News

EPA strikes down last-minute swing by Trump administration to grant small refinery exemptions

The EPA has filed a motion to vacate three small refinery exemptions issued during the final hours of the Trump administration.

Iowa Renewable Fuels Association executive director Monte Shaw says the move backs up President Biden’s pledge to rein in the SRE program.

“They weren’t justified (and) we need to follow the law and implement it appropriately. So for his EPA to then turn around and say ‘hey, these literally last minute exemptions don’t pass the sniff test (so) we need to pull them back.”

Less than a day before the inauguration of President Biden January 19th, the Trump EPA announced three exemptions later confirmed to Sinclair refineries in Wyoming.  The Renewable Fuels Association filed an emergency stay in the U.S. Court of Appeals, and in its April 30^th filing, EPA said the agency under the previous administration failed to properly analyze the petitions.

RFA CEO Geoff Cooper says if allowed to stand, these improperly granted exemptions would have erased demand for another 260 million gallons of low-carbon renewable fuels.

Audio courtesy of Radio Iowa.