The perennial battle over EPA’s biofuels mandates is coming to a head soon as the agency works on finalizing updates to the Renewable Fuel Standard’s blending obligations.
So far, the EPA’s proposal for the 2026 and 2027 RFS mandates has drawn the support of farm-state lawmakers — who often find themselves at odds with the Trump administration over issues such as trade policy — and put some of the president’s oil industry allies on the defensive.
The proposed updates, released in June, would increase the program’s renewable volume obligations, which dictate how much biofuel — such as corn-based ethanol and biodiesel made from feedstocks like soybean oil and animal fats — is mixed into the nation’s transportation fuel supply.
