EPA Waivers Total 2.25 Billion Gallons

The amount of biofuels gallons lost to small refinery waivers was worse than many had estimated. The EPA granted waivers to the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2016 and 2017, totaling 2.25 billion gallons of biofuels, according to the agency's latest renewable volume obligations proposal.In a recent analysis, the Renewable Fuels Association estimated the total to be around 1.6 billion gallons. EPA outlined details of the bank for renewable identification numbers, or RINs, in the proposed volumes. "They include the approximately 1,460 million RINs that were not required to be retired by small refineries that were granted hardship exemptions for 2017 and approximately 790 million RINs that were not required to be retired by small refineries that were granted hardship exemptions for 2016, along with the RINs that Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining and Marketing, LLC was not required to retire as part of its bankruptcy settlement agreement," the agency said in the proposal.