EPA revives rule that could release biofuel waiver refiner names

In Washington, D.C., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency moved forward in what is considered as a win for the corn industry with its first step in reviving part of a rule that could reveal the names of oil refineries that applied for exemptions that have been marking controversy recently. The waiver program has been critiqued for its lack of transparency and keeping names confidential of those who have applied and received exemptions.

“On Friday, the EPA signed a Federal Register notice saying it is reopening the comment period for a provision in a rule related to the small refinery exemption program that was first introduced in 2016, according to Reuters. “That provision from 2016 proposed to establish a determination that basic information related to EPA actions on petitions for RFS small refinery and small refiner exemptions may not be claimed as confidential business information, according to a document on the provision on EPA’s website.”

“With respect to each decision on a small refinery/refiner exemption request, we would release to the public the petitioner’s name, the name and location of the facility for which relief was requested, the general nature of the relief requested, the time period for which relief was requested, and the extent to which EPA granted or denied the requested relief,” the document said.