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Groups sue EPA over “secret” RFS waivers

An ethanol coalition is suing the EPA in federal appeals court over RFS “hardship” waivers they say were granted to three large oil refiners in what constitutes an abuse of EPA’s authority.

The Renewable Fuels Association, National Corn Growers Association, American Coalition for Ethanol and National Farmers Union (with support of Farmers Union Enterprises) filed the suit in Sioux Falls, South Dakota charging the EPA granted secret waivers to three profitable refining companies, in Oklahoma, Wyoming and Utah.

RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen says the EPA is “trying to undermine the RFS program under the cover of night.” NCGA president Kevin Skunes says  America’s corn farmers, who are expecting their fifth year in a row of LOW commodity prices, “understand economic challenges.”

The groups say financial disclosures show the three companies have saved a total of $170 Million-dollars in compliance costs and that volumes of renewable fuels have been reduced by more than 1-and-a-half Billion gallons over the past two years.

The coalition says it’s not challenging EPA’s authority to exempt certain small refineries but is seeking to force the agency to explain why the three waivers were granted.

The three refineries are in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, owned by the Wynnewood Refining company, a subsidiary of CVR Energy; in Cheyenne, Wyoming and in Woods Cross, Utah, both owned by Holly Frontier Corporation.

 

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