August 3, 2026 Decisions on Petitions for RFS Small Refinery Exemptions
Summary
On August 3, 2026, EPA announced its decisions on six individual small refinery exemption petitions from four refineries seeking an exemption from their Renewable Fuel Standard obligations for the 2023 and 2024 compliance years. In consultation with the Department of Energy, EPA reviewed all the information submitted by each individual refinery in support of its petition. After careful consideration of all statutory factors and the information submitted by the refineries, EPA is granting full (100 percent) exemptions to one petition, granting partial (50 percent) exemptions to two petitions, denying zero petitions, and determining three petitions to be ineligible.
This document articulates EPA’s interpretation of section 211(o)(9) of the Clean Air Act and EPA’s authority with respect to SRE petitions. As required by CAA section 211(o)(9), EPA’s final actions on the pending SRE petitions are based on the legal and factual analysis presented herein, after consulting with DOE, and considering the DOE Small Refinery Study and “other economic factors.”
This document also explains how EPA will implement SRE decisions when an exemption is granted.
The decisions in this document are final Agency actions.