The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for issuing annual regulations to ensure fuel sold in the U.S. contains the correct volume of renewable fuel by November 30. EPA is taking comments on the proposed 2019 volume regulation through August 17. The proposed 2019 RFS volume rule gives EPA an opportunity to remedy the harm caused by the extensive retroactive RFS exemptions granted to refineries over the past year, but EPA needs to hear from you. IL Corn encourages you to let your voice be heard. Follow the link below to make your comment in our quick, easy online form. The deadline to submit comments is August 17!

Given the serious impact of refinery exemptions and EPA’s failure to propose any reallocations in the volume rule, it’s important for EPA to hear from farmers:

• The proposed 2019 RFS volume rule gives EPA an opportunity to remedy the harm caused by the extensive retroactive RFS exemptions granted to refineries over the past year.
• Farmers have no confidence in the proposed volumes. If EPA continues to issue retroactive refinery exemptions and fails to reallocate exempted gallons to other obligated parties, EPA’s annual volumes are meaningless.
• In the proposed rule, EPA stated that retroactive refinery exemptions for 2016 and 2017 volume requirements totaled 2.25 billion ethanol-equivalent gallons. These refinery exemptions reduce ethanol blending, which reduces demand for farmers’ crops, yet EPA proposed nothing to restore these exempted volumes to the RFS.
• EPA also failed to estimate and reallocate any refinery exemptions that may be granted for 2019 obligations after the volume rule is final. EPA went so far as to say the agency would not even consider comments on how 2019 exemptions are accounted for.  The magnitude of these exemptions for agriculture should not be disregarded, and farmers deserve to have their voices heard.
• EPA must reallocate or restore renewable fuel gallons from exemptions already granted and ensure that future refinery exemptions are accounted for and reallocated to make the RFS whole.

Make your comment here: http://www.standupforcorn.com/take-action.html