Washington | Reuters — The Trump administration is reviewing the possibility of a key change to U.S. biofuels policy requested by oil refiners and Carl Icahn, the billionaire investor and special advisor on regulations to President Donald Trump, a White House official said Monday.
The administration has no position “either way on this issue at this time,” the White House official confirmed to Reuters. The statements come after news last week that Icahn had reached out to the White House regarding the change.
The debate centers on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), a 2005 policy that requires increasing volumes of biofuels to be added to gasoline and diesel each year.
Read Also
Spain detects first swine fever cases outside initial Barcelona outbreak zone
Two African swine fever cases have been detected in Spain among wild boar for the first time outside an original outbreak area near Barcelona, prompting additional restrictions on the movement of people and livestock, regional authorities in Catalonia said on Friday.
Oil refiners including Valero Energy and CVR Energy currently have to show environmental regulators they are meeting those annual mandates, and have urged the government to push this compliance further downstream to fuel blenders and integrated oil companies.
Opponents of the change say it will complicate ensuring compliance and that it could threaten the future of the RFS policy that sets the annual requirements for use of biofuels with gasoline and diesel.
Confusion over Trump’s plans for RFS sparked wild swings in energy and agricultural markets last week. Icahn, who owns a majority stake in CVR, said he had reached out to the White House about the issue.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also been reviewing requests from oil refiners, including Valero and Delta Air Lines’ Monroe Energy. A public comment period on the issue wrapped up late last month.
Two sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters that they have been told by administration officials they are concerned about potential political backlash from biofuels companies and fuel marketers if they make the change that Icahn and Valero are seeking.
— Reporting for Reuters by Emily Stephenson in Washington; additional reporting and writing for Reuters by Chris Prentice.
