Small Refiners Got Relief. Farmers Shouldn't Pay for It — EPA's Plan to Reallocate 770 Million Fuel Credits Gets It Right
EPA's co-proposal, published Oct. 16, would reallocate all 770 million extra credits from 2025 small refinery exemptions, at an estimated cost under a penny a gallon. In our view, it keeps faith with rural America — and the full amount belongs in 2027.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Chief Opinion Editor | October 19, 2026 | 6-min read Small refineries got relief this summer. Now the question is whether America's corn and soybean farmers pay for it. The Environmental Protection Agency answered last week with a proposal that, in our view, keeps faith with both. EPA wants to put back into the fuel program the full 770 million extra credits that 2025 small refinery exemptions, decided Aug. 31, took out beyond what it had projected [1]. That means the relief stands and the market for American-grown fuel is not shortchanged by the surprise. It is the right call, and of EPA's two options, one is clearly better. Key Takeaways EPA announced on Oct. 13, and published Oct. 16, a co-proposal to revise the 2026 and 2027 small refinery exemption reallocation volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standard [1][2]. On Aug. 31, EPA decided 34 petitions for 2025: 18 full exemptions, 11 partial (50%), three denied and two ineligible [1]. The actual 2025 exempted volume came to 1.76 billion RINs, 770 million more than the 990