Court Agrees To Expedite Review Of RFS Case

On October 30, 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia approved the request by Monroe Energy to expedite review of the current RFS litigation challenging EPA's final rule setting the 2013 renewable volume obligations under the federal RFS (the 2013 RFS rule). In October 2013, Monroe, the American Petroleum Institute (API), and the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) filed individual cases before the court challenging the 2013 RFS rule. These cases have been consolidated.

In response to Monroe's petition for expedited review, the court issued an order encouraging all parties to work together and propose a mutually agreed upon expedited schedule. The parties, including EPA, submitted a proposed expedited briefing schedule on October 24 and the court approved it on October 30. Under the schedule, all briefs will be submitted by the end of February 2014.

Also on October 24, 2013, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) filed a petition with the court to intervene in the case on behalf of EPA. NBB asserts that its member companies would be harmed if the 2013 RFS rule were to be changed or weakened.