Collected Publications for renewable fuels standards • farmdoc daily

EPA 2019 RFS Proposed Rulemaking: What You See Is Not What You Get

July 12, 2018
Jonathan Coppess and Scott Irwin

On June 26, 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its proposed rule for establishing the volume obligations under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) (EPA Proposed Rule). If finalized, the…

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Deal-Making on the RFS: Follow the North Star

March 7, 2018
Jonathan Coppess and Scott Irwin

With a flurry of negotiations and political conflict, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) squeezed its way into the national news cycles of recent weeks. The key issue for negotiations is…

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The Grand Bargain? Trading an E15 RVP Waiver for a RINs Price Cap

February 28, 2018
Scott Irwin

Discussions about the future of the RFS reached a fever pitch this week. A high-level meeting at the White House was held, with President Trump presiding and Senators from Iowa…

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How Much Will the Cost of a RINs Bundle Decline if the Conventional Ethanol Gap Disappears?

February 23, 2018
Scott Irwin

In a farmdoc daily article last week, we showed how high D6 RINs prices can be directly traced to conventional ethanol mandates that exceed the E10 blend wall, creating a…

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Fixing the RFS is Getting Easier and Easier

February 15, 2018
Scott Irwin

There has been no shortage of ideas in recent months about how to "fix" the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). These include application of the various waiver authorities under the RFS,…

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Still Another Wrinkle in the RFS: A RINs Price Cap

December 21, 2017
Scott Irwin and Jonathan Coppess

New ideas about how to "fix" the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) seem to appear weekly. In our last farmdoc daily article from December 6, 2017 we analyzed how a seemingly…

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Another Wrinkle in the RFS: The Small RefineryB Exemption

December 6, 2017
Jonathan Coppess and Scott Irwin

2017 has been a busy year for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In July, the D.C. Circuit rejected EPA's interpretation of its general waiver authority. In September, EPA issued a…

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The Biodiesel Waiver Provision in the RFS

October 19, 2017
Jonathan Coppess and Scott Irwin

As discussed in the two previous articles, EPA has issued a Notice of Data Availability (NODA) seeking data and comment on potential reductions to the biomass-based diesel mandates. The third…

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The Other General Waiver: RFS and Severe Economic Harm

October 12, 2017
Jonathan Coppess and Scott Irwin

As discussed last week, the Environmental Protection Agency is soliciting data and feedback on the biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuels components of the Renewable Fuels Standard, including the general waiver…

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Gardner Policy Series

Three Little Words All Over Again: EPA Revisits Inadequate Domestic Supply

October 5, 2017
Jonathan Coppess

On September 26, 2017, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Notice of Data Availability seeking comment and data on potential reductions to the 2018 biomass-based diesel (BBD), advanced biofuel,…

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Projecting Biodiesel RINs Prices under Different Policies

August 30, 2017
Scott Irwin and Darrel Good

In a farmdoc daily article last week, we developed a simple economic model to predict D4 biodiesel RINs prices based on biodiesel prices, diesel prices, and the biodiesel tax credit.…

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How to Think About Biodiesel RINs Prices under Different Policies

August 23, 2017
Scott Irwin and Darrel Good

Several recent farmdoc daily articles examined the role that biomass-based diesel (BBD) plays with respect to compliance with RFS mandates. Topics covered include: 1) the amount of BBD required to…

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Upon Further Review: the Decision on EPA’s RFS Waiver Authority

August 18, 2017
Jonathan Coppess

On July 28, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit handed issued its decision in the lawsuit over EPA's interpretation of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) and…

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Biomass-Based Biodiesel Prices–How Much Does Policy Matter?

August 16, 2017
Scott Irwin and Darrel Good

Biomass-based diesel, which includes both biodiesel and renewable diesel, plays a critical role in compliance with RFS mandates. Since 2013, biomass-based diesel (BBD) has been the "marginal gallon" for complying…

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EPA Interpretation of the “Inadequate Domestic Supply” Waiver for Renewable Fuels Ruled Invalid: Where to from Here?

August 9, 2017
Scott Irwin and Darrel Good

Three words--inadequate domestic supply--have taken center stage in the implementation of the RFS since 2014. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) used a controversial definition of this term to reduce…

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Revisiting the Estimation of Biomass-Based Diesel Supply Curves

July 26, 2017
Scott Irwin and Darrel Good

Biomass-based diesel, which includes both biodiesel and renewable diesel, plays a critical role in compliance with RFS mandates. Since 2013, biomass-based diesel (BBD) has been the "marginal gallon" for complying…

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Filling the Gaps in the Renewable Fuels Standard with Biodiesel

July 19, 2017
Scott Irwin and Darrel Good

In the farmdoc daily article of July 12, 2017, we calculated the likely size of the "gaps" in biofuels consumption created by the EPA implementation of the Renewable Fuels Standards…

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The EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard Rulemaking for 2018 — Still a Push

July 12, 2017
Scott Irwin and Darrel Good

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the proposed rulemaking for the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) for 2018 and the biomass-based diesel volume requirement for 2019 on July 5th. In…

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The RFS and Domestic Consumption of Conventional Ethanol and Biomass-Based Diesel to 2022

December 7, 2016
None

In the farmdoc daily article of November 30, 2016, we examined the magnitude of the "push" in production and consumption of biofuels implied by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)…

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The EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard Rulemaking for 2017 Was More Aggressive than Expected

November 30, 2016
Scott Irwin and Darrel Good

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the final rulemaking for the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) for 2017 and the biomass-based diesel volume requirement for 2018 on November 23rd. In…

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U.S. Gasoline Consumption: Where to From Here?

June 10, 2016
Scott Irwin and Darrel Good

In a farmdoc daily article last week (June 2, 2016), we showed that increasing gasoline consumption in the face of falling crude oil and gasoline prices has had, and will…

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The EPA’s Proposed 2017 RFS Standards: Is a Push Still a Push?

May 26, 2016
Scott Irwin and Darrel Good

The EPA released the final rulemaking for 2014-2016 RFS standards on November 30, 2015. That final rule making reflected a change in EPA policy in that the implied mandate for…

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2015 Year End RIN Update

March 3, 2016
Nick Paulson

Today's article provides the final update on Renewable Identification Number (RIN) generation in 2015 based on available data from EPA's EMTS. Previous quarterly updates covered RIN generation throughout 2015.

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Following-up on RFS Questions

February 10, 2016
Jonathan Coppess

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has been a hot topic of late given the release of the final rule and its rather prominent feature leading up to the recent Iowa…

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Questioning the Final RFS Rule, Part 3: Reasonableness of the Interpretation

January 22, 2016
Jonathan Coppess

Today's article completes the discussion of EPA's final rule for the RFS. The previous articles in this series provided background on the RFS, a general review of the final rule…

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