Friday, November 7, 2025 -The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved 14 requests from small refineries for full or partial exemptions from the nation’s biofuel blending mandates, while denying two.
These decisions effectively clear the remaining backlog of such requests that had accumulated under the previous administration of former President Joe Biden. The EPA had approved 140 petitions in part or in full earlier this year, with only 28 denials. Consequently, only a few requests from previous years remain under review.
Under the Renewable Fuel Standard, refiners are mandated to blend billions of gallons of ethanol and other biofuels into the nation’s fuel pool annually.
However, small refiners can request exemptions if they demonstrate that the obligations would impose substantial financial burdens.
These waivers have been a subject of intense debate between oil refiners seeking to avoid costly blending obligations and biofuel advocates concerned about their potential impact on their market share.
As per Friday’s decision, two refineries were granted exemptions from 100% of their obligations, while 12 were granted 50% exemptions. Currently, the agency has 15 pending applications, including 12 for the 2025 compliance year and three for previous years.
0 Comments