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April 16, 2019
When the International Maritime Organization (IMO) lowers the maximum allowable sulfur content of marine fuel from 3.5% mass/mass to 0.5% mass/mass on January 1, 2020, distillate markets are likely to become more expensive. However, the impact is likely to be restricted to less than three years, according to a newly released literature review by the Fuels Institute.
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April 15, 2019
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering changing its policy to allow it to identify those refiners seeking small refinery waivers that exempt them from their obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). According to a request for comment released by EPA on April 12, the agency is seeking public comment on whether it should disclose petitioners’ names, identify facilities and locations as well as describe the relief requested. Currently, most information about RFS waiver applicants is considered to be confidential.
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March 29, 2019
NATSO Vice President of Government Affairs David Fialkov will testify March 29 at an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) field hearing in Ypsilanti, Mich., about the agency’s newly proposed regulations that would allow E-15 to be sold year-round and also reform the market for Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs).
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March 22, 2019
The Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA” or the “Agency”) recently proposed new regulations (“Proposed Rule” or the “Proposal”) pertaining to implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard (“RFS” or the “Program”).
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March 13, 2019
EPA has released a proposed rule that would allow E-15 to be sold year-round (subject to certain restrictions) and also impose significant reforms in how RIN markets function. Although NATSO considers the RIN market reform component of the rulemaking unnecessary, EPA appears to have responsibly distinguished between ethanol RINS and RINS associated with advanced biofuels such as biodiesel. NATSO is continuing to analyze the proposal and will provide a more fulsome analysis in the coming days.
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March 1, 2019
U.S. Senate Finance Committee leaders on Feb. 28 introduced legislation to extend the biodiesel tax credit and a variety of other tax provisions that expired in 2017. The legislation provides for a two-year extension covering activities (i.e., biodiesel blending) that occurred in 2018 and 2019.
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February 21, 2019
In the coming weeks, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to propose regulations that would reform the market for Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), which are the "credits" EPA uses to ensure that refiners satisfy their obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Although the supposed purpose of these reforms is to "improve transparency" and limit volatility in RIN markets, the reforms under consideration would cause more harm than good. In fact, as NATSO's "RIN Market Volatility" Chart demonstrates, wild RIN price swings over the past several years have been caused by policy announcements, rumors, and news reports, rather than any underlying flaw in RIN markets themselves.
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February 5, 2019
NATSO today joined nine trade associations in urging Congress to pass a multiyear extension of the biodiesel blenders' tax credit in a joint letter representing producers and marketers of renewable fuels.
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January 18, 2019
Along with many other frustrations stemming from the current government shutdown, some renewable fuel producers, marketers and blenders are experiencing interruptions in daily business operations within the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) moderated transaction system (EMTS).
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December 11, 2018
NATSO was invited to testify before Congress today to discuss new legislation that would reform the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and transition the gasoline market to a high octane fuel performance standard.
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December 10, 2018
NATSO Vice President of Government Affairs David Fialkov is scheduled to testify Dec. 11 before a Subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce on the discussion draft of the 21st Century Transportation Fuels Act.
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November 30, 2018
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it will require 19.92 billion gallons of biofuel to be blended into the nation’s fuel system under its 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). But in issuing the numbers, the agency failed to address NATSO’s concerns about its practice of issuing small refinery waivers that exempt small refineries from their obligations under the RFS — even small refineries that are owned by profitable refining entities such as Andeavor.
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November 21, 2018
Incoming Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told Politico that he has "very little interest in the Ways and Means Committee" for tax extenders, "except maybe for a couple," which could include the biodiesel tax credit.
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November 15, 2018
NATSO joined nearly 60 organizations representing a variety of business, energy, transportation, and agriculture stakeholders in urging Congress to renew expired tax incentives through the end of 2019 before the 115th Congress adjourns.
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October 31, 2018
The Environmental Protection Agency has sent its final renewable volume obligations for 2019 under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. This marks the final step before EPA's proposed 2019 renewable fuel mandates are finalized. NATSO will meet with OMB to discuss the proposal in the coming days.
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October 30, 2018
Congressional Republicans are making another attempt to kill the federal tax credit for electric vehicles, after it was left out of their November 2017 tax plan. More than 57,000 households claimed the non-refundable Qualified Plug-in Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit for tax year 2016, up from 42,868 in 2015. The total value of credits reached $375.1 million for all claims in 2016 and $251.6 million in 2015.
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October 27, 2018
NATSO on Oct. 26 filed comments with the Environmental Protection Agency in response to the Agency's proposed changes to fuel economy requirements that were previously finalized by the Obama Administration. NATSO expressed support for the agency’s efforts to tie Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards to today’s market realities while also providing the agency several ideas for how it could improve a new standard to better achieve its regulatory objectives.
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October 24, 2018
Over the last two years, there has been an extraordinary amount of uncertainty and volatility in renewable fuels and Renewable Identification Number (RINs) markets. This largely has been due to the Trump Administration's desire to "thread the needle" and develop a policy solution that makes both the renewable fuels community and the refining industry happy. NATSO and the retail fuels community have generally been stuck in the middle.
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October 17, 2018
NATSO and the Alternative Fuels Council have launched a new RIN Management Service designed to help fuel retailers more efficiently participate in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program and manage their RINs.
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October 11, 2018
NATSO members are advised that Oct. 13, 2018, is the deadline for meeting the remaining underground storage tank (UST) requirements in the 2015 revised UST regulation.
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