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EnviroFlash Announcements about EPA Fuel Programs

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This page lists recent EnviroFlash announcements that have been released to update stakeholders about EPA fuel programs.

On this page:

Notice of Intent to Revoke Genscape's Auditor Registration and A-RIN Replacement

January 5,  2017

This EnviroFlash is intended to notify potentially affected parties of the EPA's issuance of a notice of intent to revoke the ability of Genscape to verify RINs as a third-party auditor under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) Quality Assurance Program. This EnviroFlash also includes some additional information to help potentially affected parties understand what this may mean for them.

On January 4, 2017, the EPA issued a notice of intent to revoke the ability of Genscape to verify Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) as a third-party auditor under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Quality Assurance Program. Under RFS, obligated parties and exporters must obtain and retire RINs to meet their compliance obligations and demonstrate the RFS program's renewable fuel mandates are met. EPA is taking this action to hold Genscape accountable for failing to meet all elements of its approved Quality Assurance Plan, and for verifying millions of RINs that were fraudulently generated by two companies, Gen-X Energy Group, Inc., and Southern Resources and Commodities, LLC. EPA is aggressively pursuing bad actors in the RFS program to maintain a level playing field for firms that play by the rules. Genscape has 60 days to submit written comments to EPA in response to this notice. The EPA will review and consider these comments before taking final action concerning the proposed revocation of Genscape's ability to verify RINs under the RFS. EPA is also requiring Genscape to retire valid RINs within 60 days to replace the approximately 68 million invalid A-RINs they verified, which were then used for compliance.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

QUESTION:
During the time that EPA issues its Notice of Intent to Revoke and its Final Decision regarding Genscape, can Genscape still verify RINs under its QAP Q?
ANSWER:

Yes. Genscape is able to function normally as a QAP provider unless the EPA issues a final decision to revoke Genscape's registration.

QUESTION:
Are all the RINs that Genscape verified under an approved QAP for other producers (other than Gen-X/SRC during the time period at issue) invalid?

ANSWER:
The EPA has only identified RINs generated by Gen-X and SRC as invalid at this time. At this time, the EPA has not issued a Notice of Violation identifying other Genscape verified RINs as invalid.  However, the EPA reminds the regulated industry that RINs identified as invalid by industry must follow the requirements under 40 CFR 80.1431.

More information about civil enforcement actions related to the RFS program:
QUESTION:
I am a renewable fuel producer that is generating Q-RINs with Genscape as my QAP provider, what happens to my ability to generate Q-RINs if Genscape€'s registration is revoked?

ANSWER:
If the EPA revokes Genscape's registration, renewable fuel producers that have Genscape as their QAP provider will no longer be able to generate Q-RINs unless they switch to a different QAP provider.

More information about approved QAP plans can be found here:
For more information, please contact:
QUESTION:
When does the EPA expect to take final action concerning the proposed revocation of Genscape's ability to verify RINs under the RFS?

ANSWER:
Genscape has 60 days after January 4, 2017 to submit written comments to EPA in response to this notice. EPA will then review and consider these comments before taking final action concerning the proposed revocation of Genscape's ability to verify RINs under the RFS. EPA will take final action in as timely a manner as possible, but no sooner than 30 days after thoroughly reviewing any response by Genscape.

QUESTION:
What happens to the invalid RINs that Genscape approved? Is Genscape responsible for replacing them?

ANSWER:
The invalid RINs in this case are A-RINs, which were verified under EPA's interim QAP program.*  Obligated parties do not have to replace invalid A-RINs if they meet the affirmative defense requirements at 80.1473(c).  An obligated party holding invalid A-RINs can still transfer the RIN or retire it for compliance purposes as they meet the affirmative defense criteria.

To replace the invalid RINs in the market, Genscape must obtain 68 million valid RINs and retire them. Genscape is obligated to do this because both Gen-X and SRC failed to replace the RINs.

NOTE:

* The final QAP program which provides Q-RINs has a different set of rules that would apply.  

QUESTION:
As an obligated party, if I previously submitted an Affirmative Defense for using A-RINs from Gen-X/SRC, is there anything else I need to do?

ANSWER:
No. If you previously submitted an Affirmative Defense to EPA for transferring or using invalid A-RINs generated by Gen-X/SRC and verified by Genscape, there is nothing more required of you at this time. If you plan to use invalid A-RINs generated by Gen-X/SRC and verified by Genscape and you have not previously submitted an Affirmative Defense, you may submit an Affirmative Defense following the requirements of 40 CFR 80.1473(c).

QUESTION:
As an obligated party, how do I know if I am holding invalid Gen-X and SRC A-RINs and if I must submit an affirmative defense to EPA?

ANSWER:
The EPA notified companies that own, used, or transferred Gen-X or SRC potentially invalid RINs that they may assert an affirmative defense pursuant to 40 CFR 80.1473.

For more background go to:

This EnviroFlash message is intended as guidance for regulated entities under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) Program. This message is neither a substitute for applicable legal requirements nor a regulation. This message does not impose legally binding requirements on the EPA or the regulated industry.

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EMTS - Expiration of old RFS RINs and Fuels ABT Credits

November 21, 2016

On Tuesday, November 29th, 2016, EPA will expire all remaining RIN year 2013 RINs that were not retired for compliance with the recent 2014 RFS compliance deadline. Once the 2013 RINs are expired, they will no long appear in a company's RIN holdings. EPA typically expires "second year" RINs at the close of each annual compliance deadline. EMTS users are not required to take any action on their remaining 2013 RINs prior to this event.

Additionally, EPA will also expire old credits under the Fuels ABT programs. This includes credits generated under the Gasoline-Sulfur program from year 2010 and credits generated under the Gasoline-Benzene program from year 2008.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Fuel's Help Desk at support@epamts-support.com.

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Revised Instructions for Renewable Fuel Producer Registrations

November 18, 2016

This EnviroFlash message is intended as guidance for regulated entities under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) Program. This message is neither a substitute for applicable legal requirements nor a regulation. This message does not impose legally binding requirements on the EPA or the regulated industry.

This EnviroFlash explains a revised process for Renewable Fuel Producers to submit new registration and registration update materials to EPA under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program.

To help streamline and expedite submissions under the RFS Program, Renewable Fuel Producers submitting Engineering Review (ER) reports under Title 40 CFR Section 80.1450(d)(3) will no longer be required to submit an accompanying Company Request (CR) in the Central Data Exchange OTAQ Registration system (CDX OTAQREG). This change is effective immediately.

While an ER report will no longer be linked to a specific CR, new registrations or registration updates still require a CR. Renewable Fuel Producers should continue to create CRs in CDX OTAQREG for new registrations, and also for any updates to their existing registrations under the RFS program.

In addition to three-year registration updates under Section 80.1450(d)(3), ER reports are required for new registrations and any significant changes to a facility as stipulated in Section 80.1450.  EPA will review ER submissions as time and resources permit, and may elect, in its discretion, to conduct a substantive review of an ER report to substantiate the requested change before activating the CR in CDX OTAQREG.

Renewable Fuel Producers shall continue to be responsible for complying with applicable regulations at all times; EPA activation of a CR in CDX OTAQREG does not imply that EPA has reviewed and concurs with any aspect of the company’s submissions or activities.   

QUESTION:
Why is this change being made to the process?

ANSWER:
Due to system limitations, only one RCO Update or Company Update Company Request (CR) per company may be pending in CDX OTAQREG at a time. This creates an unintended bottleneck in the system and could hold up a simple request while a more comprehensive request is being processed.

QUESTION:
Does EPA’s revised submission process apply to CRs, new registrations, and three-year updates submitted prior to the issuance of this guidance?

ANSWER:
Yes. EPA will administratively separate CRs associated with ERs that have already been submitted through CDX OTAQREG and which have not yet been processed by EPA.

QUESTION:
Does this change the requirements of an ER?

ANSWER:
No. The only change relates to the manner in which an Engineering Review (ER) report is submitted to EPA. No Company Request (CR) should be created in CDX OTAQREG for the ER report. In practice, a CR should only be submitted by a company if the company is not yet registered through CDX OTAQREG or there is a change to an existing registration within CDX OTAQREG. The Professional Engineer (PE) is still required to verify all the required elements in Section 80.1450 as specified in the regulations. Submission requirements of ERs to EPA remains unchanged and should be submitted directly to EPA via one of the three acceptable methods: 1) CDX DCFUEL;  2) Engineering review web form available within CDX OTAQREG; or 3) via mail.

For mailing addresses, see:
SUMMARY:
  • Event: Renewable Fuel Producers submitting Engineering Review (ER) reports are no longer required to submit a Company Request (CR) in the Central Data Exchange OTAQ Registration system (CDX OTAQREG).
  • Affected Groups: Renewable Fuel Producers under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)
  • Event Timeframe: Effective Immediately
  • Action Required: No action required

If you have questions, please contact Fuels Programs Support at support@epamts-support.com.

Tier 3 Registration Guidance

October 14, 2016

Starting in 2017, Tier 3 sets new vehicle emissions standards and lowers the sulfur content of gasoline, considering the vehicle and its fuel as an integrated system. To comply with the Tier 3 sulfur standards at 40 CFR 80.1650(a), any gasoline refiner/importer/blender, or any producer/importer of certified ethanol denaturant will need to take a range of actions and provide EPA with the information specified for registration under 40 CFR 80.1650, if they are not already registered with EPA. These registration deadlines are quickly approaching and the agency has received a number of inquiries.

Please note, the EPA has posted the slides from its recent Tier 3 implementation webinar to the following website:

INDIVIDUAL SECTION GUIDANCE:

Section 80.1610(b)

QUESTION:
I am a renewable fuel producer registered under §80.1450(b) to produce a renewable fuel that is an oxygenate, do I need to register for Tier 3 as described in §80.1650?

ANSWER:
No. The regulations at §80.1610(b) state that "[u]nless registered under §80.1450, the producer or importer of DFE or other oxygenate must register with EPA pursuant to the requirements of §80.1650." EPA intends that any oxygenate producer currently registered under RFS, as described in §80.1450(b), would not need to register with the EPA under §80.1650 again. Oxygenate producers that are not registered under the RFS would still need to register under §§80.1610(b) and 80.1650.

Section 80.1650

QUESTION:
Do gasoline refiners/importers or oxygenate blenders who are already registered under §80.76 or §80.103 need to register under §80.1650?

ANSWER:
No. EPA intends that regulated entities, such as gasoline refiners, importers and oxygenate blenders, who are already registered under §80.76 or §80.103 do not need to register again under the Tier 3 registration requirements described at §80.1650. See §80.1650(a)(1) and (a)(3) respectively.

EPA also intends that regulated entities, such as gasoline refiners, and importers who are not already registered under §80.76 or §80.103 would need to register under the Tier 3 registration requirements described at §80.1650.

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Proposed Renewables Enhancement and Growth Support Rule

October 3, 2016

EPA is proposing enhancements to its Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) program and other related fuel regulations to support market growth of ethanol and other renewable fuels in the U.S. These proposed changes will provide the opportunity for increasing the production and use of renewable fuels by allowing the market to operate in the most efficient and economical way to introduce greater volumes of renewable fuels under the program.

Key actions in the proposed rule are:
  • An updated regulatory structure that would allow biofuel producers to partially process renewable feedstocks at one facility and further process them into renewable fuels at another facility under existing pathways. This would increase the economics and efficiency for the production of biofuels, particularly advanced and cellulosic fuels that have the lower carbon footprints.
  • Updating fuel regulations to allow expanded availability of high ethanol fuel blends for use in flex fuel vehicles (FFVs). FFVs are designed to operate on any gasoline-ethanol mixture of up to 83 percent ethanol. FFVs currently represent about 8 percent of the U.S. passenger vehicle fleet. EPA is revising its gasoline regulations to make it clear that E16-E83 fuel blends are not gasoline, and hence not fully subject to gasoline quality standards. However, we will also be putting in place standards that ensure the quality and environmental performance of this fuel. EPA believes this will clear the way for the expanded production and use of high ethanol fuel blends at a lower cost, and thereby the opportunity for increasing demand.
  • New feedstock approvals for cellulosic biofuels produced from short rotation poplar and willow trees, cellulosic diesel produced from coprocessing cellulosic feedstocks with petroleum, and renewable diesel and biodiesel produced from noncellulosic portions of separated food waste.

EPA is also seeking comment on a variety of other issues that impact renewable fuels, including Renewable Identification Number generation for renewable electricity used as transportation fuel and requirements for facilities that could use carbon capture and storage as a way to reduce carbon in the production of renewable fuels in the future. The period for public input and comment will remain open for 60 days after the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register.

The proposed rulemaking's webpage is available at: Proposed Renewables Enhancement and Growth Support (REGS) Rule

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EMTS has Resumed Normal Processing as of 3:30 PM EDT September 19, 2016

September 20, 2016

The EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) is processing submissions successfully as of 3:30 PM EDT on September 19, 2016.  EMTS users should submit any transactions that failed to submit during the outage. Thank you for your patience.

SUMMARY:
Event: EMTS Resumes Normal Processing
Affected Groups: EMTS users
Event Timeframe:  As of 3:30 PM on 9/19/2016

Action Required: EMTS users should submit any transactions that failed to submit during the outage.

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Unplanned EMTS Outage as of 11:30 AM EDT September 19, 2016

September 19, 2016

The EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) is experiencing an unplanned outage. All EMTS submissions are failing as of 11:30 AM EDT on September 19, 2016. EPA will distribute a second EnviroFlash when EMTS is back online. To avoid failed submissions and other possible issues, do not attempt to submit transactions through EMTS until further notice.  Thank you for your patience.

SUMMARY:
Event: Unplanned Service Outage
Affected Groups: EMTS users
Event Timeframe: 9/17/2016 through 9/19/2016

Action Required: EMTS users should not attempt to submit transactions until further notice.

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Biodiesel Plant Compliance Assistance Information

September 6, 2016

This Enviroflash provides compliance assistance information relating to environmental laws - other than the Renewable Fuels Standard regulations - that apply to operators of biodiesel plants. Included is a link to a compliance assistance manual that serves as a resource of information on federal environmental programs and federal, state, and local agency roles as they apply to parties interested in designing, building, and operating biodiesel manufacturing facilities.

For more information, see: 

This document emphasizes federal environmental laws and regulations implemented by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its state partners. It contains air, water, hazardous waste, accident prevention and release reporting examples of requirements that might apply. This manual does not contain all details of the federal and state statutes and regulations, for example, Clean Air Act permitting thresholds may vary by the air quality designation of your local area. Biodiesel facility operators need to review the applicable statutes and regulations.

For additional assistance, your State'€™s Small Business Environmental Assistance Program may be able to help. They can provide confidential environmental compliance assistance at no charge to small businesses. Contact information for assistance can be found at: 
You may also contact the EPA regional office where your facility is located. EPA contact information is available at:
The following link pertains to a recent EPA settlement that resolved allegations that Newport Biodiesel, Inc. violated various environmental regulations that pertain to biodiesel plants. The case did not involve any allegations that the company generated invalid RINs: 

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Register now! EPA webinar on upcoming Tier III requirements

August 29, 2016

On September 20, 2016, EPA will present a webinar on the upcoming Tier III requirements.

These requirements will affect businesses with the following activities:
  • Gasoline refiners and importers;
  • Oxygenate producers, blenders, and importers; and
  • Ethanol producers, blenders, and importers.
Registration for this event is now closed.

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REMINDER: EPA Fuel Systems down for maintenance from 7/1/2016 to 7/5/2016

June 22, 2016

As a reminder, EPA will be performing critical maintenance to their data systems beginning Friday, July 1, 2016 at 8:00 pm EST through Tuesday, July 5, 2016 at 6:00 am EST.

The following systems related to Fuels Compliance will be unavailable during the maintenance period:
  • Central Data Exchange (CDX)
  • OTAQ Registration System (OTAQREG)
  • OTAQ Reporting System (DCFUEL)
  • EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS)*

In addition, emails sent to support@epamts-support.com will be queued during the maintenance period. The Fuels Programs Support team will respond to messages in the order they were received beginning on Tuesday, July 5.

Notice to EMTS Users

The following reports will not be generated due to the maintenance period:
  • Daily reports for Saturday, July 2, Sunday, July 3, and Monday, July 4
The following reports will be generated on Tuesday after the maintenance period ends:
  • Daily Reports for Tuesday, July 5 (will include transactions from Friday, July 1)
  • Weekly batch reports
The following reports will be generated on Saturday, July 9:
  • Monthly Reports for June

For EMTS users with nodes, all node solicits will receive a timeout error while the EMTS system is offline.

SUMMARY:

  • Event: Temporary Service Outage
  • Affected Groups: Users of CDX, OTAQREG, EMTS, and DCFUEL Event Timeframe: 7/1/16 8:00 PM EST - 7/5/16 6:00 AM EST Action Required: EMTS users should disable connections to the EMTS node during the maintenance period.

If you have questions, please contact Fuels Programs Support at support@epamts-support.com.

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EPA Fuel Systems down for maintenance from 7/1/2016 to 7/5/2016

May 19, 2016

EPA will be performing critical maintenance to their data systems beginning Friday, July 1, 2016 at 8:00 pm EST through Tuesday, July 5, 2016 at 6:00 am EST (Independence Day holiday weekend).

The following systems related to Fuels Compliance will be unavailable during the maintenance period:
  • Central Data Exchange (CDX)
  • OTAQ Registration System (OTAQREG)
  • EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS)
  • OTAQ Reporting System (DCFUEL) 

This work is necessary to ensure the safety and reliability of electrical systems supporting the data center.

Affected Groups: Users of CDX, OTAQREG, EMTS, and DCFUEL
Event Timeframe: 7/1/16 8:00 PM EST - 7/5/16 6:00 AM EST

Action Required: No action required

If you have questions, please contact Fuels Programs Support at support@epamts-support.com.

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Expiration of RIN Year 2012 RINs in EMTS

May 3, 2016

On Monday, May 9, 2016, EPA will expire all remaining RIN year 2012 RINs that were not retired for compliance with the recent 2013 RFS compliance deadline. Once the 2012 RINs are expired, they will no long appear in a company's RIN holdings. EPA typically expires "second year" RINs at the close of each annual compliance deadline. EMTS users are not required to take any action on their remaining 2012 RINs prior to this event.

As a reminder, on December 14, 2015, EPA published the final rule establishing the annual compliance reporting and attest engagement requirements for Renewable Fuel Standard participants. The first deadline was for 2013 Annual Compliance, with additional revised deadlines for 2014 and 2015 closely following. 

Please visit the following web page for important information on reporting requirements for RFS:

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Fuel's Help Desk at support@epamts-support.com.

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2013 Annual Compliance Deadline for RFS is March 1

February 22, 2016

On December 14, 2015, EPA published the final rule establishing the annual compliance reporting and attest engagement requirements for Renewable Fuel Standard participants.  The first deadline is for 2013 Annual Compliance - all Renewable Fuel Exporters and Obligated Parties must retire RINs and submit their annual compliance reports by March 1, 2016.

Note that the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) currently restricts retire transactions to compliance year 2013. On March 2, 2016, the window for RIN retire transactions will change to compliance year 2014.

Please visit the following web page for important information on reporting requirements for RFS:

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NCC Production Server Outage 2/14/16 8:00 PM EST to 2/15/16 8:00 AM EST

February 12, 2016

As part of continued compliance with security policy, EPA will be undergoing important maintenance to their data systems requiring downtime from Sunday, February 14, 2016 8:00 PM EST to Monday, February 15, 2016 8:00 AM EST. This work is necessary to ensure the safety and reliability of electrical systems supporting the data center.

The following systems related to Fuels Compliance will be unavailable during the maintenance period:

  • Central Data Exchange (CDX)
  • OTAQ Registration System (OTAQREG)
  • EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS)
  • OTAQ Reporting System (DCFUEL)

The EPA Moderated Transaction System will not generate any daily transaction reports on Sunday, February 14.  Reports will return to their normal generation schedule on Monday, February 15 at 1:00 PM EST.

----------------------------------

SUMMARY:

Event: Temporary Service Outage

Affected Groups: Users of CDX, OTAQREG, EMTS, and DCFUEL Event Timeframe: 2/14/16 8:00 PM EST - 2/15/16 8:00 AM EST

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Corrections to EMTS Transaction Reports

December 16, 2015

Due to an issue with the patch release of the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) last week, the daily Transaction Status and Transaction History reports did not run properly on December 12, 13, or 14 for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and the Fuels Averaging, Banking and Trading (ABT) credit programs.

In addition, the Monthly Transaction History Report was not regenerated with the correct data from November 2015. Today EMTS regenerated all daily Transaction Status and Transaction History reports from December 12 through 14. The corrected daily reports are available to download from EMTS. On Saturday, December 19, 2015, EMTS will regenerate the Monthly Transaction History report for November 2015. The corrected monthly reports will be available to download from EMTS by Monday, December 21, 2015.

If you have questions, please contact Fuels Programs Support at support@epamts-support.com.

Thank you for your patience.

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EMTS v4.2.1 Patch Release and unscheduled maintenance

December 10, 2015

The EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) will be taken offline between 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM EST on Friday, December 11, 2015 to update the application to version 4.2.1. This release will include the following updates to resolve issues that were introduced in EMTS v4.2:

  • Corrected missing data issues in both the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and Fuels Averaging, Banking, and Trading (ABT) Transaction Status and Transaction History reports.
  • Modified the RFS RIN Batches report to ensure that all rows of the report are being generated.
  • Resolved the issues with the display of RFS RIN holdings and Fuels ABT Credit holdings.
  • Updated the status of RINs that were in a "reserved" state.

In addition, EMTS will be taken offline between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM EST on Saturday, December 12, 2015 for unplanned maintenance. To avoid failed submissions and other possible issues, do not attempt to submit transactions or use the EMTS web interface during these times.

If you have questions, please contact Fuels Programs Support at support@epamts-support.com.

Thank you for your patience.

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Patch Release planned to address EMTS v4.2 issues

December 3, 2015

The EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) was updated to Version 4.2 on November 24, 2015.  EPA has been made aware of and is addressing various issues involving system-generated RIN balance reports due to this deployment.  EPA is committed to working with the user community to resolve issues as quickly as possible and plans to release an updated version of EMTS to address these issues next week. If you are experiencing any issues or have questions about the following known issues, please contact Fuel Programs Support at support@epamts-support.com.  

  • Both Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and Fuels Averaging, Banking, and Trading (ABT) Transaction Status and Transaction History reports are missing data for November 2015.
  • The RFS RIN Batches report is only returning the first 1000 rows of data.
  • Both RFS RIN holdings and Fuels ABT Credit holdings are not displaying properly for a small subset of companies.

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EMTS v4.2 Release scheduled for November 2015

November 19, 2015

On Monday, November 23, 2015, the EPA Moderated Transaction System will be taken down at 5:00 PM Eastern Time for the deployment of EMTS v4.2. This release will include enhancements for the Fuels Averaging, Banking, and Trading (ABT) credit program and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program and will take several hours to deploy. To avoid failed submissions and other possible issues, do not attempt to submit transactions or use the EMTS web interface between 5:00 PM on November 23 and 7:00 AM on November 24, 2015.

For more information about this release, visit the following EPA web page: How to use EMTS to report transactions for Fuel Programs

If you have questions, please contact Fuels Programs Support at support@epamts-support.com.

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EMTS v4.2 Release in November

November 6, 2015

EPA plans to release a new version of the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) near the end of November.  EMTS v4.2 will contain several enhancements and a change to the submission schema. EPA is releasing the new schema and the new template for converting Excel files to XML now to allow companies to make adjustments to their systems and business processes BEFORE the release of EMTS v4.2.

  • The new template for converting MS Excel files to XML will be REQUIRED when EMTS v4.2 is released.  
  • The submission schema changes are OPTIONAL.  Only users that would like to utilize the new schema elements need to upgrade their systems to use the new submission schema.  The previous versions of the submission schema will continue to be accepted in EMTS v4.2.

These revised documents and an explanation of the changes can be found on the following page:
How to use EMTS to report transactions for Fuel Programs

Other major enhancements in EMTS v4.2 will affect both RIN trading for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and credit trading for the Fuels Averaging, Banking, and Trading (ABT) program.

RFS Enhancements

  • On-demand reports for the RIN Holdings and Pending RIN Trades reports.
  • New fields for buy and sell transactions to indicate a Bill of Lading and invoice number.

Fuels ABT Enhancements

  • New page in web interface to display aggregate Fuels ABT credits retired for compliance.
  • Locking and unlocking functionality for Fuels ABT credits.
  • Ability for small refineries to generate, trade, and retire “transitional” sulfur credits.
  • New report for Fuels ABT activity management.
  • On-demand reports for the Fuels ABT Holdings and Pending Fuels ABT Trades reports.

Additional information and documentation will be provided closer to the date of the release of EMTS v4.2.

If you have questions, please contact Fuels Programs Support at support@epamts-support.com.

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RFS Cellulosic Waiver Credit Price for 2016

November 5, 2015

Using a formula specified by the Clean Air Act, EPA today announced that the Cellulosic Waiver Credit price for 2016 is $1.33. The CAA requires that for any year that EPA sets the projected volume of cellulosic biofuel below the volume in the Act, the agency must also provide obligated parties the opportunity to purchase cellulosic waiver credits (CWC). The act provides a very specific formula for calculating the CWC price. By previous rule (80 FR 18136, April 3, 2015), we indicated we would publish the CWC prices on the EPA's RFS website, to allow for more timely notification, using the data sources and methods stated in that rule.

For more information:  Notice of Cellulosic Waiver Credit Price Calculation for 2016

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Registration Updates due for Renewable Fuel Producers in 2016

October 13, 2015

All renewable fuel producers that originally registered under the Renewable Fuel Standard in calendar year 2010 or 2013 are required to update their registration information and submit a new Engineering Review by January 31, 2016, per 40 CFR 80.1450(d)(3).

There are three areas that often cause Engineering Reviews to be rejected by EPA:
  1. VRIN calculations;
  2. Separated Food Waste Plans; and
  3. Descriptions of how the engineer verified registration information.
EPA has provided detailed guidance materials for these three areas, and an Engineering Review Template, on the new website for EPA Fuel Programs:

Three year engineering review updates for renewable fuel producers

If you have questions, please contact Fuels Programs Support at support@epamts-support.com.

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