Mexican Media Brands
EPA Drops Biofuel Quotas for Small Refineries
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has waived a federal mandate for 25 small refiners that requires operators to blend 10% ethanol and other biofuels into their fuel.
#regulations
Share
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has waived a federal mandate for 25 small refiners that requires operators to blend 10% ethanol and other biofuels into their fuel, sources tell Bloomberg News.
The 2007 law originally granted automatic annual exemptions to 59 refiners, none of whom processed more than 75,000 barrels of crude per day in 2009. More recently EPA has reviewed applications on an individual basis from 38 refineries that continue to qualify.
The waivers are intended to spare small refineries undue financial strain. But proponents of the quota—notably farm states that supply corn for ethanol production—complain that granting so many waivers undermines the intent of the law. They also say the cuts undermine the Trump administration’s vow to continue biofuel quotas.
Bloomberg notes that when a refinery is exempted, its quota is not distributed to larger refineries. Thus the waivers shrink the overall market for renewable fuels.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Dubai to Test Digital License Plates
Next month Dubai will begin testing digital license plates that can display various messages, make payments and conduct other transactions.
-
Rage Against the Machine
There have been more than 20 reported attacks against Waymo’s self-driving fleet in Chandler, Ariz., since the company began testing the technology on public roads there two years ago.
-
BMW Granted License to Test Self-Driving Cars in Shanghai
BMW AG has become the first foreign carmaker to win permission to test autonomous vehicles on public roads in China, according to the Shanghai Daily.