EPA Sends Renewable Fuels Rule to the White House

The EPA sent the proposed final rule for the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to the White House Office of Management and Budget for final review, and urged the Administration to finalize it as quickly as possible, according to AgriMarketing.com.

“The original EPA proposal and continued delays have severely disrupted the U.S. biodiesel industry this year,” said Anne Steckel, The National Biodiesel Board’s (NBB) Vice President of Federal Affairs. “We can begin to reverse that damage with a meaningful increase in the biodiesel volume…so that producers can ramp up production in a timely fashion.”

Biodiesel is the only U.S.-produced commercial-scale fuel to meet the EPA’s definition of an Advanced Biofuel—meaning the EPA has determined that it reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50%, compared with petroleum diesel.

The industry has exceeded RFS requirements in every year of the program, reaching a record U.S. market of nearly 1.8 billion gallons and supporting more than 62,000 jobs nationwide, according to the NBB.

In a draft RFS rule released in November, the EPA proposed holding biodiesel volumes at 1.28 billion gallons, down from last year’s actual production of nearly 1.8 billion gallons. Biodiesel producers warned that such a proposal will cause severe contraction in the industry.

A nationwide survey of producers conducted by the NBB in April found that more than half have already idled a plant this year and 78% have reduced production from last year. Nearly two-thirds have already laid off employees or anticipate doing so. S