WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, a notice was published in the U.S. Federal Register of a proposed consent decree that would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make a decision regarding a 2019 small refinery exemption (SRE) petition by Feb. 19, 2021. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor issued the following statement on the notice:
“Even with the promise of a new year, there are continued challenges with EPA’s SRE program given the secrecy and lack of transparency into the entire process,” said Skor. “With the 2020 blending compliance deadline at the end of March looming, EPA’s swift action on all 66 outstanding SRE petitions remains critical to providing stability for biofuel producers and farmers. President-elect Biden’s administration has an opportunity to uphold a key campaign promise to rural America, and deny any and all SRE petitions that are not in accordance with the Renewable Fuel Standard or the 10th Circuit’s ruling on SREs, which was almost a year ago.”
On the campaign trail, Biden often condemned the Trump Administration’s handling and abuse of the SRE program, and repeatedly affirmed that “A Biden-Harris Administration will fight for family farmers and revitalize rural economies — [keeping] our promises to farmers by ushering in a new era of biofuels.”
The deadline to comment on the proposed consent decree is Feb. 3, 2021.