EPA’s Biofuel Plan May Make Some ‘Unhappy’: EPA’s Regan

Comments lead to chatter that RFS announcements may be finally coming

EPA
EPA
(EPA)

Comments lead to chatter that RFS announcements may be finally coming


The Biden administration’s coming proposal to set biofuel-blending requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard won’t represent a choice to favor oil or agriculture, said EPA Administrator Michael Regan.

Those annual blending quotas “are designed to take advantage of biofuels, so agriculture is at the table,” Regan said on the sidelines of the COP26 summit in Scotland, according to Bloomberg. “We’re listening to agriculture, but we’re really following the law, following the science in doing what we believe Congress intended, recognizing that there may be people unhappy with various elements” of the proposal, he said.

The White House Office of Management & Budget is reviewing a draft EPA proposal to specify how much renewable fuel such as corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel, must be mixed into gasoline and diesel in 2021 and 2022.

“We recognize the sense of urgency, and we recognize the desire of certainty that both industries want, and we’re hoping to provide that sooner rather than later,” Regan said.

Comments: The comments have fueled chatter that an EPA RFS announcement could come Friday. But one industry analyst said, “I’ve been asked this every Friday since July…”