Will non-obligated parties in possession of RINs create a RIN shortage?

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The in-use production volumes of renewable fuel are expected to exceed the requirements of the RFS program by a substantial margin. As a result, we expect there to be a surplus of RINs for at least the first few years of the program, and this surplus means it is highly unlikely that non-obligated parties could acquire and retain enough RINs to cause a shortage.

In addition, we expect refiners and other obligated parties to take ownership of renewable fuel with assigned RINs directly from producers in a majority of cases. Nevertheless, EPA will monitor program implementation to ensure that RINs that have been generated are making their way to the obligated parties that need them.

Question and Answer was originally posted at: Questions and Answers on the Renewable Fuel Standard Program (pdf) (55 pp, 221 KB, EPA420-F-07-041a, August 2007)