EPA schedules hearing on RFS proposal, registrations due May 31

Source: By Erin Voegsel, Ethanol Producer Magazine • Posted: Tuesday, May 31, 2016

The U.S. EPA has announced it will hold a public hearing June 9 in Kansas City, Missouri, on its proposed rule for the 2017 renewable fuels standard (RFS). Parties wishing to testify at the hearing must contact the EPA by May 31.

The EPA released its proposed rule to set 2017 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the RFS, along with the 2018 RVO for biomass-based diesel, on May 18. The agency has proposed to set the 2017 RVO for cellulosic biofuel at 312 million gallons, with the advanced biofuel RVO at 4 billion gallons and the RVO for total renewable fuel at 18.8 billion gallons. The 2018 RVO for biomass-based diesel has been proposed at 2.1 billion gallons.

According to the EPA, the public hearing will provide interested parties the opportunity to present data, views, or arguments concerning its RFS proposal. While the EPA may ask clarifying questions during the hearing, the agency will not respond to presentations at that time.

Those who wish to testify are asked to contact Julia MacAllister in the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Assessment and Standards Division by phone or email. Specific contact information is available in a notice published in the Federal Register.

The notice also stresses that written statements and supporting information submitted during the public comment period will be considered with the same weight as any oral comments and supporting information presented at the public hearing. The comment period closes July 11. Comments can be submitted online on Regulations.gov under Dock ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2016- 0004. A full copy of the pre-publication version of the proposed rule, which includes additional information on submitting comments, can be downloaded from the EPA website.

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