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National & World Ag News Headlines |
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NBB to EPA: Increase Biodiesel Volumes in Annual RFS Rule
USAgNet - 09/03/2019
The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) submitted comments on the Environmental Protection Agency's annual proposed Renewable Fuel Standard rule. NBB argues that EPA must increase advanced biofuel volumes for 2020 and biomass-based diesel volumes
for 2021 to accommodate domestic biodiesel and renewable diesel producers' proven ability to increase output. Further, the agency must properly account for small refinery exemptions -- which are actively rolling back biodiesel volumes -- and the 500 million
gallons of biofuel unlawfully waived in 2016.
Kurt Kovarik, NBB vice president of federal affairs, said, "The RFS is intended to increase production and use of advanced biofuels such as biodiesel and renewable diesel. EPA's proposal to flat-line both biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuels --
combined with its small refinery exemption spree -- will roll back growth of our industry.
"EPA's small refinery exemptions are turning the RFS upside down and blocking our industry's progress. By handing out waivers to everyone that asks, EPA is destroying demand for hundreds of millions of gallons of biodiesel and renewable diesel and forcing
U.S. producers to close up shop and lay off workers. EPA cannot continue to pretend it isn't harming biodiesel producers."
EPA's recent grant of 31 small refinery exemptions for 2018 destroyed demand for as much as 250 million gallons of biodiesel and renewable diesel. Following the decision, one of the largest U.S. producers of biodiesel and renewable diesel closed three
facilities, impacting more than 100 workers. NBB is asking EPA to restore the lost volumes in the 2020 rule and adjust its RVO formula to include a reasonable estimate of future small refinery exemptions.
Kovarik continued, "EPA must also restore 500 million gallons of biofuel demand that it unlawfully waived in 2016. The agency uses the same logic that the Court overturned in the 2016 case -- demand-side constraints -- to resist restoring the waived volumes.
The agency must ensure the RFS volumes are made whole and that the renewable fuel industry can have confidence in the program's volumes."
Made from an increasingly diverse mix of resources such as recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and animal fats, biodiesel is a renewable, clean-burning diesel replacement that can be used in existing diesel engines without modification. It is the nation's first
domestically produced, commercially available advanced biofuel. NBB is the U.S. trade association representing the entire biodiesel value chain, including producers, feedstock suppliers, and fuel distributors, as well as the U.S. renewable diesel industry.
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