On May 11th, the EPA division of air quality and transportation reviewed and accepted SJR’s D3 RIN Pathway Petition. The EPA agreed with the petition in terms of the displaced fuel, the cellulosic content, and the alternative fate of biomass.

The letter of approval states,

Based on our assessment, CNG produced through the San Joaquin Renewables Pathway qualifies under the Clean Air Act (CAA) for D-code 3 RINs, provided the fuel meets all of the conditions specified in this document and all other applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, including the definitional criteria for renewable fuel (e.g., produced from renewable biomass and used to reduce or replace the quantity of fossil fuel present in transportation fuel, heating oil or jet fuel) and the requirement that to qualify as renewable fuel the CNG must be sold for use as transportation fuel and for no other purposes.

In summary, the EPA accepts that the SJR project will produce natural gas transportation fuel that will result in a healthier environment. The SJR plant is expected to have a 96% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions when compared to other production plants.

Biomass Magazine has also written an article going into further detail about SJR’s RFS pathway approval on May 22nd.