Notice of Public Hearing to Consider Proposed Low Carbon Fuel Standard Amendments --- March 21, 2024 postponed to mid-April --- Sacramento, CA Public Comment DEADLINE February 20, 2024

(California Air Resources Board) The California Air Resources Board (CARB or Board) will conduct a public hearing at the date and time noted below to consider approving for adoption the proposed Low Carbon Fuel Standard amendments.

In-Person Location: California Air Resources Board Byron Sher Auditorium 1001 I Street, Sacramento, California 95814

This public meeting may continue at 9:00 a.m., on ~~March 22, 2024~~ .(TBD) Please consult the public agenda, which will be posted ten days before the ~~March 21, 2024~~ mid-April, Board Meeting, for important details, including the day on which this item will be considered and how the public can participate via Zoom if they choose to be remote.

Written Comment Period and Submittal of Comments In accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, interested members of the public may present comments orally or in writing during the hearing and may provide comments by postal mail or by electronic submittal before the hearing.

The public comment period for this regulatory action will begin on January 5, 2024. Written comments not submitted during the hearing must be submitted on or after January 5, 2024, and received no later than February 20, 2024.

Comments submitted outside that comment period are considered untimely. CARB may, but is not required to, respond to untimely comments, including those raising significant environmental issues. The Board also encourages members of the public to bring to the attention of staff in advance of the hearing any suggestions for modification of the proposed regulatory action. Comments submitted in advance of the hearing must be addressed to one of the following: Postal mail: Clerks’ Office, California Air Resources Board 1001 I Street, Sacramento, California 95814 Electronic submittal: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/lispub/comm/bclist.php

Please note that under the California Public Records Act (Government Code section 7920.000 et seq.), your written and oral comments, attachments, and associated contact information 2 (e.g., your address, phone, email, etc.) become part of the public record and can be released to the public upon request. Additionally, the Board requests but does not require that persons who submit written comments to the Board reference the title of the proposal in their comments to facilitate review. READ MORE

U.S. ethanol groups submitted comments earlier this week on the proposal, which would set sustainability requirements for biofuel feedstocks in California. Renewable Fuels Association Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Troy Bredenkamp says the requirements aren’t necessary and E15 should be sold in California.

“They use more E85 than any other state in the United States, combined. It’s ludicrous that you’re not allowing E15 to be sold.”

American Coalition for Ethanol CEO Brian Jennings says E15 can help California reach their carbon reduction goals “reducing pollutants from vehicles and greenhouse gas emissions.”

And Jennings says the ethanol industry was expecting CARB to allow E15 last year.

CARB says a workshop will be held in mid-April to discuss potential refinements to the proposed amendments. Brownfield interviewed Bredenkamp and Jennings at the National Ethanol Conference. READ MORE

Excerpt from California Air Resources Board: The California Air Resources Board (CARB or Board) is postponing the previously scheduled March 21, 2024 public hearing to consider amendments to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) until a later date. Staff continues to receive substantial feedback on the proposed regulatory package and is postponing the March hearing to enable additional discussion and re-evaluation of the carbon intensity benchmarks, including the proposed step-down and auto-acceleration mechanism, as well as more consideration of the proposed sustainability guardrails, among other topics. Staff plans to host a workshop in mid-April 2024 to discuss potential refinements to the proposed regulatory amendments. The 45-day public comment period, which began on January 5, 2024, and which is scheduled to close on February 20, 2024, will not be extended. We encourage all interested stakeholders to submit written comments before the February 20, 2024 end of the 45-day comment period in order to inform any potential future refinements to the proposed regulatory amendments. READ MORE

Excerpt from Politico Pro: California gasoline pump prices could jump by as much as 47 cents per gallon next year under a proposed overhaul of a state regulation on fuels.

The potential price hike would make California gasoline — already among the most expensive in the nation — even costlier, likely putting a greater burden on low-income motorists and testing residents’ appetites for more climate action.

State officials say the overhaul of the low-carbon fuel standard is necessary to help meet California's ambitious climate goals, even as they disputed how much the rule rewrite would increase pump prices.

But in a sign the proposal could be revised, the agency in charge of the regulation postponed a possible vote on it that had been planned for March.

That was done to “build in more time” to process feedback on the rule rewrite, said Dave Clegern, spokesperson at the California Air Resources Board. No new date has been chosen. READ MORE