Guidance for RFS 2011 Annual 

Compliance Reporting 
EPA-420-B-11-060

December 2011

Compliance Division

Office of Transportation and Air Quality

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Guidance for RFS 2011 Annual 

Compliance Reporting
1

Guidance for RFS 2011 Annual Compliance Reporting

This guidance document is intended to assist obligated parties and renewable fuel exporters in 

reporting their RFS2 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) reporting for the 2011 compliance 

year. The reports for 2011 are due February 28, 2012. In addition to this guidance document, 

EPA has posted RVO Q&As that can be found on the RFS web site at: 

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/compliancehelp/rfs2-aq.htm#7. 

Any obligated party, as described in §80.1406, that produced or imported gasoline or MVNRLM 

diesel fuel for use in the contiguous 48 states plus Hawaii (Alaska if they opt-in) during a given 

compliance period must submit an RFS2 Annual Compliance Report pursuant to §80.1451(a). 

Any exporter of renewable fuels, as described in §80.1430, that exported a volume of renewable 

fuel from the contiguous 48 states plus Hawaii (Alaska if they opt-in) during a given compliance 

period must submit an RFS2 Annual Compliance Report pursuant to §80.1451(a). 

Parties that have more than one business activity that generate multiple Renewable Volume 

Obligations (RVOs), must report the information separately (i.e. imports, exports, and refining 

obligations must be met separately). Further, prior to retiring RFS2 RINs for compliance, 

gasoline and diesel refiners are required to indicate the compliance level that they choose to 

report based on (aggregate or refinery by refinery) in the OTAQReg: Fuels Programs 

Registration interface on Central Data Exchange (CDX). Note: The compliance level only needs 

to be indicated in OTAQReg once unless the company plans to change their compliance level. 

However, if the obligated party carries a deficit from one year to the next, then the party must 

maintain the same approach to aggregation in the next calendar year per §80.1427(b)(1)(iv). 

The guidance document will briefly discuss features that have been implemented in EMTS to 

assist obligated parties and renewable fuel exporters with their RFS2 annual compliance 

requirements. These features will aid users in completing their RFS0302 Annual Compliance 

Report, which is required pursuant to §80.1451(a). For more information on all EMTS features, 

please visit the EMTS documents webpage at: 

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/emtshtml/emtsdocuments.htm 

Regulated parties may use this document to aid in achieving compliance with the RFS2 program 

regulations. However, this document does not in any way alter the requirements of those 

regulations. This document does not establish or change legal rights or obligations. It does not 

establish binding rules or requirements and is not fully determinative of the issues addressed. 

Agency decisions in any particular case will be made applying the law and regulations on the 

basis of specific facts and actual action. 
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Table of Contents 

1.0 General Information for Obligated Parties ......................................................................... 3

1.1 What information do I have to submit for 2010 Annual Compliance? ........................ 3

1.2 What RINs can be used to satisfy each Renewable Volume Obligation? ..................... 3

1.3 What is the last day that I can obtain RINs for compliance? ........................................ 5

1.4 EMTS Features .................................................................................................................. 7

2.0 Obligated Parties: Gasoline or Diesel Refiners ................................................................... 8

2.1 Refiners: Selecting Compliance Level in CDX ................................................................ 8

2.2 Refiners: RFS0302 Guidance ............................................................................................ 9

2.3 Refiners: Deficit Carryovers ............................................................................................ 10

3.0 Obligated Parties: Gasoline or Diesel Importers .............................................................. 11

3.1 Importers: RFS0302 Guidance ................................................................................... 11

3.2 Importers: Deficit Carryovers ......................................................................................... 12

4.0 Renewable Fuel Exporters .............................................................................................. 13

4.1 Exporters: RFS0302 Guidance ....................................................................................... 13

4.2 Exporters: Deficit Carryovers ......................................................................................... 14

5.0 Purchasing Cellulosic Biofuel Waiver Credits .............................................................. 15

5.1 Pay.gov Electronic Payments ........................................................................................... 15

 5.1.1 Adding Pay.gov Application to an Existing CDX Account ................................ 15

 5.1.2 Accessing the Cellulosic Biofuel Waiver Credit Program Application............. 18

5.2 Electronic Payments via Fedwire ................................................................................... 25

5.3 Mail Payment ................................................................................................................... 25
3

1.0 General Information for Obligated Parties

All obligated parties are required to submit the RFS0302: RFS2 Annual Compliance Report. 

The RFS0302 report is used to demonstrate compliance with the Renewable Volume Obligations 

that obligated parties and renewable fuel exporters acquired based on their compliance year 

activities.

The following information is general information for all obligated parties and exporters. Specific

information based on the business activities of an obligated party or exporter can be found in 

sections 2 through 4. 

1.1 What information do I have to submit for 2010 Annual Compliance?

Obligated parties and renewable fuel exporters are required to submit all information listed in 

§80.1451(a). All of the required RFS2 RIN information and the majority of the required RFS1 

RIN information will be entered and submitted in the RFS0302 report. 

Note: 2011 is the last year RFS1 RINs can be used for compliance purposes. 

Pursuant to 80.1451(a)(xi) parties are required to submit a list of all RFS1 RINs retired for 

compliance. The RFS2 RIN information submitted on the RFS0302 report satisfies all of the 

requirements in 80.1451(a). Therefore, a partial EMTS Transaction History report showing all 

RINs retired for compliance purposes does not need to be submitted on February 28 but will be 

submitted on Quarter 1 reports instead. However, all individual RFS1 RIN numbers retired for 

compliance will be retired via the RFS0201: RFS1 RIN Transaction Report and the aggregate 

amount of RINs retired will be reported on the RFS0302. 

• If RFS1 RINs have been retired for compliance during the first quarter 2012 (before 

February 28), a partial RFS0201 report must be filed with only the RFS1 RINs being 

retired for compliance. 

• If all RFS1 RINs have been retired for compliance during the fourth quarter, then a 

partial RFS0201 report will not have to be filled out. 

1.2 What RINs can be used to satisfy each Renewable Volume Obligation?

In 2011, both RFS1 RINs and RFS2 RINs (transacted in EMTS) may be used for compliance 

purposes. For 2012 compliance, unused 2010 RFS1 RINs are not eligible to be used for 

compliance purposes. 

Different Types of RINs:

Under RFS2, certain types of RINs can be used to fulfill various obligations. Pursuant to 40 

CFR 80.1427(a)(2)-(4), the following types of RINs may be used to satisfy the specific RVOs: 

RINs Generated Under RFS1

• A RIN generated pursuant to §80.1126 with a D code of 2 and an RR code of 15, 16, or 

17 is deemed equivalent to a RIN with a D code of 4 generated pursuant to §80.1426. 
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• A RIN generated pursuant to §80.1126 with a D code of 1 and RR code of 25 is deemed 

equivalent to a RIN with a D code of 3 generated pursuant to §80.1426. 

• All other RINs generated pursuant to §80.1126 are deemed equivalent to RINs with a D 

code of 6 generated pursuant to §80.1426. 

Note: RFS1 RINs will still be identified as they were in RFS1 regardless of the D code 

equivalent specified in the regulations (i.e. RFS1 RINs cannot be changed to RFS2 D codes or 

RR codes). 

RINs Generated Under RFS2

• RINs with a D code of 3 or 7 are valid for compliance with the cellulosic biofuel RVO. 

Note: If a RIN with a D code of 7 is used to meet the biomass-based diesel RVO, then it 

may not be used to satisfy the cellulosic biofuel RVO.

• RINs with a D code of 4 or 7 are valid for compliance with the biomass-based diesel 

RVO. Note: If a RIN with a D code of 7 is used to meet the cellulosic biofuel RVO, then 

it may not be used to satisfy the biomass-based diesel RVO.

• RINs with a D code of 3, 4, 5, or 7 are valid for compliance with the advanced biofuel 

RVO.

• RINs with a D code of 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 are valid for compliance with the renewable fuel 

RVO.

Renewable Volume Obligation Nesting: 

RVOs are “nested,” meaning that certain types of RINs can be used to satisfy multiple RVOs. 

For example, a RIN with a D code of 4 may be used toward satisfying a biomass-based diesel 

RVO, an advanced biofuel RVO, and renewable fuel RVO for the same compliance year. 

However, a RIN with a D code of 5 or 6 may not be used to meet a biomass-based diesel RVO.

Table 1 – Which RIN D codes can satisfy each Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) 

pursuant to 40 CFR 80.1427(a)(2)-(4)? 

D Code Cellulosic 

Biofuel RVO

Biomass-Based 

Diesel RVO

Advanced 

Biofuel RVO

Renewable Fuel 

RVO

3 X X X

4 X X X

5 X X

6 X

7 X* X* X X

Note: X* indicates a RIN with a D code of 7 may be used to meet either the Cellulosic Biofuel 

RVO or the Biomass-Based Diesel RVO, but not both RVOs pursuant to 40 CFR 80.1427(3)(ii). 
5

Additional Notes: 

1) When filling out the RFS0302 report, parties must carry the entire number of RINs used 

for compliance purposes throughout the nested standards regardless of showing an excess 

of RINs for another RVO category. (e.g. In a given compliance year, the number of 

cellulosic biofuel and biomass-based diesel may cover the advanced biofuel RVO in 

excess. The number of RINs retired should not be reduced to equal the advanced biofuel 

RVO, but instead should show a retirement in excess for the advanced biofuel RVO row.) 

For example: 

• An obligated party uses 400 D3 RFS2 RINs for compliance, then 400 must appear 

in field 24 for the rows with “CB”, “AF”, and “RF” in field 9. 

• An obligated party uses 110,000 D4 RFS2 RINs for compliance, then 110,000 

must appear in field 25 for the rows with “BD”, “AF”, and “RF” in field 9. 

2) RINs can only be used in one compliance year 

For example: 

• An obligated party cannot use a D5 RIN to fulfill the advanced biofuel RVO 2010 

and then use the same RIN to fulfill the renewable fuel RVO in 2011. 

1.3 What is the last day that I can obtain RINs for compliance? 

Both RFS1 and RFS2 RINs used to meet the 2011 obligation may be traded until February 28, 

2012. For the 2011 compliance year, the RFS0302: RFS2 2011 Annual Compliance Report must 

be submitted on February 28, 2012. The RFS0300: Annual Compliance Report was for 

compliance years 2007 through 2009, and the RFS0301: RFS2 2010 Annual Compliance Report 

was for compliance year 2010.

Additional RFS2 EMTS RIN Notes: 

1. In order to retire RFS2 RINs for compliance by the deadline, all transactions must be 

completed and processed in EMTS prior to the deadline. Although EMTS can accept and 

process certain transactions rather quickly, RIN retirements may take longer to process 

when multiple RIN batches are involved. Therefore, parties should try to complete their 

RIN retirements by February 21, 2012. If EMTS is unable to process the transactions by 

February 28, then those RINs will be unavailable for retirement for that compliance year.

2. As discussed above, RIN retirements may take longer to process when multiple RIN 

batches are involved. Due to a longer processing time, a session in the EMTS User 

Interface may timeout prior to the processing completion. Therefore, EPA suggests that 

parties who intend to retire a large quantity of RINs for compliance use an XML file. 

XML files should be submitted at least one week prior to the compliance deadline (e.g. 

February 21). Obligated parties using the web user interface should retire no more than 

one million RINs at a time to avoid system delays. 
6

3. RINs may not be retired for compliance purposes after February 28, 2012 for the 2011 

compliance year. 
7

1.4 EMTS Features

Compliance Data User Interface in EMTS 

The Compliance Data user interface page in EMTS is a listing of all RINs retired for compliance, 

broken out by: 

• RIN Type (D code)

• RIN Year

• Compliance Level (AGREF, AGIMP, EXPRT, or refinery-by-refinery)

• RIN Quantity

Obligated parties should use this page to accurately reflect the correct RIN quantities that have 

been retired for compliance on the Annual Compliance Report. This page will assist parties to 

complete fields 18 through 27 of the RFS0302: 2011 Annual Compliance Report. 

This interface can be found under the Reports Tab on the horizontal toolbar in EMTS. 
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2.0 Obligated Parties: Gasoline or Diesel Refiners

Refiners of gasoline or diesel may comply in the aggregate or on a refinery-by-refinery basis. 

Prior to the retirement of RFS2 RINs in EMTS, refiners must update their registration via the 

OTAQReg: Fuels Programs Registration application to indicate how they plan to comply. 

Note: The compliance level only needs to be indicated in OTAQReg once unless the company 

plans to change their compliance level. However, if the obligated party carries a deficit from one 

year to the next, then the party must maintain the same approach to aggregation in the next 

calendar year per §80.1427(b)(1)(iv). 

2.1 Refiners: Selecting Compliance Level in CDX

Pursuant to 80.1406(c)(1), an obligated party may comply with its annual compliance 

requirements for all of its refineries in aggregate, or for each refinery individually. However, if 

the obligated party carries a deficit from one year to the next, then the party must maintain the 

same approach to aggregation in the next calendar year per §80.1427(b)(1)(iv). 

Note: The compliance level only needs to be indicated in OTAQReg once unless the company 

plans to change their compliance level. The compliance level must be submitted and activated 

by EPA prior to the retirement of RINs for compliance. 

In order to select the compliance level, a CDX user will login to CDX and: 

1. Select the OTAQReg: Fuels Programs Registration link. 

2. On the OTAQ Registration Program Home page, select your company by clicking the 

Company Name. 

3. Select the EDIT button in the top right corner of the page. 

4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select the compliance level. 

5. Once the compliance level has been selected, if no other updates need to be made in the 

registration, click Review at the top corner of the page. 

6. Review the information. The user will be unable to edit any information on this page. If 

the information looks correct, click Submit at the bottom of the page. 

7. The user must save and print out the PDF forms that are generated on the Company 

Information: Print and Sign page. Once the forms are printed, click Continue.
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Note: The PDF registration must be printed and signed by the responsible corporate 

officer (RCO) that EPA currently has on file for the company. These forms must be sent 

to EPA by either: 

US Mail: 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Fuels Programs Registration (6406J) 

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20460 

Commercial Delivery:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Fuels Programs Registration 

Room 647C, 202-343-9038 

1310 L Street, NW 

Washington, DC 20005

8. You will be taken back to the OTAQ Registration Home page where you should be able 

to see a pending company update request.

2.2 Refiners: RFS0302 Guidance (also available in the RFS0302 report instructions)

The RFS0302 reporting instructions can be found on the Renewable Fuel Standards Reporting 

Forms web page at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/reporting/rfs.htm. 

In [Field No. 8] of the RFS0302 report, the refiner must enter either AGREF (aggregate) or the 5 

digit facility ID (refinery-by-refinery). Regardless, the refiner will have at least four rows, one 

for each RVO (renewable fuel, advanced biofuel, biomass-based diesel and cellulosic biofuel.) 

Note: If complying refinery-by-refinery, the obligated party should have one row for each RVO 

at each refinery (e.g. 2 refineries will have 8 rows, 3 refineries will have 12 rows, etc.).

Fields that must contain “NA” in the RFS0302: RFS2 2010 Annual Compliance Report

• For a row with field 9 as CB, “NA” must be entered in field 15,16,20,21,22,23,24,25 

• For a row with field 9 as BD, “NA” must be entered in field 

16,17,18,19,22,23,24,25,28,29,30 

• For a row with field 9 as AB, “NA” must be entered in field 16,24,25,28,29,30 

• For a row with field 9 as RF, “NA” must be entered in field 28,29,30 

Prior-year RIN limits

• For a row with field 9 as CB, the amount of prior year 2010 RINs that may be used for 

compliance must satisfy the following formula:

[No. 17] + [No. 18] + [No. 26] ≤ 0.20 x [No. 13]

• For a row with field 9 as BD, the amount of prior year 2010 RINs that may be used for 

compliance must satisfy the following formulas:

[No. 15] + [No. 20] + [No. 26] ≤ 0.20 x [No. 13]

• For a row with field 9 as AB, the amount of prior year 2010 RINs that may be used for 

compliance must satisfy the following formulas: 

[No. 15] + [No. 17] + [No. 18] + [No. 20] + [No. 22] + [No. 26] ≤ 0.20 x [No. 13]

• For a row with field 9 as RF, the amount of prior year 2010 RINs that may be used for 

compliance must satisfy the following formulas:
10

[No. 15] + [No. 17] + [No. 18] + [No. 20] + [No. 22] + [No. 24] + [No. 26] ≤ 0.20 x [No. 13]

2.3 Refiners: Deficit Carryovers

An obligated party who fails to meet its obligation in a given year may carryover a deficit into 

the following year pursuant to 40 CFR 80.1427(b) given that they meet the following 

requirements:

 A deficit has not been carried over from the previous year for that specific RVO; and

 The party meets all RVOs of the deficit category in the following year. 

A deficit is calculated according to the following formula:

Di= RVOi− [(ΣRINNUM)i+ (ΣRINNUM)i-1] 

Where:

Di= The deficit, in gallons, generated in calendar year i that must be carried over to year 

i+1 if allowed pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) of this section. 

RVOi= The Renewable Volume Obligation for the obligated party or renewable fuel 

exporter for calendar year i, in gallons. 

(ΣRINNUM)i= Sum of all acquired gallon-RINs that were generated in year i and are 

being applied towards the RVOi, in gallons. 

(ΣRINNUM)i-1= Sum of all acquired gallon-RINs that were generated in year i-1 and are 

 being applied towards the RVOi, in gallons.
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3.0 Obligated Parties: Gasoline or Diesel Importers

Importers of gasoline or diesel must comply in aggregate. 

In [Field No. 8] of the RFS0302 report, the importer must enter AGIMP and will have four rows, 

one for each RVO. 

3.1 Importers: RFS0302 Guidance 

The RFS0302 reporting instructions can be found on the Renewable Fuel Standards Reporting 

Forms web page at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/reporting/rfs.htm. 

Fields that must contain “NA” in the RFS0302: RFS2 2010 Annual Compliance Report

• For a row with field 9 as CB, “NA” must be entered in field 15,16,20,21,22,23,24,25 

• For a row with field 9 as BD, “NA” must be entered in field 

16,17,18,19,22,23,24,25,28,29,30 

• For a row with field 9 as AB, “NA” must be entered in field 16,24,25,28,29,30 

• For a row with field 9 as RF, “NA” must be entered in field 28,29,30 

Prior-year RIN limits

• For a row with field 9 as CB, the amount of prior year 2010 RINs that may be used for 

compliance must satisfy the following formula:

[No. 17] + [No. 18] + [No. 26] ≤ 0.20 x [No. 13]

• For a row with field 9 as BD, the amount of prior year 2010 RINs that may be used for 

compliance must satisfy the following formulas:

[No. 15] + [No. 20] + [No. 26] ≤ 0.20 x [No. 13]

• For a row with field 9 as AB, the amount of prior year 2010 RINs that may be used for 

compliance must satisfy the following formulas: 

[No. 15] + [No. 17] + [No. 18] + [No. 20] + [No. 22] + [No. 26] ≤ 0.20 x [No. 13]

• For a row with field 9 as RF, the amount of prior year 2010 RINs that may be used for 

compliance must satisfy the following formulas:

[No. 15] + [No. 17] + [No. 18] + [No. 20] + [No. 22] + [No. 24] + [No. 26] ≤ 0.20 x [No. 13] 
12

3.2 Importers: Deficit Carryovers 

An obligated party who fails to meet its obligation in a given year may carryover a deficit into 

the following year pursuant to 40 CFR 80.1427(b) given that they meet the following 

requirements:

 A deficit has not been carried over from the previous year for that specific RVO; and

 The party meets all RVOs of the deficit category in the following year;. 

A deficit is calculated according to the following formula:

Di= RVOi− [(ΣRINNUM)i+ (ΣRINNUM)i-1] 

Where:

Di= The deficit, in gallons, generated in calendar year i that must be carried over to year 

i+1 if allowed pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) of this section. 

RVOi= The Renewable Volume Obligation for the obligated party or renewable fuel 

exporter for calendar year i, in gallons. 

(ΣRINNUM)i= Sum of all acquired gallon-RINs that were generated in year i and are 

being applied towards the RVOi, in gallons. 

(ΣRINNUM)i-1= Sum of all acquired gallon-RINs that were generated in year i-1 and are 

 being applied towards the RVOi, in gallons. 
13

4.0 Renewable Fuel Exporters

Renewable fuel exporters must comply in aggregate. 

In [Field No. 8] of the RFS0302 report, the exporter must enter EXPRT and will have between 

one and four rows based on the export activity. 

Note: Renewable fuel exporters that have an RVO other than renewable fuel incur nested 

obligations (e.g. for an export of biodiesel, an exporter will have a Biomass-Based Diesel RVO, 

an Advanced Biofuel RVO, and a Renewable Fuel RVO). Table 2 describes which volumes of 

renewable fuel need to be included when an exporter calculates their RVO(s), pursuant to 

§80.1407. 

Table 2 – This table provides examples of which volumes of a renewable fuel export 

incur specific Renewable Volume Obligations (RVO) pursuant to §80.1430. 

Renewable Fuel 

Export 

Cellulosic 

Biofuel RVO

Biomass-Based 

Diesel RVO

Advanced 

Biofuel RVO

Renewable 

Fuel RVO

Biodiesel No Yes Yes Yes

Non-Ester 

Renewable Diesel No Yes Yes Yes

Cellulosic Biofuel Yes No Yes Yes

Cellulosic Diesel Either Cellulosic Biofuel or 

Biomass-Based Diesel (only 1) Yes Yes

Advanced Biofuel No No Yes Yes

Renewable Fuel No No No Yes

4.1 Exporters: RFS0302 Guidance

The RFS0302 reporting instructions can be found on the Renewable Fuel Standards Reporting 

Forms web page at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/reporting/rfs.htm. 

Fields that must contain “NA” in the RFS0302: RFS2 2010 Annual Compliance Report

• For a row with field 9 as CB, “NA” must be entered in field 15,16,20,21,22,23,24,25 

• For a row with field 9 as BD, “NA” must be entered in field 

16,17,18,19,22,23,24,25,28,29,30 

• For a row with field 9 as AB, “NA” must be entered in field 16,24,25,28,29,30 

• For a row with field 9 as RF, “NA” must be entered in field 28,29,30 

Prior-year RIN limits

• For a row with field 9 as CB, the amount of prior year 2010 RINs that may be used for 

compliance must satisfy the following formula:

[No. 17] + [No. 18] + [No. 26] ≤ 0.20 x [No. 13]

• For a row with field 9 as BD, the amount of prior year 2010 RINs that may be used for 

compliance must satisfy the following formulas:
14

[No. 15] + [No. 20] + [No. 26] ≤ 0.20 x [No. 13]

• For a row with field 9 as AB, the amount of prior year RINs that may be used for 

compliance must satisfy the following formulas: 

[No. 15] + [No. 17] + [No. 18] + [No. 20] + [No. 22] + [No. 26] ≤ 0.20 x [No. 13]

• For a row with field 9 as RF, the amount of prior year RINs that may be used for 

compliance must satisfy the following formulas:

[No. 15] + [No. 17] + [No. 18] + [No. 20] + [No. 22] + [No. 24] + [No. 26] ≤ 0.20 x [No. 13]

4.2 Exporters: Deficit Carryovers

An obligated party who fails to meet its obligation in a given year may carryover a deficit into 

the following year pursuant to 40 CFR 80.1427(b) given that they meet the following 

requirements:

 A deficit has not been carried over from the previous year for that specific RVO; and

 The party meets all RVOs of the deficit category in the following year. 

A deficit is calculated according to the following formula:

Di= RVOi− [(ΣRINNUM)i+ (ΣRINNUM)i-1] 

Where:

Di= The deficit, in gallons, generated in calendar year i that must be carried over to year 

i+1 if allowed pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) of this section. 

RVOi= The Renewable Volume Obligation for the obligated party or renewable fuel 

exporter for calendar year i, in gallons. 

(ΣRINNUM)i= Sum of all acquired gallon-RINs that were generated in year i and are 

being applied towards the RVOi, in gallons. 

(ΣRINNUM)i-1= Sum of all acquired gallon-RINs that were generated in year i-1 and are 

being applied towards the RVOi, in gallons. 
15

5.0 Purchasing Cellulosic Biofuel Waiver Credits

Any obligated party, as described in §80.1406, that produces or imports Gasoline or MVNRLM 

Diesel fuel for use in the contiguous 48 states plus Hawaii (Alaska if they opt-in) during a given 

compliance period, must submit an RFS2 Annual Compliance Report under §80.1451(a). 

Pursuant to §80.1456, if EPA reduces the applicable volume of cellulosic biofuel pursuant to 

section 211(o)(7)(D)(i) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7545(o)(7)(D)(i)) for any given 

compliance year, then EPA will provide cellulosic biofuel waiver credits for purchase for that 

compliance year. This excludes biodiesel producers registered as diesel refiners and does not 

apply to renewable fuel exporters.

EPA has three methods for obligated parties to purchase EPA Cellulosic Biofuel Waiver Credits 

(Only one may be used): 

1. Pay.gov electronic payment (credit card, debit card, or eCheck); 

2. Fedwire payment (bank wire transfer); or 

3. Mail Payment (paper check). 

5.1 Pay.gov Electronic Payments

The OTAQ Cellulosic Biofuel Wavier Credits application is hosted by the Central Data 

Exchange (CDX). CDX is the system that EPA has provided to all programs to standardize and 

centralize the reporting functions and data submissions that are required of the various EPA 

regulated communities. In order to access Cellulosic Biofuel Waiver Credits, users must first be 

registered users of CDX. 

5.1.1 Adding Pay.gov application to an existing CDX account: 

In order to access Pay.gov, the user must add the application to their CDX account. Please add 

the Pay.gov application by following these steps: 

• Login to CDX (http://cdx.epa.gov) 

• You will be at the MyCDX page. Please select the “Edit Current Account Profiles” link:
16

• On the Edit Organization Profiles, select the “Add New Program” link:

• On the Add Program page, find the “Cellulosic Biofuel Waiver Credits Pay.gov 

Application (OTAQWaiverCredits) and click “Add”:
17

• On the Add Role page, all fields are completed with the exception of the “ID” field. Per 

the instructions, please enter “N/A” and click “Add”:
18

• You will then receive the following message:

Note: EPA must activate the addition of Pay.gov to your CDX profile. Until EPA has activated 

this, you will not be able to see the Pay.gov application. 

In order to activate the Pay.gov application, users must submit a letter, on company letterhead 

requesting the activation of the Pay.gov application: 

To Whom It May Concern: 

I, [Insert RCO name], [Insert RCO Title], of [Insert Company Name and EPA ID] establish 

[User Name] of [User Company] as a delegate for the purpose of submitting the following 

reports for me to the US Environmental Protection Agency via the Central Data Exchange 

(CDX):

OTAQWaiverCredits: Cellulosic Biofuel Waiver Credits Pay.gov Application—Company 

Submitter Role—Pay.gov portal: Pay.gov is used to purchase cellulosic biofuel waiver credits to 

be applied to a company’s RVO. In order to use this application, the user must know the amount 

of cellulosic biofuel waiver credits that the company needs. Additionally, a company may not 

purchase more credits than their company needs; nor may a company transfer credits to another 

party.

RCO Wet Ink Signature 5.1.2 Accessing the Cellulosic Biofuel Waiver Credit Program 

Application
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In order to access the Cellulosic Biofuel Waiver Credit Program Application, the 

“OTAQWaiverCredits: Cellulosic Biofuel Waiver Credits Pay.gov Application” must be active 

in the user profile. Once it is active, it will show up on the MyCDX homepage. Click on the 

“OTAQWaiverCredits: Cellulosic Biofuel Waiver Credits Pay.gov Application” link to continue. 

• The Cellulosic Biofuel Waiver Credit Program Home page looks like this: 

• Once on the homepage, click on “Purchase Credits” link to the left of the page.

• The “Purchase Information” page is where you will provide your payment information: 
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• The following information must be provided on the Purchase Credits page:

o Company Name (selected from the drop down menu); 

o Compliance Level;

o Facility ID (only required if complying on a refinery by refinery basis); and

o Number of Credits to be purchased. 

• Once all the information has been entered on the Purchase Credits page, click the 

“Calculate Total” button.

• This will direct you to the Review Purchase Information page: 

• Confirm the following information on the Purchase Information page:

o Amount of credits being purchased; 

o Per-credit price; and

o Total purchasing price. 

• If all the information looks correct click the “Continue to Pay.gov” button. 
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• The Payment Information must be entered in order to continue with the purchase: 

• Once all the information is added, click the “Continue with ACH Payment” button to 

continue. 
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• The Authorize Payment page contains the payment summary. Users may opt to enter in 

an email address to receive a confirmation receipt if they choose. 
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• If all the information is correct, the user must read accept the Authorization and 

Disclosure statement by clicking on the check box. Then the user may click “Submit 

Payment”.

• Once the submission has been accepted, the Credit Purchase History Detail page will 

be displayed. At the top of this page, it will indicate that the submission was a success: 

Congratulations! You have successfully submitted your payment to purchase cellulosic biofuel 

waiver credits. 

If you have any general or technical questions related to the Central Data Exchange (CDX) you 

may contact any of the following:

• Telephone – Person-to-person telephone support is available from the CDX Help Desk 8:00 

am – 6:00 pm EST. Call our toll-free line at 888-890-1995. 

• Email - Send e-mail to Technical Support at helpdesk@epacdx.net with “Technical Support” 

in the Subject line.

• Fax- Assistance requests are accepted 24 hours a day at 703-227-4199. Support personnel 

will respond to faxed requests Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm EST. 
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5.2 Electronic Payments via Fedwire

Be sure to include your Company Name, Company ID and reference "EPA Cellulosic Biofuel 

Waiver Credits" on the funds transfer. 

Receiving Financial Institution = TREAS NYC

Receiving FI ABA (routing #) = 021030004 

Beneficiary Account = 68011233

Beneficiary Name = EPA

On the RFS0302 Report, [Field No. 29] = Fedwire

5.3 Mail Payment 

Parties must submit the RFS2 Cellulosic Biofuel Waiver Credit Form along with their paper 

checks. This form can be found on the RFS Reporting Forms webpage 

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/reporting/rfs.htm. 

In addition to the form mentioned above, paper checks must have the following information: 

• Pay to the order of: U.S. EPA 

• Memo: RFS2 – CB

Address for check payments:

US Environmental Protection Agency 

Las Vegas Finance Center

PO Box 979087 

St. Louis, MO 63197-9000 

On the RFS0302 Report, [Field No. 29] = Mail

Additional Notes: 

• Renewable Fuel Exporters and other non-obligated parties may not purchase EPA 

cellulosic biofuel waiver credits

• Pursuant to 80.1456(b)(2), EPA cellulosic biofuel waiver credits are nonrefundable. 

• Pursuant to 80.1456(b)(3), EPA cellulosic biofuel waiver credits are nontransferable. 

• Pursuant to 80.1456(b)(4), EPA cellulosic biofuel waiver credits may only be used for an 

obligated party’s current year cellulosic biofuel RVO and not towards any prior year 

deficit cellulosic biofuel volume obligations.