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MN Biofuels’ Comments on EPA’s Release of the 2019 RFS Renewable Volume Obligations

  • Monday, 03 December 2018 10:46

On Friday, November 30, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the final Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) renewable volume obligations (RVOs) for 2019.

The agency finalized a total renewable fuel volume of 19.92 billion gallons, of which 4.92 billon gallons is advanced biofuel, including 418 million gallons of cellulosic biofuel. That leaves a 15 billion gallon requirement for conventional renewable fuels like corn ethanol, consistent with the conventional level envisioned by Congress in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. 

“On its face, EPA's setting the conventional biofuel RVO at 15 billion gallons may appear to be compliance with the RFS, but let's not forget the RFS calls for a total of 28 billion gallons, rather than 19.92 billion gallons, of renewable biofuels to displace finite petroleum in 2019.  The EPA should be using the RFS like an accelerator pedal to send a growth oriented message to biofuel producers, spur the petroleum industry to provide motorists with greater access to renewable biofuel and to prod auto manufacturers to produce vehicles capable of using at least mid-level ethanol blends.  Instead, with all the freewheeling giveaway waivers for petroleum refiners and passive RVOs not accounting for or reallocating these waivers, the EPA rides the brake to benefit petroleum”, said Tim Rudnicki, executive director at MN Biofuels.