Growth Energy is happy about the inclusion of the Renewable Fuel Standard Integrity Act contained in the clean energy legislation that passed the House last Thursday. The act was authored by House Ag Committee Chair Collin Peterson, along with representatives from other ag states like South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas. It is designed to bring much-needed transparency to the Environmental Protection Agency?s (EPA) secretive small refinery exemption process and ensure refiners meet biofuel blending requirements. ?After years of EPA mismanagement, the legislation will finally give farmers and biofuel producers a long-overdue peek at EPA?s secretive and destructive process,? says Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor.
The National Biodiesel Board is also pleased that the act is included in the House clean energy bill. The provision would set a June 1 deadline for annual small refinery exemption petitions, ensuring they?ll be accounted for in the RFS calculations. Also, the bill would require public disclosure of the volumes of biofuels potentially impacted by the petition, along with the name of the petitioner. Kurt Kovarik, NBB VP of Federal Affairs, says, ?This is a commonsense step to ensure that RFS biomass-based diesel volumes are fully met and prevent a recurrence of the demand destruction for biodiesel that we?ve seen for the last seven years.?
