Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today made the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision allowing small oil refiners to seek extended exemptions from renewable fuels blending requirements even if they didn’t receive such waivers in the past. The decisions reverses a 10th Circuit ruling limiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority to grant new waivers to refiners who haven’t received consecutive waivers in the past.
“I’m disappointed by today’s Supreme Court decision allowing for more handouts to Big Oil. The 10th Circuit correctly interpreted the law: Refiners shouldn’t be allowed to renew expired waivers for biofuels blending requirements. Still, the Supreme Court preserved the lower court’s tighter guardrails on small refinery exemptions, which must demonstrate actual economic hardship from compliance with the RFS to be eligible for a waiver. In the case, the EPA reconfirmed that RIN prices do not cause such hardship.
“President Biden must keep his promise to biofuels producers to limit welfare to Big Oil, and promote greater reliance on renewable fuels. I will continue working to ensure the administration follows the law and keeps its commitments to America’s renewable fuels producers,” Grassley said.
