The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new rules under the 2020 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) programme, which will set the minimum amount of renewable fuels to be supplied to the market in 2020. The final rule on blending requirements will be issued at the end of November 2019.
The EPA has proposed to raise the volume of biofuels refiners must blend into their fuel sales by 0.6%, from 19.92 billion gallons (75.4 billion liters) of renewable fuels to 20.04 billion gallions (75.8 billion liters). This volume includes 5.04 billion gallons (19.07 billion liters) of advanced biofuels (+2.4% on 2019) and 0.54 billion gallons (2 billion liters) of cellulosic biofuels (+29% on 2019). The volume requirement for biomass-based diesel for 2021 is set at 2.43 billion gallons (9.19 billion liters), unchanged from 2020.
Biofuel producers are contesting these amounts, considering that they are below demand and claiming that the number of waivers to the renewable quotas have quadrupled since the new administration took office. Under the Small Refinery Exemption (SRE) programme, small refining facilities proving that the RFS would harm their finances are exempted from applying them.
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