Renewable fuels.
Environmental protection (ICS: 13.020), Fuels (ICS: 75.160)

Renewables Enhancement and Growth Support Rule (153 pages, in English)

In this action, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) isproposing to update both its renewable fuels and other fuels regulations to reflect changesin the marketplace and to promote the growing use of both ethanol fuels (conventional andadvanced) and non- ethanol advanced and cellulosic biofuels. The EPA is proposing tomake several changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program regulations thatwould align them with recent developments in the marketplace to increase production ofcellulosic and other advanced biofuels. There are several companies that have developedrenewable fuel production technologies that produce a "biointermediate'' at one facilitythat is then processed into renewable fuel at another facility, and we are proposingregulatory changes to allow fuels produced through such methods to qualify under existingapproved renewable fuel production pathways. This action also proposes to update our fuelregulations by defining fuel blends containing 16 to 83 volume percent ethanol as ethanolflex fuel (EFF) and to no longer treat fuel blends containing 16 to 50 volume percentethanol as gasoline. The EPA is proposing environmentally protective fuel qualityspecifications for EFF that are consistent with those already in place for gasoline. In thisaction we are also proposing new pathways for cellulosic biofuel produced from shortrotationtrees and for renewable diesel and biodiesel produced from non-cellulosic portionsof separated food waste. We are also proposing to add new registration, recordkeeping,and reporting requirements for facilities using carbon capture and storage if we were toapprove the use of this technology in future assessments of proposed pathways forproducing qualifying renewable fuel. We are also seeking comment on how best toimplement and/or revise the RFS regulations pertaining to the generation of RINs forrenewable electricity used as transportation fuel. Finally, we are proposing a number ofother regulatory changes, clarifications, and technical corrections to the RFS program andother fuels regulations.