EPA ponders extending Renewable Fuel Standard deadline as credit costs surge

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing whether to push back the September 1 deadline for oil refiners to meet 2025 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) obligations. An extension would give refiners more time to secure renewable identification numbers (RINs) amid sharply higher RIN prices that have increased compliance costs.

The agency is also weighing pending exemption requests from smaller refineries, while the White House monitors gasoline prices and broader energy costs ahead of the November midterm elections. Recent volatility in global oil markets, linked to the Iran conflict, adds further pressure to limit fuel price spikes for consumers.