EPA delays ruling on ethanol mandate waiver until August

July 22, 2008

The EPA Administrator said that the agency would not meet a July 24th deadline to respond to a requests by the governors of Connecticut and Texas to waive or limit implementation of a new, increased ethanol mandate.

In a statement, EPA administrator Stephen L.. Johnson said: “Given the amount of work that remains to sufficiently answer the Texas request for a waiver from the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), it is now clear that a final decision on the request will not be completed by July 24. Rather, additional time is needed to allow staff to adequately respond to the public comments and develop a decision document that explains the technical, economic and legal rationale of our decision.

In late April of this year Texas officially requested a waiver from the RFS. Shortly after receiving the waiver request, EPA initiated a public comment during which we received over 15,000 comments and a number of these comments raised substantive issues and included significant economic analysis. I believe it is very important to take sufficient time to review and understand these comments in order to make an informed decision. EPA is also required to consult with the Departments of Agriculture and Energy in considering whether to grant or deny the waiver request and has begun these consultations.

The process remains fair and open and no agreements have been made with any party in regard to the substance and timing of the decision on the waiver request.

I am confident that I will be able to make a final determination on the Texas waiver request in early August.”

Click here for a background report on the EPA and the Renewable Fuel Standard waiver request

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Written by Jim Lane · Filed Under Top Story