. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/TBT/N/USA/639 
19 July 2011  
 (11-3586) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES  
If applicable, name of local governme nt involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (656) 
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 :    
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 national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Fuels and fuel additives 
(HS 2710; ICS 13.020, 75. 160) 
5. Title, number of pages and langu age(s) of the notified document:  Regulation of Fuels and 
Fuel Additives: 2012 Renewable Fuel Standa rds (47 pages, in English)     
6. Description of content:  Under the Clean Air Act Section 211(o), the Environmental 
Protection Agency is required to set the renewable fuel standards each November for the 
following year. In general the standards are designed to ensure that the applicable volumes of renewable fuel specified in the statute are used.  However, the statue specifies that EPA is to 
project the volume of cellulosic biofuel production for the upcoming year and must base the cellulosic biofuel standard on that projected volum e if it is less than the applicable volume set 
forth in the Act. EPA is today proposing a projected cellulosic biofuel volume for 2012 and 
annual standards for cellulosic biofuel, biom ass-based diesel, adva nced biofuel, and 
renewable fuels that would apply to all gasolin e and diesel produced or imported in year 
2012. In addition, today's action proposes an appl icable volume of biomass-based diesel that 
would apply in 2013.  This action also presents  a number of proposed changes to the RFS2 
regulations that are designed to clarify existing provisions and to address several unique 
circumstances that have come to light since the RFS2 program became effective on 1 July 2010. Finally, today's rule also proposes to make a minor amendment to the gasoline benzene regulations regarding inclusion of  transferred blendstocks in a refinery's early benzene credit 
generation calculations.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Protection of environment  
8. Relevant documents:   76 Federal Register (FR) 38844,  1 July 2011; 40 CFR Part 80   G/TBT/N/USA/639 
Page 2  
 
  9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    To be determined 
10. Final date for comments:  11 August 2011 
11. Text available from:  National enquiry point [X], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addres ses, if available of the other body:    
Internet URLs: 
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/ FR-2011-07-01/html/2011-16018.htm  
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-07-01/pdf/2011-16018.pdf