OREANDA-NEWS. December 05, 2017. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should exempt more than a quarter of US refining capacity from federal biofuel blending mandates, Texas governor Greg Abbott requested late last week.

The governor sought a formal waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for the 5.1mn b/d of his state's refining capacity. Higher compliance costs put refiners, small retailers and their associated labor forces at risk, Abbott wrote in his request to the EPA.

"The time is ripe for EPA to grant substantive relief from the unique, adverse impacts the RFS program is having on the state of Texas," Abbott wrote. "The extreme, detrimental impacts on large portions of the refining sector have now placed unacceptable burdens on the Texas economy and the economy and security of the nation as a whole."

EPA last week said it found no evidence of severe economic harm from the annual mandates setting minimum volumes of renewable fuels that refiners, importers and certain other companies must ensure enter the US transportation fuel supply each year.

Argus assessed costs of compliance with the program last week, the annual deadline for those minimum volumes, settled 7pc lower than the average price the same week last year. Costs have averaged 4pc higher than year-ago levels in the fourth quarter so far and 59pc higher than the five-year average for the quarter.