INdustry
Report: Exxon Mobil Gets Economic Hardship RFS Waiver.
According to Politico, “Oil giant Exxon Mobil received an economic hardship waiver from the EPA exempting one of its refineries from compliance with the Renewable Fuel Standard, Reuters
reported today, citing three unnamed sources. The waiver was given to Exxon’s Billings, Mont. refinery which has a processing capacity of 60,000 barrels of crude a day, well below EPA’s ‘small refinery’ threshold of 75,000 barrels a day. Exxon reported $6.24
billion in profits in the third quarter. EPA’s use of economic hardship waivers has generated controversy for the last two years, as it has used the waivers to reduce the mandate by more than 1 billion gallons. Exxon declined to comment for the story. EPA
declined to confirm the report, but said its statutory process for determining whether a waiver is warranted ‘does not include consideration of any affiliated parent company or the parent company’s financial standing.’” [Politico,
12/19/18 (=)]
Congress
Schumer, Carper Probe Oil Industry Influence.
According to E&E News, “Two top Senate Democrats want the Trump administration to explain whether its rollback of fuel economy rules came at the behest of the oil industry. In a letter
sent today, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Environment and Public Works Committee ranking member Tom Carper (D-Del.) asked the administration to spell out its ties to oil industry lobbyists. The letter comes after a New York Times
investigation found that Marathon Petroleum Corp., the largest refiner in the country, had engaged in a covert campaign to dial back the Obama-era clean car rules. According to the Times, Marathon argued to lawmakers that the country is awash in a surplus
of oil, so automakers needn’t be troubled to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles.” [E&E News,
12/19/18 (+)]
Auto Manufacturers
Forgotten Study Could Help Gas Engines Get 60 Mpg.
According to E&E News, “A small team of government scientists looking for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector had what one member called an ‘Oh,
my gosh,’ moment. They recently stumbled across a potential breakthrough in a research paper that had been buried in a library for more than a century. The paper described an alternate chemistry that can be used to make carbon fiber, a lighter material than
steel that is starting to be used when making car bodies. The century-old discovery reveals a cheaper way of making carbon fiber using sugar from agricultural wastes, like corn stalks and wheat straw, instead of oil and gas derivatives. ‘We went, ‘Oh, my gosh,’’
recalled Eric Karp, a chemical engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Boulder, Colo. ‘This is exactly what we need.’” [E&E News,
12/20/18 (+)]
Volkswagen Shakes Up Management Pay.
According to E&E News, “Volkswagen says it is changing the pay system for its senior management, dropping personal performance bonuses and increasing the extent to which the company’s
performance is reflected in variable pay. The German automaker, still grappling with a diesel emissions scandal that erupted in 2015, said yesterday that the new system is based on one already used for the management board. Taking effect from 2019, it ‘allows
the possibility of taking individual wrongdoing into account in reducing remuneration.’ Board member Gunnar Kilian said it ‘takes into account the change in our corporate culture’ and emphasizes ‘joint performance.’” [E&E News,
12/20/18 (=)]