Ethanol Industry Joins the RNG Industry in Calling for a Forward Looking 2018 RVO
By Erin Voegele, Ethanol Producer Magazine.
The comment period on the U.S. EPA’s proposed rule to set 2018 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard, along with the 2019 RVO for biomass-based diesel, closed at midnight Aug. 31. More than 44,000 comments were filed on the proposal. The agency will now review those comments as part of its effort to finalize the proposal. Under statute, the EPA is required to issue a final rule setting 2018 RVOs by Nov. 30.
The proposed rule calls for 19.24 billion gallons of total renewable fuel, including 238 million gallons of cellulosic biofuel, 2.1 billion gallons of biomass-based diesel and 4.24 billion gallons of advanced biofuel. The 2.1 billion gallon biomass-based diesel requirement for 2018 was finalized last year. For 2019, the new proposal calls for the biomass-based diesel RVO to be maintained at 2.1 billion gallons.