EPA Finalizes Cost-Saving Updates to Existing Fuels Regulations

At the Monroe Energy LLC Trainer Refinery, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the final Fuels Streamlining Rule. The finalized rule will streamline and modernize EPA’s existing regulations for gasoline, diesel, and other fuels by eliminating costly duplication and hundreds of pages of regulatory text. Under these updates, fuel standards will remain just as stringent, while reducing compliance costs for industry and EPA. Most aspects of this rulemaking will go into effect on January 1, 2021.

“By finalizing this action today, we’ll start 2021 with a set of streamlined fuel regulations that save industry, government, and the U.S. economy millions of dollars annually without sacrificing environmental protection,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “The Trump Administration has prioritized reducing regulatory burdens during its entire first term. EPA’s focus on improving the regulatory environment while protecting the environment has saved Americans an estimated $95 billion in unnecessary costs.”

These updates will result in improved overall compliance assurance while removing roughly 800 pages of regulatory text. Specifically, this action updates fuels regulations by deleting expired or redundant compliance provisions such as duplicative registration requirements, removing unnecessary and out-of-date requirements, and replacing them with a single set of provisions and definitions.

EPA estimates that this final action will save $40.4 million per year, largely from reduced administrative costs. Other savings are expected to occur by improving the ability to efficiently deliver compliant fuel through the system and by providing greater flexibility for fuel production and distribution.

This action does not change the stringency of the existing fuel quality standards.