TOP STORY

EPA Releases 31 New Refinery Exemptions in Blow to Rural America

“These exemptions are destroying demand for homegrown energy at a time when family farms are struggling, farm income is plummeting and many ethanol plants have been forced to close their doors or idle production… President Trump must move quickly if there is any hope of repairing the damage. If he won’t hold the EPA accountable, then he’s failing to uphold the commitment he’s made to rural America.”

We’ve been fighting tooth and nail for gallons lost due to SREs to be accounted for, but we can’t do this alone. We need your help.

Make Your Voice Heard:

We have launched two action centers where you can fight to ensure a fair and open process for SREs. By submitting a comment directly to EPA on their 2020 RVO, you can let the agency know how SREs have impacted our rural economy, and by reaching out to your elected officials to support the Renewable Fuel Standard Integrity Act of 2019, you can ensure that EPA upholds the RFS as required by law.

Don't miss this chance to have your voice heard during this critical time for our industry. Click the buttons below to take action:

For more details, contact Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Chris Bliley on SREs, or Senior Manager of Communications Austin Dabney on our action center.

IN COMMUNICATIONS

Growth Energy and GasBuddy Partner to Launch Unleaded 88 on GasBuddy App

This week Growth Energy announced a partnership with GasBuddy to provide drivers across the nation information on where they can take advantage of Unleaded 88, or E15, through the GasBuddy database and app.

GasBuddy is a smartphone app and website the gives drivers access to the world's largest database of real-time, crowdsourced gas price data covering more than 150,000 North American gas stations. By partnering with Growth Energy, the service is now able to provide drivers with the price savings reaped from Unleaded 88 at more than 1,8000 retail locations across the country.

Read our full statement, available here, to learn how this groundbreaking partnership will continue to grow the retail expansion of E15 fuel. You can also spread the good news by downloading a social media graphic from the button below and sharing the suggested social media post on your own social media channels:

Suggested social media post:

Great news! @GrowthEnergy and @GasBuddy have announced that Unleaded 88 is now available on the GasBuddy app. Find the cleaner, more affordable #UNL88 fuel near you today!

For more details, contact Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs, Elizabeth Funderburk.

LEGAL REVIEW

RVP Legal Petition Deadline Closed

As you may know, EPA finalized its “RVP Rule” on May 31st, and by doing so removed an important regulatory barrier on the sale of E15 in the summer months. The RVP Rule was a great win for our industry. But we are not done.

As expected, the oil industry and others have lined up to sue EPA and challenge the RVP Rule in court. However, Growth Energy has also joined the case as an intervenor in support of EPA, and we will be working diligently to ensure that the RVP Rule stays in place. Although it is not officially a party to the case, Growth was allowed by the court to participate—or “intervene”—because of the importance of the RVP Rule to our industry and the potential negative impacts a successful challenge to the RVP Rule may bring. 

We are now at a turning point in the RVP Rule litigation. The deadline for filing “petitions for review” challenging the RVP rule in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit was on August 9th, and it appears that four different organizations or groups of organizations met the filing deadline. A petition for review is a short, straightforward notice to the court that a party seeks to challenge an agency rule. It does not set forth the party’s reasons for challenging the rule. That comes later during “briefing,” which is the phase of the case when parties and intervenors, including Growth, submit more detailed arguments for the court’s consideration.

Briefing may start in the fall and possibly continue through the beginning of next year. After that, the court may set the lawsuit for an in-person “oral argument” in front of a three-judge panel in Washington, DC, which would provide a final opportunity for parties to make their case before the court renders a decision.

A lot can happen between now and any court decision, which may not be until mid-2020 or later.  Stay tuned for future updates on this very important case. 

For more details, contact General Counsel, Joe Kakesh.

AT THE TRACK

Join American Ethanol at Darlington Speedway to Celebrate RCR's 50th Anniversary

You are invited to join Growth Energy in Darlington, SC at the Darlington Speedway for the Southern 500 on September 1, 2019 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Richard Childress Racing (RCR). The American ethanol industry, RCR, and NASCAR each have a rich history that is worth celebrating. You'll be able to watch American Ethanol driver Austin Dillon drive the American Ethanol No. 3 Chevrolet in a throwback paint scheme paying homage to the "Black Gold" car driven by Richard Childress in the 1970s.

To RSVP to attend, please click the button below:

For more details, contact Manager of Development and Events, Sara Brenden.

The Weekly Rundown is the weekly newsletter for Growth Energy's members. It is published 51 times a year by the communications staff at Growth Energy. For more information, email team@growthenergy.org or visit our website GrowthEnergy.org. 

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