U.S. Senate Committee to Hold Hearing on Biofuel Mandates -Sources

by Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) A U.S. Senate committee is expected to hold a hearing around the nation's biofuel blending laws next week, as the Biden administration works to finalize controversial proposals around blending requirements and exemptions for oil refiners, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, whose chairman is Democratic Senator Tom Carper from Delaware and whose ranking member is Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito from West Virginia, is due to hold the hearing on Wednesday, the sources said. The committee will hold the event to hear concerns from stakeholders around the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

The hearing is set to happen as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency works to decide on sweeping policy changes to the RFS. In December, the agency proposed a package of actions that would retroactively reduce biofuel blending volume mandates for 2020 and 2021, while the 2022 proposal would increase requirements.

At the time, the EPA also proposed a rejection of 65 pending applications for SREs. read more

The Democratic majority for the committee has invited as witnesses Emily Skor, chief executive of Growth Energy, a biofuels trade association, and a representative for the Oregon Clean Fuels Program, a state credit program around carbon intensity, two sources said.

Meanwhile, the Republican minority has invited to testify a representative for the Energy Policy Research Foundation Inc, an energy economics and policy non-profit organization, as well as LeAnn Johnson Koch, a partner at Perkins Coie LLP, who represents the oil refining industry and other industrial clients, two sources said. READ MORE