/>iOn October 31, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent its final rule to set the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes for 2018 and 2019 to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. Under the Clean Air Act (CAA), EPA must issue a final rule to set standards for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel by November 30, 2017. Typically, OMB review is the last step before the final rule is published in the Federal Register and takes 30 days. Timely issuance of the final volume requirements is critical for preventing uncertainty in the biofuel industry. In previous years, delays in the establishment of volume requirements resulted in a decrease in production and investments in the biofuel industry.
- 238 million gallons for cellulosic biofuel in 2018, down from 311 million gallons in 2017;
- 4.24 billion gallons for advanced biofuel in 2018, down from 4.28 billion gallons in 2017;
- 19.24 billion gallons for renewable fuel in 2018, down from 19.28 billion gallons in 2017; and
- 2.1 billion gallons for biomass-based diesel in 2018 and 2019.
Many in the biofuels industry were concerned with the proposed reduction in the amount of renewable fuel, compared to previous years. In an October 19, 2017, letter to Republican Senators, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt indicated that the final Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) amounts would be set at levels equal to or greater than the proposed amounts. More information on the proposed requirements is available in the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group’s (BRAG®) blog post, “EPA Publishes Proposed 2018 RFS Requirements.”
