The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) today adds an extra 22-cents to the cost of manufacturing a gallon of gasoline and an additional burden to consumers at the pump due to high ethanol costs.
A nationwide 95 RON octane standard can deliver major carbon reductions in the nation’s light-duty vehicle fleet faster and at a lower cost than any other proposal being considered by policymakers at the national level right now, especially policies seeking to force nationwide vehicle electrification
It was 2010 and Jerry Wascom, ExxonMobil’s Americas refining director, was worried. Despite fuel and petrochemical manufacturers making significant improvements in the safety of their individual operations, across the industries there was an uptick in serious incidents. Workers were getting injured, surrounding communities were losing confidence, the reputation of the industries was being tarnished and regulators were becoming increasingly engaged. Wascom turned to his counterparts within the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers Association (AFPM), the industry trade group, and asked, “Are we doing enough to protect people?”
The cost of Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) compliance credits, specifically D6 renewable identification numbers (RINs), is out of control. Sales of D6 RINs for conventional ethanol recently registered above $1.90 (the highest trades in history).
The U.S. is home to the most efficient and sustainable refining sector in the world, bolstering American energy security, supporting millions of well-paying jobs, and reliably providing the fuels the world needs to run. U.S. refiners have made major investments to continuously reduce the emissions of products and operations.
The Renewable Fuel Standard is more expensive in 2021 than at any other point in the program’s 15-year history. Soaring RFS prices signal that the RIN bank could run dry.
AFPM is very pleased with this ruling and hopes that EPA now moves expeditiously to provide critical relief to those small refineries that have demonstrated disproportionate economic harm.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – AFPM President and CEO Chet Thompson today issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s decision not to appeal the 10th Circuit ruling that would effectively end the small refinery relief program established by Congress under the Renewable Fuel Standard.
America’s refiners and motor gasoline suppliers are facing an unprecedented inventory management challenge as the national response to COVID-19 has reduced domestic demand for fuel.