The Environmental Protection Agency issued the final Renewable Volume Obligations for 2020, 2021, and 2022 last week.
The agency lowered conventional ethanol volumes to 12.5 billion gallons for 2020, advance biofuel to 4.63 billion, and cellulosic to 510 million. The rule also sets conventional ethanol at 13.79 billion gallons in 2021 and 15 billion in 2022.
In a move sure to please the ethanol industry, the rule adds a supplemental 250 million gallons that was illegally waived in the 2016 RVO and denies 72 pending small refinery exemption requests.
The EPA announcement also provides important guidance to limit the abuse of small refinery exemptions in the future. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor says the 15 billion gallons in 2022 is a move that sets a baseline for strong future biofuel blending levels.
“These moves will set the direction of total and advanced renewable fuel volumes for 2023 and beyond,” Skor says.
