Biodiesel RIN task force set, first meeting scheduled for Feb. 28
February 28, 2012
BY Ron Kotrba
Earlier this month, at the National Biodiesel Conference in Orlando, Fla., National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe said he and NBB chairman Gary Haer were establishing a task force, comprised of representatives from the U.S. EPA, the biodiesel industry and oil companies, to restore confidence in the renewable identification number (RIN) credit markets after two high-profile fraud cases were exposed last year.
The task force is formed and will hold its first conference call Feb. 28.
“This task force will work over the next three to six months to develop a framework for eliminating and preventing RIN fraud in the future,” Jobe said. “That could include proposed regulatory changes in the administration of the program and the development of a privately run RIN integrity program for bonding RINs, but we won’t have more details until they’ve met and developed recommendations.”
The 12-member task force includes:
- Gary Haer, co-chair, REG Inc.
- David Blatnik, co-chair, Marathon Petroleum
- Gene Gebolys, World Energy Group
- Janice Raburn, BP Products North America
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- Mary Manners, U.S. EPA
- Jennifer Case, New Leaf Biofuel
- Sam Bell, Echos Oil Co. – PMAA
- Nick Economides, Chevron
- Jonathon Phillips, RBF Port Neches LLC
- David Dobbins, Pilot
- Leif Forer, Piedmont Biofuels
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- Len Federico, Louis Dreyfus Commodities
Three technical and/or support staff include:
- Fred Walas, Marathon Petroleum Co. LP
- Joe Jobe, NBB
- Larry Schafer, NBB
Representation from small biodiesel plants such as New Leaf Biofuel and Piedmont Biofuels is critical because smaller-scale producers have been hit the hardest by the recent RIN fraud cases, as they have not been able to monetize RINs as quickly as before and have less cash flow to sustain weeks of delays in moving them.
“As you can see, the panel represents a diverse network of industry stakeholders,” Jobe said. “The goal is to make it impossible for a few bad actors to disrupt a system that is clearly working to stimulate biodiesel production.”
The RIN system was designed by the EPA to ensure that physical gallons of biodiesel are being produced and, in turn, blended by obligated parties to meet their volume requirements mandated under the federal renewable fuel standard, RFS2.
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