The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings issued the following statement after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated its small refinery exemption (SRE) dashboard today, denying 26 pending requests from refiners seeking exemptions from biofuel blending requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for compliance years 2016-2018 and 2021-2023:
“ACE members are grateful the Biden EPA is fulfilling its commitment to apply the law with respect to Small Refinery Exemptions, consistent with the Agency’s previous actions in April and June of 2022 and the Tenth Circuit Court’s ruling that small refinery exemptions may only be granted when a small refinery’s hardship is caused by the RFS program itself. Upholding the RFS in this way helps the program serve as an effective tool to maximize the use of cleaner biofuels available here and now.”