Today, Clean Fuels Alliance America filed comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Proposed Renewable Fuel Standards for 2026 and 2027. Clean Fuels expressed appreciation for EPA’s intent to provide consistent RFS growth in recognition of U.S. farmers’, feedstock providers’, and biomass-based diesel producers’ investments in new capacity.
EPA proposes a robust step-change in biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuel volumes beginning in 2026. The agency projects the requirement to reach 5.61 billion gallons in 2026 – more than two billion gallons higher than in 2025. According to an EPA fact sheet, “These volume requirements, if finalized, will protect investments made by American corn and soybean growers, oilseed processors, and biodiesel and renewable diesel producers, whose products are critical to our country’s energy security and keeping rural economies strong.”
“The proposal is a welcome signal to U.S. farmers and biofuel producers, and we are ready to meet these higher volumes with domestically produced fuel,” Clean Fuels writes in its comments. “We ask that the final rule sustain the volumes as proposed to ensure that our capacity is fully utilized. These volumes are readily achievable, based on current domestic production and investments that have been made.”
The comments are available at cleanfuels.org.
Kurt Kovarik, Clean Fuels’ Vice President of Federal Affairs, added, “Domestic production of biodiesel and renewable diesel doubled since 2020 and continues to grow. The industry supplied more than 5 billion gallons of biodiesel, renewable diesel and SAF to the U.S. market in 2024, and we are poised to deliver more in 2026. Clean fuel production is essential to farm security, supporting 10 percent of the value of every bushel of U.S. soybeans.”
“EPA is proposing many changes to the program and expressing the RVO in RIN-gallons rather than physical gallons,” Kovarik continued. “We ask that EPA follow through on its intent to support our industry’s investments in domestic fuel production by maintaining robust volumes even if some parts of the proposal are not finalized. We also urge EPA to ensure that the step-change in volumes is not eroded by small refinery exemptions.”
