Executive Summary
EPA published the final Renewable Fuel Standard Set 2 rule on April 1, 2026, with most provisions taking effect June 15, 2026. The rule establishes 25.82 billion renewable identification numbers (RINs) in required renewable fuel volume for 2026 and 25.98 billion for 2027, the highest levels in program history. It reallocates 70% of volumes previously waived through small refinery exemptions back into the market, adds roughly 2 billion gallons of renewable fuel demand, and permanently removes renewable electricity as a qualifying fuel under the RFS, closing the proposed eRIN pathway that was never operationally implemented. It also delays until 2028 a proposed policy that would have cut the RIN value of imported feedstocks and renewable fuels in half. The rule creates significant compliance pressure for obligated parties and clear demand signals for domestic biofuel producers, particularly in biomass-based diesel.
What Happened
EPA published the final rule on April 1, 2026 (91 Federal Register 14220, Docket EPA-HQ-OAR-2024-0505). The main provisions take effect June 15, 2026. The rule was announced by President Donald Trump at the White House Great American Agriculture Celebration, framed as a fulfillment of the RFS program’s original intent to drive demand for American-grown crops and domestic biofuel production.
The volume requirements are the highest in the…
