Topics: Renewable Identification Number (RIN)

Coalition Urges EPA to Reject Petition That Would Raise Gas Prices and Undermine RFS

Supreme Court to Rule on Small Refinery Exemptions

The Supreme Court could rule as early as June 25 on the legality of the Trump Administration's aggressive approach to issuing small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). If the ruling doesn't come by then, it will come at some point between now and early to mid-July. The Court's decision takes place against the backdrop of discussions within the Biden Administration surrounding how to prevent prices for renewable identification numbers from reaching exceedingly high levels. These discussions appear to be driven primarily by efforts to assist a Delaware refinery that has a longstanding relationship with the President and his allies in Congress. More

NATSO Urges EPA to ‘Reverse Course’ on Small Refinery Exemptions

Alternative Fuels Council Announces October Webinar Series

In October, NATSO's Alternative Fuels Council is presenting a weekly webinar mini-series. The 30-minute webinars, hosted by renewable fuels expert Jeff Hove, will give attendees a deeper understanding on blending and selling renewable fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol. More

NATSO Analysis: Federal Court Sides with Fuel Retailers, Informative for Current RFS Debates

On August 30, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision in a lawsuit brought by the merchant refining community that sought to require EPA to change the so-called "point of obligation" under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The court's opinion in the case, which was first filed more than two-and-a-half years ago, is noteworthy for its implications on current policy debates over the future of the RFS. More

EPA Releases RIN Market Proposal

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. More

NATSO Analysis: RIN Market Volatility Driven By Policy Announcements, Rumors & News Reports; Reforms Unnecessary

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. More

NATSO ANALYSIS: What to Watch for on Election Night

Election nights are always overwhelming affairs for those who live and breathe politics and public policy. More than most – perhaps any other – midterm election, the 2018 Midterms will alter the policy landscape within which NATSO member operate for many years to come. With so much at stake, here is a short guide to what I will be keeping my eye on when the election returns come in. (NOTE TO READERS: NATSO will run a separate, post-election analysis later this week outlining what the election results mean for NATSO’s policy priorities.) More

President to Allow Year-Round E-15; Attach RINs to Exports

President Trump said May 8 that he is considering allowing the unrestricted sale of gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol and will let biofuel exports count toward refiners’ domestic renewable fuel obligations. The proposed changes follow months of fractious negotiations between the corn and oil industries over the future of the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). However, major elements of the compromise remained in dispute after the meeting between top administration officials and four senators ended. More

NATSO Objects to Proposed Refinery Bankruptcy Settlement

NATSO on March 26 sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice outlining the truckstop industry's opposition to a proposed settlement agreement for the bankrupt refinery Philadelphia Energy Solutions. The proposed settlement would absolve the refinery of many of its RIN obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), and represents in many ways the latest iteration of the years-long battle between merchant refiners that strongly oppose the RFS and other segments of the fuels supply chain that have adjusted their business models based on the RFS's incentives. More

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