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Fuels Registration, Reporting, and Compliance Help

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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:

EMTS Release 5.4.1 Release Downtime Dec. 4 at 5 PM ET

On Friday, December 4, 2020 at 5:00 pm ET, EPA will release updates to the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS).  EMTS v5.4.1 will include technical updates to fix known issues, including a fix to the Blender Transaction Page navigation for small blenders.
To avoid failed submissions and other possible issues, please do not attempt to submit any node-based or web-based transactions in EMTS starting at 5 PM ET on Friday, December 4, 2020.  The system is expected to be back up post-release at approximately 6 PM ET Friday, December 4, 2020.

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Intermittent Maintenance Downtime for EMTS Production Dec 3, 7:30-9:00 AM

There will be intermittent production downtime for the EMTS application on the morning of December 3, 2020, 7:30 to 9:00 AM EST to allow for system maintenance.  Please be aware there may be delay in processing EMTS transactions, and if systems are unavailable please try your transaction again at a later time
 

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EPA is hosting a virtual workshop discussing implementation of Fuels Regulatory Streamlining final rule (part 1090)

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting a virtual workshop to discuss the implementation of 40 CFR part 1090 ("Part 1090") ahead of its implementation date of January 1, 2021. The Fuels Regulatory Streamlining final rule was signed on October 15, 2020. This rule streamlines and modernizes EPA's fuel quality regulations previously under 40 CFR part 80 ("Part 80") to help reduce administrative burden for stakeholders, while improving overall compliance assurance and maintaining environmental performance.

The virtual workshop will provide the opportunity for EPA to update stakeholders on its progress regarding the implementation of Part 1090 and for stakeholders to inquire about the regulatory requirements of Part 1090 prior to its implementation date of January 1, 2020. The workshop will cover a broad range of topics related to the implementation of the Part 1090 regulations and how the Part 1090 regulations relate to the previous Part 80 regulations.

All attendees must pre-register for the workshop by sending an e-mail to ASD-Registration@epa.gov no later than December 2, 2020.

Additional information related to the workshop will be posted on EPA's Fuels Regulatory Streamlining website at http://www.epa.gov/diesel-fuel-standards/fuels-regulatory-streamlining. Interested parties should check the website for any updated information.

For further information, contact Nick Parsons via telephone at (734) 214-4479 or e-mail at ASD-Registration@epa.gov.
 

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Continuing Issues with CDX Connectivity

Central Data Exchange (CDX) system users continue to experience intermittent accessibility to applications.  EPA technical teams are engaged in troubleshooting the issue.  As issues are intermittent, CDX users should continue processing transactions as the systems allow.  EPA will send another EnviroFlash when connectivity is restored. Thank you for your patience.

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EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) Full Node Functionality is Restored

As of approximately 11 am ET on 9/23/2020, the issue with node submissions in the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) has been addressed and full node functionality is restored.  All node users may now resume processing submissions.

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EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) Failures in Processing Node Submissions

As of approximately 4:36 p.m. ET on 9/21/2020, the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) is experiencing failures in processing node submissions. We are aware of the issue and are working to restore full EMTS functionality. Until full node functionality is restored, please do not attempt to process node submissions to EMTS.  We are working to correct these issues as quickly as possible and will send another EnviroFlash when node submission functionality is restored. Thank you for your patience.

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Effective Date for Implementing Changes to Fuel Registration Process Under 40 CFR Part 79

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the effective date for a change to the way registrations of fuels from fuel manufacturers under 40 CFR Part 79 are accepted.

Effective today, Wednesday, July 22, 2020, the EPA is transitioning to full electronic submissions for new fuel registrations and updates to existing fuel registrations. If you seek registration for a new fuel or update to an existing fuel you are required to do so electronically through the OTAQREG application in CDX. OTAQREG is the same application used to register companies and facilities for 40 CFR Part 80 programs.  (Electronic submission of Part 79 periodic reports and fuel additive registrations will be announced and are expected to take effect later this year.)  EPA will no longer accept mailed paper submissions of EPA Form 3520-12 and parties will be redirected to submit their requests electronically.

EPA is implementing these changes to streamline and expedite new registrations and updates to existing registrations. Electronic submissions will bring the Part 79 registration process more in line with modern information collection standards and practices.

Registration requests must be signed and submitted electronically by RCOs. EPA will no longer accept registration requests that are wet-ink signed and mailed to EPA. RCOs who do not currently have e-signature capability in OTAQREG should take the required steps now, to enable e-signature capabilities.

For instructions on how fuel manufacturers/importers can electronically submit fuel requests through OTAQREG, please see https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/fuels-registration-reporting-and-compliance-help/register-or-update-fuel-request-under-40-cfr-part

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Announcement of Upcoming Changes to Fuel Registration Process Under 40 CFR Part 79

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will soon announce the effective date for a change to the way registrations of fuels from fuel manufacturers under 40 CFR Part 79 will be accepted.

The EPA is transitioning to full electronic submissions for new fuel registrations and updates to existing fuel registrations. If you seek registration for a new fuel or update to an existing fuel under 40 CFR, Part 79 you will be required to do so through the OTAQREG application in CDX. OTAQREG is the same application used to register companies and facilities for 40 CFR Part 80 programs. (Electronic submission of Part 79 periodic reports and fuel additive registrations will be announced and are expected to take effect later this year.) Once implemented, the EPA will no longer accept mailed paper submissions of EPA forms 3520-12 and parties will be redirected to submit their requests electronically.

EPA is implementing these changes to streamline and expedite new registrations and updates to existing registrations. Electronic submissions will bring the Part 79 registration process more in line with modern information collection standards and practices.

After the system release, fuel registration requests must be signed and submitted electronically by RCOs. EPA will no longer accept registration requests that are wet-ink signed and mailed to EPA. RCOs who do not currently have e-signature capability in OTAQREG should take the required steps now, to enable e-signature capabilities in anticipation of this update. 

More information on how to electronically submit fuel requests will be provided via a subsequent announcement. 

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Enviroflash Announcement for EMTS v5.3.5 Deployment

On Friday, May 29, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. ET, the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) will be taken offline to deploy v5.3.5 of the application. This version will include fixes to issues that have been impacting EMTS web interface functionality. RIN Separations, RIN Retirements, and searches that include a date field in the search criteria, as well as, the display of company and facility names within double quotation marks when the name contains characters such as periods, commas or dashes.

To avoid failed submissions and other possible issues, please do not attempt to submit any node-based or web-based transactions in EMTS between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 pm ET on Friday, May 29, 2020. 

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Potential COR Signature Failures

EMTS is currently experiencing an issue where users may encounter a failure when attempting to electronically sign their Copy of Record (COR) while using the Mozilla Firefox web browser. This situation appears to be limited to Mozilla Firefox users. The EMTS development team is aware of the issue and is currently working towards a resolution. 

In the meantime, we suggest you attempt to electronically sign the COR in EMTS using a different web browser such as Internet Explorer. Please contact FuelsProgramSupport@epa.gov if the issue persists with an alternate web browser. 

We will send another notice when the issue is resolved.

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Impacts to EMTS Web Interface Functionality 

A recent unscheduled deployment of EMTS introduced a bug that is impacting EMTS web interface functionality for RIN separations, RIN retirements, and searches that include a date field in the search criteria.

Please note that the underlying data in EMTS and the ability of the EMTS to process node transaction submissions are not affected by this bug. Parties may continue to submit data via the node or by using the excel to XML conversion tool.

Also, users may notice that the web interface may display company and facility names within double quotation marks when the name contains characters such as periods, commas or dashes. This is due to a display configuration setting that was altered with the recent EMTS deployment.

We are working to correct these issues as quickly as possible and will send another notice when they are resolved.

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New Contact Information for Fuels Program and IT Helpdesks

Attention!  The Fuels Program Helpdesk is transitioning to a new inquiry management system and new e-mail address beginning Friday, May 15, 2020.  Starting Friday, May 15, 2020, please direct NEW inquiries to FuelsProgramSupport@epa.gov.

Inquiries submitted previously and through May 14 will be managed using our old system.  We will communicate with you using the support ticket number assigned by the old system until your issue is closed.

Effective May 15, any NEW inquiries sent to the old Fuels Program Helpdesk e-mail address will receive an automated response directing users to communicate via the new e-mail address.

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Greenhouse Gas Calculations for Efficient Producers Also Producing Hand Sanitizer

EPA has issued clarifying guidance regarding energy allocation and greenhouse gas emissions calculations for ethanol producers registered for an Efficient Producer Pathway who are also producing hand sanitizer. For more information see https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/fuels-registration-reporting-and-compliance-help/greenhouse-gas-calculations-efficient-producers

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EMTS functionality has been restored

The updates to EMTS are now complete and full system functionality has been restored. You may now proceed with file submission and other EMTS activities. Thank you for your patience. 

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

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EMTS - Notice of system downtime on Wednesday, Dec 18

On Wednesday, December 18, 2019 at 3:00pm ET, EPA will release updates to the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS). To avoid failed submissions and other possible issues, please do not attempt to submit any node-based or web-based transactions in EMTS between 3:00PM to 6:00PM ET on Wednesday, December 18, 2019. 

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Information Regarding Implementation of RIN Market Reform (RMR)

Beginning January 1, 2020, parties must meet all requirements in the RFS RIN Market Reform (RMR) final rule, including collecting all information necessary to meet the RIN primary and secondary threshold calculations, reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

For example, separated RINs that are bought or sold must be identified as one of the following types of trades in EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS): Spot, Term-Contract, or Consignment. Trades designated as Spot or Term-Contract will be subject to additional validation checks, including a matching Price per RIN that is not $0.00.

For more information on RFS RMR including requirements for quarterly compliance reporting, please see the following web page:  https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/renewable-fuel-standard-program/compliance-overview-e15-rvp-and-rin-market-reform-final-rule

Additionally, EPA will be posting the updated RFS Activity Report (RFS0105) on January 1. This form is to be used for the 2020 first quarter compliance period due on June 1, 2020 and will be available at the following web page: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/fuels-registration-reporting-and-compliance-help/list-all-quarterly-and-annual-reports-renewable.

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EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) - XML Submissions

As of approximately 10:30 p.m. ET on 9/9/2019, the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) is experiencing slow response in processing XML file submissions. We are aware of the issue and are working to restore full EMTS functionality. Until this occurs, please do not submit XML file submissions to EMTS, as all submissions will be processed once system functionality is restored. Thank you for your patience.

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EMTS v5.2.5 Patch Release Outage Scheduled for Friday, August 23, 2019

On Friday, August 23, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. ET, the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) will be offline in order to deploy v5.2.5 of the application. This version will include updated sync processing functionality that resolves a post-processing issue that does not have any impacts on the end-user community. To avoid failed submissions and other possible issues, please do not attempt to submit any node-based or web-based transactions in EMTS between 6:00 p.m. ET on Friday, August 23, 2019, and 8:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, August 24, 2019.

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EMTS Web Application is Down

As of 1:00 pm ET on 8/16/2019, the web application for the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) is down, which prevents users from submitting transactions through the website and prevents RIN transaction reports from being generated. Node submissions to EMTS are still functioning as expected. We are working to restore full EMTS functionality and will send another Enviroflash once the issue has been resolved. Thank you for your patience.

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Notice of EPA's Intent to Update RFS Small Refinery Exemption Data

At 6 p.m. (EDT) today , August 9, 2019, EPA will provide decisions to small refineries with outstanding RFS small refinery exemption petitions before the agency.  At the same time, EPA will update the Renewable Fuel Standard Small Refinery Exemption website (https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/fuels-registration-reporting-and-compliance-help/rfs-small-refinery-exemptions) to reflect that information.

PBR Rule Effective Date

EPA recently issued a final rule titled "Modifications to Fuel Regulations To Provide Flexibility for E15; Modifications to RFS RIN Market Regulations" (84 FR 26980), which is available at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-06-10/pdf/2019-11653.pdf.

There are a range of different dates listed in the Federal Register regarding when responsible parties must satisfy the various provisions of the final rule; therefore, EPA is issuing this Enviroflash to clarify which dates apply for compliance purposes.

All parties, including fuel retailers, may start taking advantage of the 1-psi RVP waiver for E15 on June 1, 2019. Fuel and fuel additive manufacturers must still have an EPA-approved E15 misfuelling mitigation plan (MMP) prior to the introduction into commerce of E15 or ethanol for use in producing E15. Fuel and fuel additive manufacturers must also satisfy the other parameters of the substantially similar determination in the final rule. The requirements, including the requirement to submit an MMP, are located in the final rule (see 84 FR at 27021) and more information regarding how to submit an MMP is located at https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/fuels-registration-reporting-and-compliance-help/e15-fuel-registration#mmp.

Parties will be required to comply with the RIN market reforms beginning on January 1, 2020. This means all RIN calculation, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements (including those in EMTS) finalized in the rule will be required beginning January 1, 2020. The first quarterly RFS activity report including this new information is due to EPA by June 1, 2020. 

EPA will continue to work with affected stakeholders to ensure clarity with these new requirements and will be available to assist with specific questions via the Fuels Program Helpdesk .

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RFS Public Data for June - Delayed

EPA routinely publishes data from the RFS program on the third Thursday of each month. Due to an internal Agency outage that impacted web publications, EPA's publication of the RFS data will be delayed until Monday, June 24. For questions or concerns, please contact support@epamts-support.com.

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Scheduled maintenance of Facility Registry Service (FRS) will affect OTAQREG this weekend

EPA will be performing maintenance on the Facility Registry System (FRS) this weekend.  From 7:00 AM Eastern Time on Saturday, April 27 until 7:00 PM Sunday, April 28, 2019,  the FRS widget in OTAQREG may be temporarily unavailable. If you have any additional questions, please contact support@epamts-support.com.

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Notice of EPA's Intent to Update RFS Small Refinery Exemption Data

At 2pm today (EST), March 28, 2019, EPA will issue a decision document for one small refinery with an outstanding petition for a 2017 exemption, and at the same time will update the Renewable Fuel Standard Small Refinery Exemption website (https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/fuels-registration-reporting-and-compliance-help/rfs-small-refinery-exemptions) to reflect that information.

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Notice of EPA's Intent to Update RFS Small Refinery Exemption Data

At 2:00 pm today, March 14, 2019, EPA will issue decision documents for five small refineries with outstanding petitions for 2017 exemptions, and at the same time will update the Renewable Fuel Standard Small Refinery Exemption website (https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/fuels-registration-reporting-and-compliance-help/rfs-small-refinery-exemptions) to reflect that information.

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RFS EMTS Copy of Record (COR) Status

We recently identified that the Q4, 2018 Copy of Record (COR) report from EMTS did not include submissions dated October 1, 2018. The Q4, 2018 COR report was corrected and regenerated and now includes October 1, 2018 submissions as well as any other unsigned Q4 submissions.

Additionally, we found that for some companies, December 2018 submissions were improperly included in the Q1, 2019 COR report, rather than the Q4, 2018 COR report.  We are currently working on this issue and expect to apply a fix this coming weekend.  In the meantime, we ask that you please do not sign any Q1, 2019 COR reports until they have been regenerated.

EMTS email notifications will be sent if a COR e-signature is required.  You may, after this weekend, also review the list of COR reports requiring signature under the e-Signature menu option in EMTS. 

Reminder, the annual and Q4 2018 reporting deadline is March 31, 2018. Please refer to the following web page for additional details and for a link to the Job Aid instructions on  How to Use e-Signature to Sign RIN Transaction Reports in EMTS: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/fuels-registration-reporting-and-compliance-help/how-use-e-signature-sign-rin-transaction-reports

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Cellulosic Biofuel Waiver Credits Pay.gov Application

The Cellulosic Biofuel Waiver Credits Pay.gov Application available on EPA's Central Data Exchange portal (CDX) has been updated to allow purchase of 2018 Cellulosic Waiver Credits. Also, a reminder, for parties submitting paper checks for purchase of Cellulosic Waiver Credits, the mailing address was changed last year to:

For normal mail delivery (USPS):
US EPA Fees and Collections Branch
Attention: Collection Team
1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW MC-2733R
Washington, DC 20460

For courier services (UPS/FEDEX/etc):
US EPA Fees and Collections Branch
Attention: Collection Team
1300 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20004

Additional information regarding Cellulosic Waiver Credits may be found on EPA's Renewable Fuels Standard Program website at:  https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/renewable-fuel-standard-program/cellulosic-waiver-credits-under-renewable-fuel-standard-program

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

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EMTS Maintenance on Sunday, February 10

EMTS will be unavailable on Sunday, February 10 from 6 PM until midnight while system maintenance is being performed. In order to prevent potential issues, please do not submit files or attempt to access EMTS during this time.

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RFS Quarterly Reports and COR Report Status

2018 Quarterly Reports: A partial set of quarterly reports from 4th Quarter 2018 are now available. If you are a node user, you may retrieve these reports from the CDX node using the document download service.  If you are a web user, you may download the document from the  EMTS web site.

Important Note on Copy of Record Reports and E-Signature: The new Copy of Record (COR) reports have not run since January 1, 2019 and are still pending. A cause has been identified and an upcoming patch release for EMTS will resolve the issue. EPA will send a subsequent enviroflash when the COR reports are available. For more information on new procedures for RFS compliance reporting, please see: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/fuels-registration-reporting-and-compliance-help/how-use-emts-report-transactions-fuel-programs

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EMTS Maintenance on Saturday, December 1st

EMTS will be down for system maintenance this Saturday, Dec. 1. The maintenance will occur from 7:30 AM until 2:30 PM. In order to avoid issues, please do not log into EMTS or submit any files during this time. Thank you for your cooperation.

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EMTS Functionality Has Been Restored

The issue that was preventing usage of the EPA Moderated Transaction System has been addressed, and full EMTS functionality has been restored. You may now proceed with file submission and other EMTS activities. Thank you for your patience during the EMTS outage.

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EPA Moderated Transaction System is currently down

The EPA Moderated Transaction System is currently down and is not accepting submissions. We are aware of the issue and are working to restore full EMTS functionality. We will send out another Enviroflash once the issue has been resolved; until this occurs please do not submit files to EMTS. Thank you for your patience.

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EMTS v5.1 Release Outage Scheduled for Wednesday, October 24, 2018

On Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at 6:00 p.m., the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) will be offline in order to deploy Version 5.1 of the application. This version will include new functionality enabling organizations to e-sign Copy of Record transactions in EMTS, leading to streamlined quarterly reporting. To avoid failed submissions and other possible issues, please do not attempt to submit any node-based or web-based transactions in EMTS between 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 and 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 25, 2018.

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New Procedures for RFS Compliance Reporting Coming Soon

Starting Thursday, October 25, 2018, organizations will be able to use e-signature to sign the Copy of Record for EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) transactions.  Organizations will NO LONGER be required to upload the following files into the Fuels Reporting system (DCFUEL) beginning with 2018 Quarter 4 Reporting:
 
  • RIN Generation Report: A report that includes details on the batches of RINs that a reporting party generated during the quarter.
  • RIN Transaction Report: A report that includes details on the Buy, Sell, Separate, and Retire transactions a reporting party submitted during the quarter.
The deadline for 2018 Quarter 4 reporting is March 31, 2019.
 

EPA Updates RFS Website to Improve Transparency

Today, EPA updated the RFS public data web pages that include new data and information for both stakeholders and the public.  The updated RFS website includes interactive and dynamic features that allow users to customize display of information. New information includes: 
  • The number of small refinery exemption petitions received, approved, and denied for each compliance year; 
  • The weekly average price of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) traded; and 
  • The weekly volume of RINs traded. 

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OTAQREG Unavailable Friday, August 24 from 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. (EDT)

On Friday, August 24, 2018 from 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time, the Fuels Registration System (OTAQREG) will be unavailable while a new version of the application is being deployed. OTAQREG v1.3 will include minor bug fixes and enhancements. If you have questions, please contact Fuels Programs Support at support@epamts-support.com.

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New and Modified RFS Pathways – Registration Action Required

On July 24, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized an action that approves or modifies a number of fuel pathways using sorghum oil and corn oil feedstocks under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. Renewable fuel producers affected by these changes are encouraged to act now in order to start using or continue to use these pathways as soon as possible upon the effective date of this rule.

The Grain Sorghum Oil Pathways final rule introduces three feedstocks and removes one obsolete feedstock for biodiesel, renewable diesel, jet fuel, heating oil, naptha, and LPG pathways found in rows F, H, and I of the table of approved pathways, Table 1 to 40 CFR 80.1426.  The added feedstocks are distillers corn oil, distillers sorghum oil, and comingled distillers corn oil and distillers sorghum oil.  The removed feedstock is non-food grade corn oil, which is being replaced by distillers corn oil.  

Renewable fuel producers that wish to use these new feedstocks may modify their registrations in EPA’s Central Data Exchange (CDX) OTAQREG registration system now to include the additional feedstock codes.  Amended supporting information, including an updated independent engineering review, will be required for a producer to add the pathway for distillers sorghum oil and/or commingled distillers corn oil and sorghum oil pursuant to 40 CFR 80.1450. The new feedstock codes will also be added to the CDX EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) and will be available to generate RINs on the effective date of this rule.

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED FROM PRODUCERS REGISTERED FOR A PATHWAY WITH THE NON-FOOD GRADE CORN OIL FEEDSTOCK:  Producers registered for one or more pathways with the non-food grade corn oil feedstock code should submit a registration request as soon as possible to add the same pathway or pathways but with the distillers corn oil feedstock code instead. No amended supporting documentation is necessary.  Sixty days after the effective date of this rule, the non-food grade corn oil feedstock code will be removed from EMTS, and RINs will not be able to be generated using that feedstock code. Therefore, producers should include no edits other than the distillers corn oil pathway addition(s) in their registration request to ensure it is processed as quickly as possible.  At the next registration update after the effective date of this rule, producers should request to remove the pathway or pathways with the non-food grade corn oil feedstock.

For more information on this action: Final Rulemaking for Grain Sorghum Oil Pathways
For general information on RFS: Renewable Fuel Standard Program
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Fuels Programs Support at support@epamts-support.com.

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EMTS Available for use

The recent issues preventing successful submission of transactions to EMTS have been resolved. EPA appreciates your patience as these issues were being addressed.  Data submitted to OTAQReg through Monday, July 2 are now available in EMTS.  EMTS will undergo a brief outage on July 5th at 6:00-6:30 PM and on July 6th after 5 PM for regular scheduled maintenance updates.

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Public Hearing for Renewable Fuel Standards for 2019, and the Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2020

EPA has announced a public hearing for the proposed rule "Renewable Fuel Standards for 2019, and the Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2020":  Public Hearing for Proposed Renewable Fuel Standards for 2019, and the Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2020.  Please note that the agency is having some trouble receiving outside emails.  If you have sent an email to register for the hearing and do not receive a response within 24 hours, please call the number listed in the public hearing Federal Register Notice.

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Continued EMTS Issues with Recently Updated Company and Facility Information

EPA is continuing to research a solution that will allow the new version of OTAQREG to share updated registration information with the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS).  Currently, any registration updates made in OTAQREG since June 25, 2018 are not being displayed in EMTS.

Thank you for your patience during the transition to the enhanced registration system.

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EMTS Not Displaying Recently Updated Company and Facility Information

On June 25, 2018, an enhanced version of the EPA's Fuels Registration System (CDX OTAQREG) was released. The new version of OTAQREG has been unable to share updated registration information with the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS).  As a result, any registration updates made in OTAQREG since June 25, 2018 are not being displayed in EMTS.

EPA is working to resolve this issue as soon as possible.

Thank you for your patience during the transition to the enhanced registration system.

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Enhanced version of OTAQREG Deployed Successfully

Enhancements to EPA's Fuels Registration System (OTAQREG) were deployed successfully on Monday, June 25, 2018 at 6:00 AM.

Important Action for All Users!

  • Establish e-signature capabilities for the Responsible Corporate Officer (RCO) of your company, if you have not done so previously. Requests to update registered information in OTAQREG cannot be submitted unless RCO e-signature capabilities are enabled.
  • Review the registered data for your company. All program data was migrated from the legacy OTAQREG system and there are some differences in how data elements are stored and displayed in the enhanced system. If you identify any data that should be updated, submit a registration request immediately.
  • Review your pending registration requests. Requests that had not been signed by the RCO by June 21, 2018 will appear on the RCO's OTAQREG home page. These requests must be signed and submitted electronically by the RCO before they will appear in EPA's pending registration list. Requests that were "Awaiting EPA Review" as of June 21, 2018 will continue to be processed in the order that they were received. 
  • Access instructions to enable RCO e-signature capabilities, as well as help tools, release documentation, and other useful information on EPA's website at the following URL: Enhanced Version of EPA’s Fuels Registration System (OTAQREG) Released

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Reminder: OTAQREG scheduled outage begins Thursday, 6/21

EPA is excited to announce enhancements to the Fuels Registration System (OTAQREG) are scheduled for release on June 25, 2018. OTAQREG will be taken down on Thursday, June 21, 2018 at 6:00 PM Eastern Time to begin the deployment and data migration process. The new version of OTAQREG will be accessible on Monday, June 25, 2018 at 6:00 AM Eastern Time.

OTAQREG will be updated to improve the experience of the regulated community. System enhancements will include:

  • Ability to submit multiple registration requests simultaneously for each registered company;
  • Ability to save and edit draft requests;
  • Ability to edit and resubmit rejected requests;
  • More informative status updates for pending registration requests;
  • New option to assign a Delegated Responsible Corporate Officer (RCO); and
  • New look and feel.

After the system release, registration requests must be signed and submitted electronically by RCOs. EPA will no longer be able to accept registration requests that are wet-ink signed and mailed to EPA. 

Please visit the following web page for steps to enable e-signature capabilities as well as for announcements, help tools, and other useful information related to these system enhancements: Enhanced Version of EPA’s Fuels Registration System (OTAQREG) Released

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Scheduled Enhancements to OTAQREG

EPA is excited to announce that enhancements to the Fuels Registration System (OTAQREG) are scheduled for release on Monday, June 25, 2018. OTAQREG will be taken down on Thursday, June 21, 2018 at 6:00 PM Eastern Time to begin the deployment and data migration process. The new version of OTAQREG will be accessible on Monday, June 25, 2018 at 6:00 AM Eastern Time.

OTAQREG will be updated to improve the experience of the regulated community. System enhancements will include:

  • Ability to submit multiple registration requests simultaneously for each registered company;
  • Ability to save and edit draft requests;
  • Ability to edit and resubmit rejected requests;
  • More informative status updates for pending registration requests;
  • New option to assign a Delegated Responsible Corporate Officer (RCO); and
  • New look and feel.

After the system release, registration requests must be signed and submitted electronically by RCOs. EPA will no longer be able to accept registration requests that are wet-ink signed and mailed to EPA. RCOs who do not currently have e-signature capability in OTAQREG should take the required steps now, in the current system, to enable e-signature capabilities in anticipation of this update. RCOs who do not take these steps prior to the release will have to enable e-signature capabilities after June 25, 2018, in the enhanced system.

Please visit the following web page for steps to enable e-signature capabilities as well as for announcements, help tools, and other useful information related to these system enhancements: Enhanced Version of EPA’s Fuels Registration System (OTAQREG) Released

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EMTS version 5.0 release

On Thursday, June 28 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 AM Friday, June 29, EMTS will be offline in order to deploy version 5.0 of the application. This version will include upgrades to the Java version used by the application as well as the underlying frameworks upon which the application depends. These upgrades are necessary in order to ensure the continued stability, reliability, and security of EMTS. To avoid failed submissions and other possible issues, please do not attempt to submit any node-based or web-based transactions to EMTS or use the EMTS web interface from Thursday, June 28 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 AM Friday, June 29.

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Public Stakeholder Workshop for Fuels Regulatory Streamlining

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a public stakeholder workshop at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago, IL on May 21-23, 2018, for the upcoming Fuels Regulatory Streamlining rulemaking. Attendees are not required to register in advance, but we ask that you do so by May 14, 2018, to help us with workshop planning. Please email ASD-Registration@epa.gov for registration information. More information about Fuels Regulatory Streamlining is available at: Fuels Regulatory Streamlining.

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RFS Program Cellulosic Waiver Credits - Address Change for Submitting Paper Checks

March 2, 2018

Effective immediately, the mailing address for submitting paper checks for purchase of Cellulosic Waiver Credits under the Renewable Fuels Standard program is changed to the following:

U.S. EPA
Fees and Collections Branch
1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Mail Code 2733R

Washington, DC  20004

Any checks submitted to the old address will be forwarded and processed for a short time.  Note that at this time no changes are being made to electronic funds transfers submitted via the Pay.Gov and Fedwire payment methods. 

Additional information regarding Cellulosic Waiver Credits may be found on EPA's Renewable Fuels Standard Program website at Cellulosic Waiver Credits under the Renewable Fuel Standard Program.

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

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Part 80 Fuels Programs to Improve Registration Process

February 23, 2018

The Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") is working to improve the customer's experience with the part 80 fuels programs registration process by making it faster, simpler, and more transparent. Key updates being released today are listed below:

  • Posting a list by registration ID of fuel registration requests submitted to EPA for review under the Part 80 fuels programs. This information will allow parties to monitor the status of their pending fuel registration requests. EPA intends to update this list online weekly.
  • Providing several new compliance tools, including instructional videos and checklists, so that users have the information they need before submitting their registration requests to assemble complete registration packages.
  • Implementing a new, more streamlined approach to processing registration requests that will allow EPA to focus its review on complete packages for faster review.

More information can be found on the EPA's website at Part 80 Pending Registration List. Make sure to check back often as we plan to post additional compliance tools and materials.

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RFS 2017 Annual Compliance deadline

January 12, 2018

This Enviroflash is a reminder of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program's 2017 Annual Compliance deadline of March 31, 2018, by which all renewable fuel exporters and obligated parties must submit their annual compliance reports.

We understand that there may be some uncertainty with respect to which RINs should be used for 2017 compliance in light of the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Americans for Clean Energy v. EPA, 864 F.3d 691 (D.C. Cir. 2017), and the fact that the EPA has not yet indicated its intentions with respect to responding to the remand in that case.  Although the EPA is still evaluating how to proceed in light of the Courtâ??s decision, we anticipate that, consistent with the Court's decision, any future action we may take on a past year's renewable fuel standards will take into account the retroactive nature of such future action.  For example, without prejudging any future action, we note that we currently believe that it would be appropriate for the EPA to allow use of current-year RINs (including carryover-RINs) to satisfy further obligations, if any, for a past compliance year that may result from the ACE remand.  Therefore we do not believe concerns regarding future EPA action on remand should lead parties to retain 2016 RINs that they would otherwise retire for 2017 compliance.

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

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Announcing the Final User Fee Rule and Next e-Manifest Webinar

December 21, 2017

Announcement of Final User Fee Rule

We are pleased to announce that on December 20th, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt signed the final rule for setting and revising fees for users of the e-Manifest system. This final "e-Manifest User Fee Rule" now completes the regulatory framework for implementing Congress' Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act ("e-Manifest Act") of 2012, which authorizes EPA to implement a national system and collect user fees to recover the costs of developing and operating the system. For more information about the final e-Manifest User Fee Rule, including the pre-publication version of the final rule, please visit the Final Rule for User Fees section on Learn About the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest System (e-Manifest).

Announcement of Next e-Manifest Webinar, including API Presentation

Due to the holiday season, there will be no e-Manifest webinar on Wednesday, December 27, 2017. Instead, EPA plans to host the next e-Manifest webinar on Wednesday, January 3, 2018, from 2:00 -3:30 PM, EST. You can access the live webinar at Monthly Webinars about the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest (e-Manifest).

This webinar will provide an update on e-Manifest, including the Final User Fee Rule and a presentation on the e-Manifest API focusing on the Update Manifest service. It's also an opportunity to ask questions of the e-Manifest team.

For more information, contact emanifest@epa.gov

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EMTS v4.5 Release Outage Scheduled for Monday, December 18, 2017

December 12, 2017

On Monday, December 18, 2017, the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) will be taken down at 5:00 PM Eastern Time for the deployment of EMTS v4.5. This release will include improved remedial action functionality for the Fuels Averaging, Banking, and Trading (ABT) credit program. Please note that there will be no changes to either the submission or reports schemas for this release.

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 December 18 and 7:00 AM on December 19, 2017.

SUMMARY
Event: Scheduled Outage for EMTS v4.5 Release
Affected Groups: EMTS (RFS and Fuels ABT) Users
Event Timeframe: Monday, December 18, 2017 5:00 PM EST - Tuesday, December 19, 2017 7:00 AM EST

Action Required: Do not attempt to submit transactions or use the EMTS web interface during this time period

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

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Engineering Review Updates for Renewable Fuel Producers

November 29, 2017

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) is announcing a change to the way we accept updated Engineering Review (ER) reports for registered renewable fuel producers and foreign ethanol producers under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program.

Effective immediately, the EPA will no longer accept mailed paper submissions of updated 3-year ER reports or other ad hoc updates to a registered facility’s ER report. The EPA will be transitioning to full electronic submissions and use of existing webforms for updated ER reports. To help our customers with this transition, the EPA is implementing an interim option for the way an updated ER report can be submitted and signed, including providing sufficient lead time for parties to get an account and establish appropriate roles in the EPA system. The EPA has also posted a schedule that lists the 3-year ER report due dates for all registered renewable fuel facilities and foreign ethanol facilities under the RFS program and clarified some flexibilities for facilities that submitted a full ER report out of cycle. These changes will streamline and expedite the ER report submission and review process and will bring the RFS Program more in line with modern information collection standards and practices.

More information about these announcements can be found on the Fuels Registration, Reporting, and Compliance Help website.

Notice of EPA's Intent to Disclose RFS Information Which May Be Claimed as CBI

October 6, 2017

The Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") is providing notice of disclosure of information which has been submitted to EPA by renewable fuel producers, renewable identification number ("RIN") generators, third party engineers, obligated parties, and RIN owners that is claimed to be, or has been determined to be, confidential business information ("CBI"), in civil enforcement litigation against NGL Crude Logistics, LLC (f/k/a Gavilon, LLC).

The United States does not intend to produce documents containing CBI to NGL until after potentially impacted third parties have an opportunity to inspect the Protective Order filed with the court.

More information can be found in the Federal Register here: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-10-06/pdf/2017-21615.pdf. If there are specific questions, please contact Matthew Kryman at Kryman.matthew@epa.gov.

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Changes to EPA's Fuels Program Helpdesk (revised)

June 22, 2017

This EnviroFlash is to inform you about the changes the EPA is making to the fuels helpdesk in an effort to enhance customer service and ensure greater program compliance. This effort is a two phase initiative with Phase 1 effective immediately and Phase 2 planned for later this year.

Under Phase 1, the EPA is implementing changes to its internal processes for how we receive and respond to voicemails and email inquiries to better manage questions related to registration, regulations, and technical support. Email inquiries related to registration and regulations should now be sent to the EPA via the new contact form, which can be found at this link: Fuels Program Helpdesk. The process for managing email inquiries related to technical support remains unchanged and is explained at this link as well. Parties that wish to leave a voicemail will now be able to select from menu options to better route their inquiry, helping to ensure that responses are provided in a timely manner.

As part of the process change, the EPA will be closing all open tickets submitted before June 22, 2017, that are not related to a company's registration, remedial action, or technical support for CDX/EMTS. Customers will receive an email notification if their ticket is closed. Customers have the option of resubmitting questions using the new contact form; questions will be managed under this revised process. A webpage has been created for the Fuels Program Helpdesk and is available here: Fuels Program Helpdesk.

Under Phase 2, the EPA plans to create a public Fuels Program Dashboard that intends to provide customers the status of their registration and their place in the queue. This dashboard is intended to provide greater transparency into the registration process by informing customers how long and for what reason their Fuels Program application is still under review by the EPA.

The EPA welcomes any suggestions for additional changes to help improve customer service and program compliance under the EPA's Fuels Program.

This EnviroFlash message is intended as an update to the regulated entities under the EPA's Fuels 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

June 8, 2017

On Monday, June 19th, 2017, EPA will expire all remaining RIN year 2014 RINs that were not retired for compliance with the recent 2015 RFS compliance deadline. Once the 2014 RINs are expired, they will no longer 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 2014 RINs prior to this event.

Additionally, EPA will expire old credits under the Fuels ABT programs. This includes credits generated under the Gasoline-Sulfur program from year 2011 and credits generated under the Gasoline-Benzene program from year 2009.

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

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EMTS Unavailable Sunday, June 04 from 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM EST

June 2, 2017

On Sunday, June 06, 2017 from 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM EST, the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) will be undergoing maintenance.  During this time, EMTS will be unavailable in production. To avoid failed submissions and other possible issues, do not attempt to submit transactions or use EMTS during this period. If you have questions, please contact Fuels Programs Support at support@epamts-support.com.

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EPA-OAR Public Teleconference on April 24, 2017 from 11:00am to 2:00pm EDT

April 20, 2017

Dear Stakeholder,

Consistent with Executive Order 13777, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) is hosting a public teleconference on April 24, 2017 from 11:00am to 2:00pm EDT to solicit input on specific air and radiation actions that could be repealed, replaced, or modified to make them less burdensome.

On February 24, 2017, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 13777 on Enforcing the Regulatory Agenda. The Executive Order (EO) establishes the "policy of the United States to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens placed on the American people." Among other things, it requires each agency to create a Regulatory Reform Task Force to evaluate existing regulations and to identify regulations that should be repealed, replaced, or modified.

OAR is holding a public meeting via teleconference on April 24, 2017 so that we can listen and learn from those directly impacted by our regulations. The focus of this teleconference will be on air and radiation actions only. We invite you to provide input on these actions during the public teleconference or by submitting comments to the EPA-wide docket using docket number: EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190. The docket, which is accessible through www.regulations.gov,  will remain open through May 15, 2017. OAR will give equal consideration to input provided through either of these methods.

Additional information on joining the teleconference and submitting comments through the docket are below. For questions about this process, please contact oarinvitations@epa.gov. For more information about this effort, please visit Regulatory Reform.

Teleconference Details:

OAR's public teleconference will be an operator assisted call. The call with start with brief remarks from EPA and the remainder of the call will be dedicated to listening to public input. Participants wishing to speak or listen do not need to register in advance for the teleconference. To hear the opening remarks, please dial in 10 minutes before the start time. You may call into the teleconference at any time during the three-hour period.

If you wish to speak, at any time, you may nominate yourself to speak by hitting *1 on your phone. Your name will be added to a queue. Speakers will be asked to deliver 3 minutes of remarks and will be called on a first come, first served basis. OAR will do our best to hear from everyone who wishes to speak. The teleconference will be transcribed and will be added to the docket. If you do not have the opportunity to speak on the call, please submit your input to the docket (docket number: EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190). OAR will give equal consideration to input provided through either of these methods.

Date:                                                               April 24, 2017
Time:                                                              11:00 to 2:00 p.m. EDT
Participant Dial-in Number:      (800) 305-3182

Conference ID#:                                    8535873

Providing Input through the Docket:

Comments can be submitted to the public docket, EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190, which is available at www.regulations.gov. The docket will be open until May 15, 2017.

We also recommend that you clearly include the subject area on which you are providing input at the beginning of your comment.  The subject area could include, but is not limited to, a reference to any of the following:
  • Code of Federal Regulations regulatory cite or Part/Subpart cite (e.g., 40 CFR part 1900, 40 CFR 1900.10(b), etc.);
  • Federal Register citation;
  • Regulatory program or rulemaking title;
  • Title of guidance document.

Detailed instructions on how to submit comments to the docket are available at: https://www.regulations.gov/help. Also, EPA's Tips for Effective Comments can be found at: Commenting on EPA Dockets: Tips for Effective Comments.

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2016 Annual Compliance Deadline Retirement Window Closes March 31, 2017

March 24, 2017

On December 14, 2015, EPA published the final rule establishing the annual compliance reporting and attest engagement requirements for Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) participants. 

As a reminder, the deadline for 2016 Annual Compliance, in which all Renewable Fuel Exporters and Obligated Parties must retire RINs and submit their annual compliance reports, is March 31, 2017.  The EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) currently restricts retirement transactions to compliance year 2016.  On Saturday, April 1, 2017 the 2016 compliance window for RIN retire transactions is closed.

Please visit the following web page for important information on reporting requirements for RFS:
SUMMARY:
Event: 2016 Annual Compliance Deadline RIN Retirement Window Closing
Affected Groups: RFS Obligated Parties and Renewable Fuel Exporters
Event Timeframe: December 2, 2016 - March 31, 2017

Action Required: RIN Retirement for 2016 Annual Compliance

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

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EPA Grants Genscape Extension to Respond to January 4, 2017 Notice Letter

March 9, 2017

EPA granted Genscape an extension until April 18, 2017 to respond to EPA's January 4, 2017 Notice Letter. EPA will evaluate Genscape's submission and make its decision regarding actions to potentially revoke Genscape's auditor registration and QAP-A, and the applicability of 40 C.F.R.  80.1470(d), no sooner than May 18, 2017. EPA is working separately with Genscape to address its compliance with 40 C.F.R.  80.1470(c).

This notice is also available at:

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Fuels and Fuel Additives Compliance