WASHINGTON – Today, Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced the RFS Integrity Act of 2019. The bill sets a June 1 deadline for small refiners to submit petitions for exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), requires transparency in filing, and requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to account for exempted gallons when determining annual renewable volume obligations (RVOs). Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper released the following statement in support of the legislation: "We are grateful for the leadership of Senators Fischer and Duckworth on this issue. Refiner exemptions have had a devastating impact on the ethanol industry, erasing 2.6 billion gallons of RFS demand over the past two years. This week, President Trump came to Iowa to celebrate the promise of homegrown renewable fuels, only days after EPA's final rule allowing year-round sales of E15. Any additional small refiner exemptions granted by EPA would totally undermine the demand gains we expect to see from year-round E15, hitting the rural economy hard. The legislation introduced today provides important reforms that would prevent further abuse of the small refiner exemption provision, providing a boost to ethanol producers, farmers and American families each time they fill up at the pump."
