EC Wire

RIN stands for Renewable Identification Number.  They are essentially “credits” that refiners need in order to show they are in compliance with Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) blending requirements.

The EPA assigns RINs to track refiners’ renewable fuel usage.  If refiners do not use enough renewable fuel, they can purchase RINs to satisfy RFS mandates.

This system has led to two negative consequences – soaring RIN prices and fraud.

The Price of RINs

• Refiners are scrambling to find enough RINs to meet their RFS obligation.  This has caused the price of RINs to surge as much as 1,400 percent since last year.
• Because of declining gasoline demand and increasing RFS standards, this rapid increase in RIN cost – which adds to the cost of making gasoline – could continue if RFS requirements are not relaxed.

RIN Fraud

• The combination of high RIN costs and limited availability has encouraged fraud.  Since 2011, the EPA has identified 140 million invalid or counterfeited biodiesel credits.

Problems with RINs are just further proof that the RFS does not work in today’s energy market.  Tell Washington that the RFS needs to be repealed.

In an effort to avoid the E10 blend wall crisis, the EPA has issued a partial waiver to allow gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol (E15) to enter the market.  But they failed to take into account the significant problems this could cause for filling stations.

These largely independent, small businesses are simply not set up to dispense gasoline containing this high alternative fuel content.

• According to the Petroleum Marketers Association of America, there are 700,000 gasoline dispensers in the U.S., and fewer than 5,000 have been certified for E15.
• The cost to upgrade equipment for E15 would run from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars per station.

That’s a tremendous burden on small business owners.

•  The vast majority of the 156,000 gasoline stations are owned by independent businesses (not the major integrated oil companies). 
• 60 percent of all stations are owned by a single individual who owns a single store.
• The average filling station’s annual profit is only $40,000.

The Petroleum Marketers Association of America has estimated that it will cost almost $10 billion industry wide for dispensers to sell E15.  Even when using pump retrofit kits, costs will hit $4 billion , not including the expense of breaking concrete to change out underground storage tanks.  Additionally, over 3,000 miles of underground piping at the station have not been certified safe for E15.

The total price tag of dispensing E15 at $10 billion comes at a steep price for a product that consumers are not even asking retailers to sell. 

Like the RFS, the E15 waiver does not work.  Join us, and tell Congress that the RFS must be repealed.
 

The blend wall is rapidly approaching.

The blend wall is the point at which Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) mandates will require the biofuel content of our gasoline supply to exceed the 10% level (E10) that most of our vehicles were designed to run on.  It could easily happen this year.

Congress passed the RFS when America’s energy situation was much different.  Today, we use less fuel than RFS supporters predicted, resulting in a much smaller pool of gasoline and diesel available for blending with mandated amounts of ethanol and other biofuels.

The result is an unworkable RFS program that pushes biofuel content above acceptable levels.

• This could mean damaged engines and other mechanical problems.
• It would reduce fuel economy.
• Even family-owned gas stations could be negatively impacted, forced to spend tens of thousands of dollars to retrofit their equipment to dispense high ethanol content fuels.

Our economy will suffer when we hit the blend wall.  One study estimates that, by 2015, it will cause a $580 billion decrease in take-home pay for American workers and a $770 billion reduction in our GDP. 

The blend wall does not have to happen.  Repealing the RFS would put fuel consumers back in charge of determining reasonable ethanol blends, which will protect family budgets and our economy.

Join us in asking Congress to repeal the RFS.  Click here to make your voice heard on this important issue.

Many aspects of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) do not make sense.  But perhaps none are as unreasonable as the cellulosic fuel mandates.

The Clean Air Act demands that the EPA require refiners to blend gasoline with not only ethanol -- most of which comes from corn -- but also with cellulosic biofuels.  These are renewable fuels made from plant material such as wood or grasses.

The only problem? Cellulosic biofuels do not exist.

Or at least not in commercially viable amounts.  No one produces cellulosic ethanol for commercial use.  Cellulosic fuels do exist in research labs, but this experimental fuel is essentially still on the drawing board.

Even so, the EPA demands that refiners purchase credits for this non-existent fuel.  This irrational edict does nothing to increase biofuel use, yet it drives up the cost of manufacturing fuel .  It is a stealth tax on producing fuel.

Bob Greco, API group director for downstream and industry operations, called it “regulatory absurdity.”

A court decision in January of 2013 rejected the EPA’s 2012 cellulosic fuel mandate.  So, for now, refiners are safe from the $8 million in additional costs that cellulosic requirements would have triggered.

About the ruling, Greco said, “The court has provided yet another confirmation that EPA’s renewable fuels program is unworkable and must be scrapped.”

If you agree, click here to tell Congress the RFS must be repealed.

Helen Russo volunteers with Empower U, an organization dedicated to teaching people how to become informed and involved civically. She has been instrumental in educating others about Ohio’s energy issues, as well as reaching out to members of the Ohio General Assembly. She is active and vocal on local and national issues. She describes herself as a “defender of freedom and justice.” 

By Helen Russo

After years of writing, e-mailing, and phoning Ohio representatives and senators, I welcomed the opportunity to personally visit several of them as a member of Energy Citizens.  This grassroots citizen organization deals with communicating to legislators the concerns constituents have regarding energy issues.

Our group targeted two areas of concern.  The first is a proposed increase in severance taxes on landowners and oil and natural gas companies.  Ohio’s Utica shale play could bring many jobs locally, as well as lower dependence on foreign sources of energy.  A severance tax increase could drive away new jobs and the opportunity for more energy security.  Our second focus is building the Keystone XL

pipeline, which would also open new financial opportunities for the country in general.

Whether it was the senator or the aide, we found our Ohio legislators engaging and interested in our point of view.  The senators especially were quite knowledgeable and explained their viewpoints.

Because of the personal interaction and opportunity to converse instead of getting an automatic response to my e-mails, I felt my points had been delivered. I believe our visit was most effective because we were members of a group (potential voters!) and because we had taken the time and effort to make our case.

Not everyone can make a personal visit. However, the aides were very attuned to the pulse of the citizens based on the number of phone calls and/or e-mails they receive on issues.  The key is making your voice heard in any way you can!

Helen Russo is an Energy Citizen from Ohio who participated in a Constituent Day at the state capitol in Columbus.

Ohio Energy Citizens have been monitoring activity at the State’s Capitol. In February, Governor Kasich unveiled his biennial budget proposal, House Bill 59, which included an increase in the taxes that Ohio’s developing oil and gas industry would experience. Under current laws, Ohio’s severance tax is 20 cents a barrel. The Governor’s proposals increased this tax to a flat 4 percent.

 Concerned about how this may negatively impact the potential and growth of the state’s oil and gas industry, Ohio Energy

Citizens have been working to share their opposition to increases in the state’s severance tax with the media and members of the Ohio General Assembly. With this goal in mind, on March 20, seven Energy Citizens traveled to Columbus to meet with the offices of 10 state legislators.

The meetings were used as an opportunity to introduce the legislator to Energy Citizens, discuss concerns with the governor’s proposal to increase the severance tax in the budget, and convey support of the Keystone Pipeline and Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, urging the US State Department to approve the permit process for the construction and operation of the pipeline.  

The Ohio House showed they recognize this tax increase would hinder this developing industry; when they released their substitute version of the budget, the severance tax increase had been removed.

Liz Porath just graduated from the University of South Carolina last year. After attending a meeting to discuss new ways to achieve Energy Independence, she fully understands the impact drilling for natural gas could have on South Carolina’s economy. Porath said, “Drilling for natural gas off the Carolina coast will not harm the environment, and it means thousands of more jobs for our state. I encourage people to take more time to ask and learn about this great economic opportunity.”