The EPA and Customs and Border Protection have provided answers about why claimed-to-be used cooking oil, mainly from China, is allowed into the U.S. but Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) isn’t satisfied with the response. Grassley says the Environmental Protection Agency insists in response to his June letter, it can’t independently verify foreign claims that imported used cooking oil is indeed used oil.
Imports of used cooking oil mixed with virgin palm oil soared last year, with the mixed product still eligible for a renewable fuel tax break.
Grassley says Customs and Border Protection admitted in a separate response that it considers any mixture of used cooking oil and virgin oil to be used cooking oil.
He says the used cooking oil imports are directly opposed to the tax credit’s intended purpose.
This has led to complaints by producers, ag groups, and the biofuel industry, that China and others are unfairly competing for a share of the US market, including the growing market for sustainable aviation fuel.
