EPA submitted two major biofuel-related actions to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review: its proposed rule for Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) for 2026 and beyond under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), along with its final rule to partially waive the 2024 cellulosic biofuel mandate.
The conjecture (not confirmed by EPA or other sources) is that EPA would announce a biodiesel mandate of 4.65 billion gallons, at least 600 million gallons below recommendations from a coalition of oil and biofuels groups. The industry has previously requested a mandate between 5.25 billion and 5.75 billion gallons.
Perspective: 4.65 billion gallons would be a BIG jump from 3.35 billion gallons for 2025 and would be a floor... not a ceiling.
While the forward-looking RVOs draw long-term interest, the agency’s final decision regarding 2024 cellulosic requirements is also awaited. In a proposal issued December 2024, EPA suggested reducing the 2024 cellulosic biofuel volume requirement from 1.09 billion Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) to 0.88 billion — a cut of 0.21 billion RINs. This partial waiver remained pending even after EPA extended the 2024 compliance reporting period earlier this year.
Meanwhile, The Trump administration plans to rule quickly on dozens of small U.S. refineries’ pending applications for exemptions from biofuel-blending requirements, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin told lawmakers.
There are 161 applications for exemptions from the RFS pending after the Biden administration refrained from acting on them.
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