A group of 15 Republican senators on Tuesday sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler urging the agency to grant petitions filed by six governors last month that seek a waiver of 2020 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) blending requirements.
“We write to urge you to use your authority under the Clean Air Act to waive or significantly reduce the renewable fuel volume obligations (RVOs) on America’s refineries for the 2020 compliance year,” the letter said.
“Since March, the United States has experienced an unprecedented drop in the demand for gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. At the same time, the cost of complying with the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has nearly tripled since January 2, 2020. Congress has given you the authority to reduce RVOs if ‘implementation … would severely harm the economy … of a State, a region, or the United States.’ If there ever was a time to use your authority, it is now.”
The letter also addresses the EPA’s plan to account for future small refinery exemptions (SREs) that was contained in its 2020 RFS rulemaking and the Tenth Circuit.
The letter is signed by Sens John Barrasso (R-WY), John Kennedy (R-LA), Steve Daines (R-MT) Mike Lee (R-UT), Ted Cruz (R-TX), James Risch (R-ID), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and John Cornyn (R-TX).
The full text of the letter can be found here.
