by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) The Supreme Court will review a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver that found EPA mishandled the small-refinery exemptions program in the Renewable Fuel Standard.
The 10th Circuit ruling in January 2020 led the EPA to reject more than 50 requests for retroactive exemptions in recent months. The court’s ruling was considered to be one of the biggest court victories by the biofuels and agriculture industries as it pertains to the RFS.
The justices without comment agreed to hear an appeal by HollyFrontier Corp. and Wynnewood Refining Co. The companies have argued the 10th U.S. Circuit ruling wrongly deprives small refineries of economic relief authorized by Congress. Under law, small refineries facing an “economic hardship” from the RFS can receive exemptions.
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-The Hagstrom Report
Michael Regan, secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality in North Carolina and President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to be Environmental Protection Agency administrator, called National Corn Growers Association President Jon Doggett after the announcement of his nomination, AgWeb reported.
Doggett quoted Regan as saying he knows the importance of the Renewable Fuel Standard to the corn industry.
“That was really good to hear,” Doggett noted.
American Coalition for Ethanol CEO Brian Jennings said, “We congratulate Secretary Regan on his nomination to be EPA administrator and look forward to working with him to get the Renewable Fuel Standard back on track, clear regulatory hurdles to E15 and higher blends, and ensure corn ethanol is part of the solution to new policies designed to tackle climate change.
Tom Vilsack has officially been nominated to serve as Secretary of Agriculture in the Biden Administration, reprising the role he held under President Obama for eight years, and the biofuels industry is quite happy with that decision.
Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says Vilsack is an excellent choice. “We are especially happy to have someone in the Biden administration who intimately understands the crucial role renewable fuels and agriculture can play in confronting climate change. We thank the president-elect and look forward to working once again with the new secretary once he takes office.”
During his time as Secretary, Vilsack frequently attended the major agricultural and biofuels events, including the National Ethanol Conference, National Biodiesel Conference, Commodity Classic, ACE Annual Meeting, and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit.
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