Despite meetings last week at the White House, the wait continues for the biofuels industry. No new details have emerged on the possible reallocation of lost biofuels in the nation’s fuel supply. USDA Deputy Secretary Steve Censky announced on Monday that the administration isn’t ready to give out details on potential changes in volume obligations to offset lost demand due to the Environmental Protection Agency’s small-refinery RFS waiver exemptions. Censky says the administration wants to ensure that potential policy changes will meet the blend level requirements under the Renewable Fuels Standard.
Censky spoke at the Ag Outlook Forum in Kansas City. He says the next steps on any plan coming out of the White House will be taken by Larry Kudlow, the White House Economic Council Director.
Censky says he doesn’t have any specific timeframe in mind yet for an announcement. “I’d love to have it sooner than later,” he says. “I think that farmers, as well as the biofuel community, would love to have that kind of certainty announced soon. That’s what we’re advocating.” The 31 small-refinery exemptions granted by the EPA amounted to about 1.6 billion gallons taken away from ethanol and biofuel use.