AFPM challenges E15 rule, RFA intervenes in support of EPA
June 11, 2019
BY Erin Voegele
American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers filed a petition for review with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit June 10 challenging the U.S. EPA’s May 31 rule to allow year-round E15 sales.
The AFPM must provide the court with an outline of its case by July 10. On April 30, the group issued a statement opposing the agency’s rule allowing year-round E15 sales, arguing statutory language in the Clean Air Act “leaves no question that the EPA lacks authority to extend the E10 volatility waiver to E15.”
The Renewable Fuels Association announced June 10 it will file a motion to intervene in support of the EPA in response to the AFPM’s petition for review.
Advertisement
“It was entirely predictable that Big Oil would challenge President Trump’s effort to provide increased competition, consumer choice at the pump, and lower gasoline prices for a higher-octane fuel,” said Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the RFA. “But EPA’s legal analysis is sound and is overwhelmingly supported by the public record and a plain reading of the statute. President Trump was correct in calling the regulatory barrier to E15 'unnecessary' and 'ridiculous,' and we greatly appreciate his effort to empower consumers and the American farmer. AFPM’s desperate effort to have the court overturn President Trump’s E15 rule will fail and reflects a callous desire to protect market share at the expense of rural America. The RFA stands with President Trump and consumers across the country who deserve a price break at the pump.”
Advertisement
Related Stories
The U.S. exported 15,050.4 metric tons of biodiesel and biodiesel blends of B30 or greater in March, according to data released by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service on May 6. Biodiesel imports were at 14,991.9 metric tons for the month.
The Canadian International Trade Tribunal on May 5 announced that a preliminary investigation launched earlier this year did not find evidence that imports of U.S. renewable diesel are causing harm to Canada’s domestic renewable diesel industry.
Marathon Petroleum Corp. on May 6 reported improved first quarter EBITDA for its renewable diesel segment on increased utilization of its facilities, particularly the Martinez biorefinery in California, and higher margins.
According to a new economic contribution study released by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association on May 6, Iowa biofuels production has begun to reflect stagnant corn demand throughout the agriculture economy.
SAF production is growing in the U.S. as new capacity comes online. U.S. production of “other biofuels,” the category the U.S. EIA uses to capture SAF data in its reports, approximately doubled from December 2024 to February 2025.
Upcoming Events
