ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, U.S. — The Trump administration’s proposed biofuels plan for the coming year was attacked by a broad coalition representing agriculture and oil interests during a public hearing hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Reuters reported.
The Oct. 30 meeting in Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S., was the second public meeting on the proposal, which would increase the amount of corn-based ethanol some refineries must blend to make up for volumes expected to be waived by EPA under the Small Refinery Exemption program.
Officials representing the corn industry said it doesn’t go far enough to help biofuel producers already hurting from the U.S. trade war with China.
Oil industry leaders said the proposal is unfair to refineries that have to do more blending, Reuters reported.
The EPA is trying to finalize the proposal before the late November deadline to set 2020 blending requirements.
Under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard, refiners have to add 15 billion gallons of ethanol and other types of biofuels every year to gasoline.
Small facilities of 75,000 barrels per day or less can receive a waiver from the RFS. The EPA has nearly quadrupled the number of waivers granted since Trump took office in 2017, Reuters reported.