According to data released late last week, the EPA has granted one additional small refinery exemption (SRE) for 2017 and received three more SRE requests for 2018 since the last reported update (see table below for current counts).

The additional SRE for 2017 was from a very small refinery as the total volume of waivers measured in Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) did not change from the previously reported 1.82 billion (the volume reporting moves in increments of 10 million gallons). The process used to grant SREs for 2018 is under review by the EPA and Department of Energy; slowing the pace is a top priority of ethanol advocates in Congress. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to Energy Secretary Rick Perry last we...