Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper testified before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, expressing strong approval of the agency’s proposed renewable volume obligations for 2026 and 2027. He described the proposal as “a significant step toward fulfilling President Trump’s goals of lower gas prices, a more robust agricultural sector, and American energy leadership.”
Cooper stated, “RFA fully supports the proposed conventional renewable fuel volumes of 15 billion gallons for both 2026 and 2027. This will allow the ethanol industry to expand as E15 continues to gain traction in the market.”
While the RFA welcomed EPA’s plan to potentially reallocate renewable fuel volumes lost due to small refinery exemptions (SREs) in the final rule, Cooper urged the agency to be “very careful” in deciding whether any refiners have truly faced or will face “disproportionate economic hardship” from complying with the Renewable Fuel Standard. He emphasized the importance of EPA accurately estimating exempted volumes in the final rule to ensure that the actual volume requirements for 2026 and 2027 align with those officially announced.
Lastly, although RFA supports EPA’s proposed 50% cut in Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) for imported renewable fuels and agrees that these imports provide fewer economic, energy security, and environmental benefits, Cooper noted that the enhanced recordkeeping and reporting measures EPA suggests are unnecessary for corn-based ethanol. This is because the U.S. does not import corn ethanol, and corn imports constitute only a tiny fraction—one-tenth of one percent—of the U.S. corn supply.
