Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Notice.
The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), “RFS2 Voluntary RIN Quality Assurance Program” (EPA ICR No.2473.03, OMB Control No. 2060–0688 to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501
Comments must be submitted on or before July 27, 2015.
Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2005–0161, online using
EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the public docket without change including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
Mary Manners, USEPA National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory/OAR, 2565 Plymouth Road, Rm #N07, Ann Arbor, MI 48105; telephone number: 734–214–4288; fax number: 734–214–4873; email address:
Supporting documents which explain in detail the information that the EPA will be collecting are available in the public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at
Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting comments and information to enable it to: (i) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (ii) evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (iii) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (iv) minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology,
The RFS program requires that specified volumes of renewable fuel be used as transportation fuel, heating oil, and/or jet fuel each year. To accomplish this, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes applicable percentage standards annually that apply to the sum of all gasoline and diesel produced or imported. The percentage standards are set so that if every obligated party meets the percentages, then the amount of renewable fuel, cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, and advanced biofuel used will meet the volumes required on a nationwide basis.
Obligated parties demonstrate compliance with the standards through the acquisition of unique Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) assigned by the producer or importer to every batch of renewable fuel produced or imported. Validly generated RINs show that a certain volume of qualifying renewable fuel was produced or imported. The RFS program also includes provisions stipulating the conditions under which RINs are invalid, the liability carried by a party that transfers or uses an invalid RIN, and how invalid RINs must be treated.
The RIN system within the RFS program contains unique features that make it somewhat challenging for the obligated parties that need RINs for compliance purposes to verify that those RINs have been validly generated. Several cases of fraudulently generated RINs have compelled some obligated parties to limit their business relationships to only those parties that appear most trustworthy. This reaction by the obligated parties made it more difficult for smaller renewable fuel producers to sell their RINs and reduced the overall liquidity of the RIN market. To ensure that RINs are validly generated, individual obligated parties are now conducting their own audits of renewable fuel production facilities, potentially duplicating one another's efforts. These circumstances have created inefficiencies in the RIN market, prompting requests for an additional regulatory mechanism that would reduce the risk of potentially invalid RINs, return liquidity to the RIN market, and reduce the cost of verifying the validity of RINs.