Trump asks EPA to review expansion of biofuel waivers

June 22, 2019 |

In Washington, D.C., back from his Midwest tour hearing from frustrated corn farmers and biofuel industry representatives, President Trump requested that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency review the expanded use of waivers that exempt small refineries from the Renewable Fuel Standard.

According to Reuters, sources said that as soon as Trump returned from the Midwest trip, he “asked the heads of the EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to find solutions to address the farmers’ concerns. They said the EPA is now considering limiting use of the waivers or forcing larger refiners to make up for the exempted gallons – or a combination of both.”

Not everyone is happy though – especially the oil industry. “The president has made promises to refiners, too,” Derrick Morgan, senior vice president of the refining trade group American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers told Reuters. “He promised to keep refineries competitive and he made promises to keep regulatory costs down, and we hope he keeps those promises.”

The EPA has more than quadrupled the number of waivers it has granted with 35 waivers granted in 2017 (including waivers for profitable big companies like Exxon Mobile and Chevron) and 39 waivers pending in 2018.

Category: Policy

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