Washington, D.C. June 25, 2021.  Different day, same small refinery exemption (SRE) woes. Soy growers are frustrated following a Supreme Court decision that overturns a 10^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that found the Environmental Protection Agency had overstepped its authority in granting certain Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) blending requirement exceptions to small refineries.

Now, those frustrated farmers are asking the Biden administration to step up and help.

Kevin Scott, soybean farmer from Valley Springs, South Dakota, and ASA president said, “This just means that the Biden administration needs to administer the RFS in a stable and predictable manner that achieves the biofuel-blending, greenhouse gas-reducing benefits that Congress intended when it passed the RFS.”

“SREs should be issued to small refiners only when the economic viability of a refiner is threatened solely because of the RFS, and any gallons exempted can be spread out among others to ensure that biofuel blending targets truly are met,” he adds.

Increased use of biodiesel and other renewable diesels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 74% compared to petroleum diesel, providing a proven and immediately available method to take meaningful steps to address climate change. ASA urges the Biden administration to significantly increase renewable fuel obligations for 2021, 2022, and beyond.