The Environmental Protection Agency will ask for public comment on whether and how to bolster the transparency of the Renewable Identification Numbers or RINS. Those are the numbers refiners use to blend their petroleum into ethanol as required by the Renewable Fuel Standard. Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw says it’s positive the agency is attempting to improve transparency.

He remains concerned however that there’s still an attempt to attach RINS to exported ethanol which he says would be disastrous.

Shaw says the EPA needs to work harder in support of the RFS rather than listen to attempts that could dismantle it.

Shaw isn’t sure why the EPA is tying in RINS transparency with their announcement of the proposed renewable fuel obligations to be issued in June or early July.