U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) led a group of 12 senators in urging Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler to stop granting small refineries hardship exemptions from their biofuel blending requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
EPA has the authority to grant waivers exempting small refineries — those producing less than 75,000 gallons of fuel per day — from their obligations under the RFS if they can prove that it would cause them an economic hardship. Under the Trump Administration, an unprecedented number of exemptions have been granted, including to some of the nation’s biggest refineries.
EPA’s “continued manipulation and misuse of small refiner waiver authority is undermining the integrity of the RFS and disadvantaging farmers,” the Senators wrote.
The Senators also requested that the EPA immediately reallocate the remaining gallons and make public the information regarding any recipients of these exemptions.
Klobuchar and Duckworth were joined on the letter by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tina Smith (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
NATSO opposes use of the exemptions, which undercut investments fuel marketers have made in renewable fuel infrastructure.
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