Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Renewable Fuel Standard ...

B. Requirements for Obligated Parties and Exporters of Renewable
Fuels
1. Registration
We are proposing that “obligated parties” including refiners, importers, and
blenders of gasoline, as well as exporters of renewable fuel, must register with EPA by
[90 DAYS AFTER FINAL PUBLICATION OF THE FINAL RULE]. Most refiners and
importers are already registered with us under various regulations related to reformulated
(RFG) and conventional gasoline or diesel fuel. We propose that these existing
registrations be applicable under the renewable fuel standard as well. Exporters of
renewable fuels may not have registered with EPA and we anticipate perhaps 25 new
registrations and 25 updated registrations because of this program. If a party becomes
subject to this proposed regulation after the effective date, then we propose that they must
register with us and receive their EPA-issued company and facility registration numbers
prior to engaging in any transaction involving RINs.
Any party who is not currently registered with us would have to submit a simple
registration form. We will issue a 4-digit company identification number and, for each
facility registered, a 5-digit facility identification number. Currently registered parties
will only be responsible for updating company and facility records as the need to update
routine information arises, for example, if corporate points of contact or addresses
change. Currently registered refiners and importers would continue to use their existing
4-digit company and 5-digit facility identification numbers.
2. Reporting
There are three types of reports that would be required of obligated parties and
exporters of renewable fuel. Reports would be required to be submitted on an annual
basis by the February 28 following a given January through December annual compliance
period.
The first type of report would provide the compliance demonstration. It would
require obligated parties to provide information about their annual volume of gasoline
produced or imported, and would require exporters to provide information about their
annual volume of renewable fuel exported. The report would also describe the
calculation of their corresponding renewable volume obligation (RVO), a listing of the
RINs applied towards the RVO, any deficit carried over from the previous year, and any
deficit carried into the next year.
The second type of report would provide detailed transactional information
regarding RINs. It would be akin to credit trading reports submitted by refiners and
importers under other fuels programs in 40 CFR Part 80, such as the gasoline sulfur
program. The purpose of this report would be to document the ownership, transfer and
use of RINs and to track expired RINs. As such, and noted below, these reports would be
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