A coalition representing farmers and ethanol producers today responded to last week’s decision of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals remanding to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency its rejection of six small refinery exemption requests. The following statement is from the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, American Coalition for Ethanol and National Farmers Union.
“While we are disappointed by this decision, we will continue to vigilantly defend the Renewable Fuel Standard and fight against the illegal abuse of small refinery exemptions. As other Federal courts have determined, the RFS does not impose an economic burden on oil refiners because any compliance costs are passed down the supply chain. All refiners—regardless of their size or location—face equitable RFS obligations, and all of them pass through their costs to comply. This lawsuit was never really about purported economic hardship; rather, it was about a handful of entrenched oil refineries doing everything they can to dodge their legal obligations to blend renewable fuels and block consumer access to lower-cost, lower-carbon options at the pump.”