EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard Volumes Under Review by White House

Draft rule is expected to return to the EPA for publishing after a 90-day assessment period.

April 19, 2016

WASHINGTON – On Friday, EPA sent its proposed 2017 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. 

This action kicks-off the regulatory process for the 2017 volumes. Once OMB completes its review, which typically takes 90 days though it can extend the review period, the draft rule goes back to EPA and then the rule is announced and published in the Federal Register. The announcement will include the public comment period process. Once it receives public input and comments, EPA will finalize the rule and send it to OMB for review. If OMB signs off, the final rule is sent back to EPA, where the final rule is published in the Federal Register. By law, this process is supposed to be completed by November 30, 2016. If OMB takes the full 90 days, the draft 2017 volumes for renewable fuel and the 2018 volumes for biodiesel could be announced in early July. 

“Like all interested parties, we are anxious to see the proposed volumes for 2017,” said Paige Anderson, director government relations for NACS. “We hope EPA, as it did last year, will continue to look at the marketplace for renewable fuels and ensure that its proposed volumes are able to be absorbed into the fuels market. In addition, we will be watching closely for any attempts to change the obligated party from the manufacturer and importer to another entity, such as a fuel marketer.”

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