Denial of Petitions for Reconsideration of Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Changes to Renewable Fuel Standard Program

On May 24, 2010, the Clean Air Task Force (CATF), the National Wildlife Federation, the World Wildlife Fund and the Friends of the Earth petitioned the Administrator to reconsider an EPA rule, published on March 26, 2010 (75 FR 14670), which amended the Renewable Fuel Standard Program pursuant to Clean Air Act section 211(o). The petitioners alleged that EPA failed to properly require producers of renewable fuels to verify domestic crops and crop residues used to produce the renewable fuels complied with the applicable land use restrictions. Additionally, the CATF alleged that EPA did not properly account for the "global rebound effect" in the final analysis of the lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emission impacts of renewable fuel production and use. On February 17, 2011, the Administrator denied the petitions for reconsideration and the accompanying requests for stays in implementing the regulations. This Notice announces the availability of EPA's decision.