U.S. EPA denies nearly all biofuel blending exemption petitions
(Reuters) - President Joe Biden's administration on Friday denied almost all outstanding petitions from oil refiners asking to be exempted from mandates that require them to mix biofuels into their fuel.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has the authority to issue the exemptions, denied 26 petitions from 15 small refineries who applied for waivers for the 2016-2018 and 2021-2023 compliance years, the agency said on Friday. There are still two pending petitions.
The agency also disclosed which oil refiners submitted petitions in July 2022 or later, as well as which oil refiners are participating in an alternative compliance schedule that allows them flexibility in complying with biofuel blending laws.
Under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), oil refiners must blend billions of gallons of biofuels into the nation's fuel mix or buy tradable credits from those that do. The EPA can, however, award exemptions to some small refiners if they prove that the obligations cause them undue harm.
Biden has been trying to set the United States on track to reduce carbon emissions in the fight against climate change, with a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
The administration has not yet extended a waiver to any refinery, reversing the policy of former President Donald Trump, whose administration granted 34 exemptions to oil refiners for the 2017 compliance year alone.
The EPA consulted with the Department of Energy on Friday's waiver decisions and found that none of the petitioning small refineries demonstrated they face disproportionate economic hardship caused by their RFS compliance, the agency said.
New transparency
The EPA publicized on Friday the names of refiners that submitted small-refinery exemption petitions from July 2022 or later. The agency added this information to its website to reflect its commitment to transparency around RFS decisions, it said.
Refiners that submitted petitions included Calumet Montana Refining and Ergon Refining. Their petitions were denied.
The agency also publicized the names of refiners that are using an alternative schedule to prove RFS compliance. Among those listed were Sinclair Wyoming Refining Company and Kern Oil and Refining Company.
Data from the EPA showed 17 small refineries have opted into the alternative compliance schedule for the 2020 compliance year, the only compliance year shown in the data. The group had retired 360 million credits to show compliance, and had 510 million credits outstanding, EPA's website showed.
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