American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2017 - 17

important component of the path toward
American energy dominance. We are
proposing new volumes consistent with
market realities focused on actual
production and consumer demand,
while being cognizant of the challenges
that exist in bringing advanced biofuels
into the marketplace," says EPA
Administrator Scott Pruitt.
Under the proposed requirements,
cellulosic biofuel volumes would drop
from 2017's 311 million gallons to 238
million gallons in 2018; advanced
biofuels fall from 4.28 billion gallons to
4.24 billion gallons; and renewable
fuels decrease from 19.28 billion
gallons to 19.24 billion gallons. The
biomass-based diesel requirement
increases from 2.0 billion gallons to 2.1
billion gallons from 2017 to 2018.
EPA says key elements of the 2018
standards include:
* Maintaining nonadvanced or
conventional renewable fuel volumes at
the 15.0 billion gallon target set by
Congress;
* Maintaining the biomass-based
diesel fuel standard for 2019 at the 2018
levels of 2.1 billion gallons; and
* Beginning a technical analysis to
help shape future rules to reset the
statutory volumes for cellulosic,
advanced and total biofuels.
"The Clean Air Act requires EPA to
reset volume targets when certain
conditions are met," Pruitt says. "We
expect those conditions to be met in the
near future, so we are conducting
technical analysis now, to inform future
reset rules."
The American Petroleum Institute says
it welcomes EPA's proposal to slightly
lower the total biofuel volume for 2018
but insists the move doesn't go far
enough. API urges a congressional reform
of the Renewable Fuel Standard because
its primary goals have been met, not by
ethanol mandates but through market
forces and technological innovations.
"Studies show that higher ethanol
volumes under the RFS would raise fuel
costs for consumers and damage car
engines," says API Downstream Group
Director Frank Macchiarola. "Today's
proposal reaffirms the importance of
RFS reform, as it is essential that
Americans have access to fuels they
want and can use safely in their
vehicles. Congress must fix this broken,
outdated program." r

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NDPC Convention Section

DOI Seeks Comments
On Regulatory Reform

WASHINGTON-The Department of
the Interior has unveiled an open-ended
initiative it says will alleviate
unnecessary regulatory burdens on the
American people. The department
indicates the initiative implements
President Trump's Executive Order No.
13777, "Enforcing the Regulatory
Reform Agenda."
The department published a notice
seeking public input on what federal
regulations may be appropriate for
repeal, replacement or modification in
the June 22 Federal Register. It
provides instructions for commenting
through www.regulations.gov, DOI
says. The notice states that no deadline
for receipt of comments has been
established, and the Interior Department
will review comments on an ongoing
basis.
According to the department, federal
regulations that may be appropriate for
revisions include those that:
* Eliminate jobs or inhibit job
creation;
* Are outdated, unnecessary or
ineffective;
* Impose costs that exceed benefits;
or
* Create a serious inconsistency or
otherwise interfere with regulatory
reform initiatives and policies.
According to the department, it also
is seeking to change regulations that
derive from or implement executive
orders or other presidential directives
that have been rescinded or
substantially modified.
Agencies affected by the DOI
initiative include Bureau of Land
Management, Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, Bureau of Safety and
Environmental Enforcement, Bureau of
Indian Affairs, National Park Service,
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and U.S.
Geological Survey.
Comments may be submitted through
the appropriate agency docket number
available at www.regulations.gov, or by
mail to Office of the Executive
Secretariat, ATTN: Reg. Reform, U.S.
Department of the Interior, 1859 C Street
NW, Mail Stop 7328, Washington, D.C.
20240. More information is available at
www.doi.gov/regulatoryreform/implement.
Meanwhile, pursuant to EO 13795,
"Implementing an America-First
Offshore Energy Strategy," the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration announced at the end of
June that the Department of Commerce

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American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2017

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