The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has stated they will review EPA use of waivers exempting small refineries from the nation’s biofuel blending requirements after a bipartisan group of lawmakers made a review request last August.  The renewable fuel standard (RFS) allows the EPA to grant small refinery exemptions (SREs) to refiners that process up to 75,000 barrels of petroleum per day – and can demonstrate “disproportionate economic hardship”. However, biofuel producers and their representatives have accused the Trump administration of overusing the SRE process to benefit oil companies at the expense of agricultural interests.

The use of SREs has more than quadrupled since the Trump administration has entered office. Petitions granted are up 443 percent while petitions received have grown 300 percent.