The EPA will reconsider its cellulosic renewable volume obligation (RVO) under the Renewable Fuel Standard for 2013. The American Fuel & Petrochemicals Manufacturers (AFPM) filed a petition with the agency to rethink the RVO in October, asserting that it would force the association’s members to buy credits for “phantom fuels.” The EPA set its 2013 RVO at six million gallons, but less than one million gallons were produced last year, AFPM said in a statement.
The EPA has shown more flexibility in its renewable fuels requirements in recent months. The agency announced in November it would seek lower targets for the blending of ethanol into fuel in 2014. AFPM welcomed the move but commented that it amounted to “triage” for a program that needs surgery. A September poll conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute showed 77% of motorists fear fuels with high ethanol blends would destroy their engines.
