Republican senators tell EPA to reduce 2021 RVO to compensate for pandemic

In Washington, U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), and a group of senators sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler concerning the 2021 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

Specifically, the senators asked Administrator Wheeler to use his statutory waiver authorities under the Clean Air Act to reduce the RVO for 2021. Given that COVID-19 has suppressed demand for gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, any increase in the mandate would cause severe and outsized economic harm next year by raising costs for consumers, particularly at the gas pump. Additionally, the letter urges the EPA to not reallocate prior year obligations that would increase burdens on refiners of all sizes, including small refiners.