The Renewable Fuels Association along with Growth Energy have filed court action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia asking for release of Freedom of Information Act data on RFS refiner waivers. RFA Executive Vice President Geoff Cooper says for fourth months they’ve been seeking that information to find out who the refiners are that are getting the waivers as well as how much they’re getting.
He says they’ve asked both the Environmental Protection Agency as well as the Department of Energy to release that information with no response. Cooper says those refiner waivers have dramatically decreased renewable fuel demand and caused a great deal of damage to their industry.
Cooper says by allowing all of those exemptions the EPA has let refiners out of their obligation to blend the required amount of fuel into ethanol and has caused RINS prices to drop.
Previously EPA officials said the names of refiners granted the waivers are exempt from disclosure under FOIA (foy-uh) because it is commercially sensitive information.
