It seems that every day this magazine is in production, something changes policywise. Just this week, we’ve seen lots of movement with the release of President Trump’s proposed “big, beautiful bill” and its potential 45Z implications, as well as the U.S. EPA’s delivery of two Renewable Fuel Standard rulemakings to the White House Office of Management and Budget. One of those rulings for the 2026 renewable volume obligations and purportedly “also contains several regulatory changes to the RFS program intended to improve the program’s implementation.”
I haven’t yet come across any speculation as to what these changes are, but rumors allege that the renewable volume obligation proposal for biomass-based diesel will not be set at the industry’s ask of 5.25 billion gallons, but short of that. It’s expected we’ll know in late May or early June, so the waiting game continues.
In any case, I’ve had to make some updates to feature article “Ready to Bounce Back” on page 14, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if by the time this magazine hits desks, even more has changed. The policy pieces that the industry has been waiting for are long overdue, so these movements are very welcome. My main interview for this article was with Grant Kimberley of the Iowa Biodiesel Board and Iowa Soybean Association. Iowa has the most biodiesel plants of all the states at 10, with a collective production capacity at 416 MMgy. In the article, he discusses the impact that policy inaction has had on Iowa’s biodiesel industry, and what is needed overall to get back to a healthy state. In particular, he emphasizes the critical impact of strong RVOs. “All indications from experts and marketplace are that a strong RVO would reset the RFS in a very positive way, strengthen RIN prices and be a huge boom to the marketplace,” Kimberley says.
Changing gears a bit, our page-21 feature shifts the focus to Canada. In “Fueling Canadian Decarbonization,” associate editor Katie Schroeder takes a deep dive into the Canadian biofuel sector—what it looks like and where it’s headed, the policy and incentives available (and needed) to help with the buildout, and how the United States’ biofuel policy has impacted development there. 
Finally, we’re about three weeks out from the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop being held in  Omaha, Nebraska, June 10-12. Being held in conjunction with that is the Sustainable Fuels Summit, which is focused solely on biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. It’s great timing to connect with stakeholders and learn about the impacts impending policy could or will have on the industry, among many other things. If you’re a biofuel producer, your pass is complimentary—register at fuelethanolworkshop.com.

Author: Anna Simet
Director of Content & Senior Editor
Biodiesel Magazine