says that approach could prevent a net loss in renewable fuel demand. “While we continue to believe most of the SREs issued today are completely unjustified, we are somewhat encouraged that EPA is taking steps to minimize the damage through reallocation,” Cooper said. RFA says ethanol remains a lower-cost fuel option compared with regular gasoline.
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