Article

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made strides in resolving a backlog of 175 Small Refinery Exemption (SRE) petitions from 2016 to 2024, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy.

The agency has granted 63 full and 77 partial exemptions while denying 28 petitions and deeming 7 ineligible. This initiative aligns with the EPA's 2020 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) rule, which permits partial reliefãoften a 50% exemptionáfor small refineries demonstrating hardship. These actions aim to streamline compliance and support small refineries in the renewable fuel landscape.