EPA Reportedly Ditches Hardship Waiver Fix

The Environmental Protection Agency has scrapped a proposal to make up for lost biofuel volumes stemming from hardship waivers as part of the Renewable Fuel Standard. The plan was seen as a fix for the waivers granted generously by the EPA under former administer Scott Pruitt, which lowered biofuel volumes by granting refiners a break from the rules. This method would boost the renewable fuel blending obligation to 11.76 percent from 10.88 percent to offset volumes lost under the waiver program. However, pressure from the refining industry has stalled the idea and now caused its end. The proposal first rumored when Sonny Perdue mentioned a meeting with Pruitt earlier this year, asking for a hardship waiver fix. In April, Perdue told Congress how the USDA felt about the idea, “our conclusion is that’s direct demand destruction.”