The American Soybean Association is warning that a surge in small refinery exemptions could sharply reduce demand for soybean-based biofuels and hurt farmers’ bottom lines.
Recent reports indicate exemptions for the 2025 Renewable Fuel Standard compliance year could exceed 1.8 billion Renewable Identification Number credits—nearly double what the Environmental Protection Agency assumed when setting current biofuel blending requirements.
ASA says that level of exemptions could eliminate roughly 500 million gallons of biomass-based diesel demand and cost soybean farmers about $1 billion in lost revenue.
“At a time when soybean farmers are already struggling to support our farms, we cannot afford for the rug to be pulled out from under one of our most important sources of domestic demand,” said ASA Vice President Dave Walton, an Iowa soybean farmer.
ASA is urging President Trump and EPA to reject expanded exemptions and preserve the demand gains created by higher biofuel blending requirements.
