Renewables Enhancement and Growth Support Rule

In this action, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to update both its renewable fuels and other fuels regulations to reflect changes in the marketplace and to promote the growing use of both ethanol fuels (conventional and advanced) and non- ethanol advanced and cellulosic biofuels. The EPA is proposing to make several changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program regulations that would align them with recent developments in the marketplace to increase production of cellulosic and other advanced biofuels. There are several companies that have developed renewable fuel production technologies that produce a "biointermediate" at one facility that is then processed into renewable fuel at another facility, and we are proposing regulatory changes to allow fuels produced through such methods to qualify under existing approved renewable fuel production pathways. This action also proposes to update our fuel regulations by defining fuel blends containing 16 to 83 volume percent ethanol as ethanol flex fuel (EFF) and to no longer treat fuel blends containing 16 to 50 volume percent ethanol as gasoline. The EPA is proposing environmentally protective fuel quality specifications for EFF that are consistent with those already in place for gasoline. In this action we are also proposing new pathways for cellulosic biofuel produced from short-rotation trees and for renewable diesel and biodiesel produced from non-cellulosic portions of 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 to approve the use of this technology in future assessments of proposed pathways for producing qualifying renewable fuel. We are also seeking comment on how best to implement and/or revise the RFS regulations pertaining to the generation of RINs for renewable electricity used as transportation fuel. Finally, we are proposing a number of other regulatory changes, clarifications, and technical corrections to the RFS program and other fuels regulations.