American Soybean Association warns of impact from refinery exemptions

The American Soybean Association (ASA) has expressed concern regarding reports that small refinery exemptions (SREs) for the 2025 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) compliance year may significantly exceed previous government projections. Under a newly developed methodology, SREs could total more than 1.8 billion Renewable Identification Number (RIN) credits, nearly double the amount assumed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its final 2026–2027 renewable volume obligation rule.

The ASA warns that these exemptions could eliminate approximately 500 million gallons of biomass-based diesel demand. This reduction could result in an estimated $1 billion loss in revenue for U.S. soybean farmers. The association noted that such a high volume of exemptions would effectively undercut recent biofuel-blending rules published by the Trump administration, which were intended to increase biofuel volumes and boost domestic demand for soybeans.