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NBB: Biofuels package a positive “first step”

The vice president of federal affairs with the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) says they’re thrilled with the biodiesel package announced by the EPA that will properly account for future small refinery exemptions in the RFS.

Kurt Kovarik says it won’t make the oil industry happy but they’ve been the beneficiary of the EPA’s lax approach to waivers, “I’m not going to feel bad for refiners today if they don’t like this deal.”

Kovarik tells Brownfield Ag News the NBB is grateful to President Trump and Iowa leaders for restoring integrity to the RFS, “This president heard the opposition and the outrage from the farming and the biofuels community as a result of some of the actions from EPA on this issue.”

Kovarik says the announcement will help the biodiesel industry recover, “Just the signal that will probably be sent today with this announcement will be positive for the industry and the market. But this is just the first step in this process.”

Kovarik says NBB will continue to press EPA for additional volumes of biomass-based diesel in 2021.