G/TBT/N/USA/1223  
 
18 November 2016  
(16-6339) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original : English  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member : UNITED STATES OF AME RICA 
If applicable, name of local government involved  (Article 3.2 and 7.2) : 
2. Agency responsible : Environmental Protect ion Agency (EPA) [1244]  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification  shall be indicated if different from above : 
Please sub mit comments to : USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point  
Email : usatbtep@nist.gov   
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [  ], 5.6.2 [  ], 5.7.1 [  ], other : 
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise nation al tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable) : Renewable fuels . 
Environmental protection (ICS : 13.020), Fuels (ICS : 75.160)  
5. Title, number of pages  and language(s)  of the notified document : Renewables 
Enhancement and Grow th Support Rule (153 pages, in English)  
6. Description of content : In this action, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is 
proposing to update both its renewable fuels and other fuels regulations to reflect changes 
in the marketplace and to promote t he growing use of both ethanol fuels (conventional and 
advanced) and non - ethanol advanced and cellulosic biofuels. The EPA is proposing to 
make several changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program regulations that 
would align them with recent deve lopments in the marketplace to increase production of 
cellulosic and other advanced biofuels. There are several companies that have developed 
renewable fuel productio n technologies that produce a " biointermediate'' at one facility 
that is then processed in to renewable fuel at another facility, and we are proposing 
regulatory changes to allow fuels produced through such methods to qualify under existing 
approved renewable fuel production pathways. This action also proposes to update our fuel 
regulations by d efining fuel blends containing 16 to 83 volume percent ethanol as ethanol 
flex fuel (EFF) and to no longer treat fuel blends containing 16 to 50 volume percent 
ethanol as gasoline. The EPA is proposing environmentally protective fuel quality 
specifications  for EFF that are consistent with those already in place for gasoline. In this 
action we are also proposing new pathways for cellulosic biofuel produced from short -
rotation trees and for renewable diesel and biodiesel produced from non -cellulosic portions 
of separated food waste. We are also proposing to add new registration, recordkeeping, 
and reporting requirements for facilities using carbon capture and storage if we were to 
approve the use of this technology in future assessments of proposed pathways fo r 
producing qualifying renewable fuel. We are also seeking comment on how best to 
implement and/or revise the RFS regulations pertaining to the generation of RINs for 
renewable electricity used as transportation fuel. Finally, we are proposing a number of 
other regulatory changes, clarifications, and technical corrections to the RFS program and 
other fuels regulations.  G/TBT/N/USA/1223  
 
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  7. Objective and rationale , including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable : Protection of the environment  
8. Relevant documents : 81 Federal Register (FR) 80828, 16 November 2016; Title 40 Code 
of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 79 and 80.  Will appear in the Federal Register when 
adopted.  
9. Proposed date of adoption : To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force : To be determ ined 
10. Final date for comments : 17 January 2017  
11. Texts available from : National enquiry point  [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
number s and e mail and website address es, if available , of other body : 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2016/TBT/USA/16_4764_00_e.pdf