To receive tailored information on whether and how to proceed with a new pathway petition, we strongly encourage you to use the Pathway Screening Tool by following the instructions provided below.

• Why should I use the Pathway Screening Tool?
  • It is intended to save both you and the Agency time. 
  • It gives us an opportunity to review information about your proposed pathway and respond with questions or suggested next steps before you prepare a complete petition. 
  • In some cases we may determine that a petition is unnecessary. In other cases, we may be able to provide detailed information on what areas to focus on when preparing a petition. 
• Who should use the Pathway Screening Tool?
  • Anyone with the following questions:
    • Should I submit a petition? 
    • Is my fuel pathway already eligible to generate Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) using an existing pathway? 
    • Are there special issues that I should focus on as I prepare my petition? 
  • In general, it is intended for those who: 
    • Plan to submit a petition; 
    • Have demonstrated the commercial viability of their fuel pathway at pilot scale; and 
    • Have developed a business plan for commercialization that includes funding. 
    • For more information about the stages to commercialization, see the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative's Fuel Readiness Tools. 
  • If you have general questions about the RFS program (e.g., registration, RIN transactions) please contact the Fuels Support Line. 
• How do I use the Pathway Screening Tool?
  1. Click the link below to download the Pathway Screening Tool and provide all of the requested information. 
  2. Click the "Submit by Email" button at the bottom of the Pathway Screening Tool to email it to EPA. All of the fields must be completed or an error message will appear. 
  3. Receive an email from pst@epa.gov confirming the EPA’s receipt of your Pathway Screening Tool. If you do not receive a confirmation email shortly after submitting your Pathway Screening Tool please contact the EPA Fuels Program Helpdesk to confirm it was successfully received by EPA. 
  4. The EPA will review the information provided and respond in a timely manner regarding any questions or next steps, such as scheduling a follow-up call or meeting.

Download the Pathway Screening Tool

Pathway Screening Tool for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program Version 1.0 (PDF)(3 pp, 2.57 MB, EPA-420-B-14-063, September 2014, About PDF)

Download Instructions

1. Click the link below to download the Pathway Screening Tool and provide all of the requested information. If you experience difficulties downloading please try using Internet Explorer. Save a copy of this document to your local computer to prevent the loss of entered data.
2. Click the "Submit by Email" button at the bottom of the Pathway Screening Tool to email it to the EPA Fuel Programs Support Line. All of the fields must be completed or an error message will appear. 
3. Receive an email from pst@epa.gov confirming the EPA’s receipt of your Pathway Screening Tool. If you do not receive a confirmation email shortly after submitting your Pathway Screening Tool, please contact the EPA Fuel Programs Support Line to confirm it was successfully received by EPA. 
4. The EPA will review the information provided and respond in a timely manner regarding any questions or next steps, such as scheduling a follow-up call or meeting.