Trump administration unlikely to finalise 2026 biofuel quotas this year

The Trump administration is unlikely to complete rulemaking on US biofuel blending requirements for 2026 before the end of this year, according to industry sources cited by Reuters, adding to uncertainty for fuel producers and agricultural markets.
Under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for setting annual quotas that determine how much biofuel must be blended into the nation’s fuel supply. Refiners, biofuel producers and farmers rely on timely guidance to make investment and production decisions.
Sources told Reuters that competing regulatory priorities, coupled with ongoing policy reviews within the administration, mean that the EPA is expected to focus on finalising nearer-term obligations before addressing 2026 volumes.
Any delay would continue a pattern in which biofuel mandates are set later than the timelines originally envisaged under the law.
The prospect of postponed quotas has drawn mixed reactions. Biofuel producers and farm groups argue that delayed decisions undermine market confidence and slow investment in renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.
Refiners, meanwhile, have long complained that the programme imposes high compliance costs and introduces uncertainty into fuel markets.
The EPA has not formally commented on the expected timing of the 2026 quotas. However, officials have previously said the agency aims to balance support for domestic energy production with regulatory certainty.
Industry participants say further delays could heighten political pressure from both agricultural states and the refining sector as the administration navigates broader energy and environmental policy debates.