Industry News for March 1, 2019
| PMAA Update: Andrew Wheeler Confirmed as EPA Administrator |
| Yesterday, the Senate voted to confirm Andrew Wheeler to lead the EPA. The Senate voted along mostly party lines, 52-47, with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) being the only Republican senator to vote against Wheeler’s confirmation. While all but one Republican voted in favor of Wheeler, some have raised concerns about some of the decisions he made as Acting EPA Administrator.
Last month, five Republican senators sent a letter to Wheeler warning him that their support for his nomination would depend on whether he will take steps to help oil refiners forced to blend biofuel into gasoline, saying, “Without an adequate proposal to meaningfully lower the regulatory burden, we will have serious concerns with your nomination.” The letter, led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), was also signed by senators from other states with oil refining interests, including Pat Toomey (R-PA), Mike Lee (R-UT), John Kennedy (R-LA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA). In the letter, they asked Wheeler if the EPA is looking to adjust biofuel blending targets as part of an upcoming reset of the RFS program and asked him to affirm that under a recent court ruling, EPA is not required to redistribute waived biofuel quotas to non-exempted refineries. They also asked Wheeler if he would continue to grant small refinery exemptions where warranted and if the EPA is considering reforms to the Renewable Identification Number (RIN) market that could prevent market speculation and manipulation. |
| State and Industry News |
| · Market Reaction to Low Carbon Fuel Standard (Fuels Institute)
· Fixing the Truck Driver Shortage (NACS) · Secret Service Alerts Retailers about Contactless Skimmers (NACS) · Judge Grants Preliminary Approval of Monetary Settlement in Interchange Case (NACS) |