EPA drags feet on remaining small refinery exemption requests

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EPA drags feet on remaining small refinery exemption requests

The EPA recently denied 54 so-called “gap year” small refinery exemption requests, but Renewable Fuels Association CEO Geoff Cooper tells Brownfield the agency is still considering 31 petitions for 2019 and a couple for 2020.

“We just need EPA and this Administration to adopt that 10th Circuit Court decision from all the way back in January, and that would finally put an end to these exemptions that have eroded the requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard.”

Oil refiners were denied a request to have the 10^th Circuit rehear the case.

“So now the refiners have appealed that decision to the Supreme Court and asked the Supreme Court to take a look at that 10th Circuit decision. The Supreme Court has not yet decided whether they’re going to review that case or not.”

Cooper believes the chances of the Supreme Court being interested are extremely low.  But until there’s something official, he says EPA will use that appeal to drag out implementing the 10^th Circuit Court ruling nationwide.

Brownfield spoke to Cooper Thursday at Golden Grain Energy, an ethanol plant in Mason City, Iowa.