First State Times

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) rule:

“I am disappointed by the final RFS rule issued by the EPA, which does not adequately address the challenges and high costs it will bring to small refineries like the Delaware City Refinery and the union workers employed there. While I appreciate the EPA’s goal to advance our energy security and utilize renewable fuels, the rule’s high blending requirements are significantly above our domestic consumption capacity and will endanger union refineries across the mid-Atlantic. That’s why I’m working with Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.) on legislation that will contain the soaring compliance costs associated with the program and provide certainty to our nation’s independent refineries by stabilizing and reducing costs for renewable fuel credits.

“I look forward to working with the Biden administration, my congressional colleagues, and our state’s organized labor and farming communities to find a path forward on the RFS in a way that bolsters our energy independence, secures clean energy investments for Delaware, and protects union jobs.”

Under the RFS, refiners are obligated to either blend biofuels into their refined products or purchase Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs). RINs have reached historically high prices in recent years, creating difficulties for independent refineries – like the Delaware City Refinery – that must purchase RINs because of their limited capacity to blend biofuels into their products. Senator Coons has advocated for solutions to these challenges for years, including supporting investments in the production of sustainable fuels that will help reduce exposure to volatile RIN prices. 

Original source can be found here.