WASHINGTON, D.C. – Growth Energy filed comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed Consent Decree for the United Refining Co. v. Wheeler case, in which United Refining challenged EPA’s failure to act in a timely manner on its petition for a small refinery exemption from its 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard obligation. The Consent Decree would set a deadline of February 19, 2021, by which EPA must act on United Refining’s exemption petition.
In their comments, Growth Energy reminded EPA of its strong objection to EPA’s misuse of small refinery exemptions at the expense of biofuel producers and American agriculture, stating that “The Renewable Fuel Standard was meant to blend increasing amounts of renewable fuel into our nation’s transportation fuel supply. It was not mean to simply blend 10 percent ethanol and stop.”
Growth Energy’s comment also reinforced many of its federal priorities to be considered by the Agency, including efforts to include biofuels in our nation’s clean energy plan.
“With recent research showing that greenhouse gas emissions from corn ethanol are 46 percent lower than gasoline, it makes no sense why EPA should continue to exempt oil companies from their obligations to blend more low-carbon biofuels like ethanol.”
“EPA should seek ways to use low-carbon, high octane fuels like ethanol to further decarbonize our nation’s transportation fleet,.”
Read Growth Energy’s comments in full here.