Wheeler: EPA to add ‘lost’ gallons to ethanol requirement

The Environmental Protection Agency will make sure that future corn-based ethanol use totals 15 billion gallons under the Renewable Fuel Standard, but will continue to grant waivers to some refineries, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in an interview with the Red River Farm Network during his trip to North Dakota this week.

“In 2020, the number will be set somewhere above 15 billion gallons, knowing that we will be providing some small refineries relief. And so we net out at 15 billion gallons, providing that certainty for corn farmers,” Wheeler said.

He also said that the new standard will not be retroactive and will not make up for the lower ethanol use levels in recent years, as some lawmakers and industry officials have advocated.

“It’s not retroactive. It’s going forward,” said Wheeler.