According to an Agency release the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), denied twenty-six appeals from ‘small’ refineries for relief from ethanol blending requirements.

The EPA based this action on the reality that no new information was provided to substantiate claims. The petitions were submitted by fifteen refineries and dated from 2016-2023. 

The current round of denial of exemption decisions contrasts with the policy of the previous Administration. The EPA granted a considerable number of small refinery exemptions during 2017 through 2021 effectively reducing the 15-billion-gallon Renewable Fuel Standard threshold requiring inclusion of ethanol in gasoline.