Request for Information on a Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program
| Published date | 16 January 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 2699 |
| Record Number | 2020-00617 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Commodity Credit Corporation,Rural Business-cooperative Service |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 11 (Thursday, January 16, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 11 (Thursday, January 16, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2699-2700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00617]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
[Docket ID RBS-20-Business-0002]
Request for Information on a Higher Blends Infrastructure
Incentive Program
AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service and the Commodity Credit
Corporation, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of request for information (RFI) for a Higher Blends
Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP).
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SUMMARY: The United States Department of Agriculture requests input
from all interested parties on a Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive
Program (HBIIP). The Department Agency is exploring options to expand
domestic ethanol and biodiesel availability and is seeking information
on opportunities to consider infrastructure projects to facilitate
increased sales of higher biofuel blends (E15/B20 or higher.) This
effort will build on biofuels infrastructure investments and experience
gained through the Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership (BIP). USDA
administered BIP from 2016-2019 through state and private partners to
expand the availability of E15 and E85 infrastructure to make available
higher ethanol blends at retail gas stations around the country.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on January 30, 2020. Comments received after
the posted deadline will not be considered, regardless of postmark.
ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in response to this notice may be
submitted online Via the Federal eRulmaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for the Docket ID RBS-20-Business-0002.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
All comment received will be posted without change and publicly
available on www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Brodziski: telephone (202)690-
4730, email: [email protected]. Persons with disabilities that
require alternative means for communication should contact the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) Target Center at (202)720-2600
(voice).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Overview
This Request for Information (RFI) solicits information on options
for fuel ethanol and biodiesel infrastructure, innovation, products,
technology, and data derived from all HBIIP processes and/or science
that drive economic growth, promote health, and increase public
benefit. Through this RFI, USDA seeks input from the public, including
but not limited to: (a) Retail fueling stations, convenience stores,
hypermarket fueling stations, fleet facilities, and similar entities
with capital investments; (b) equipment providers, equipment
installers, certification entities and other stakeholder/manufacturers
(both upstream and down); (c) fuel distribution centers, including
terminals
[[Page 2700]]
and depots; and (d) those performing innovative research, and/or
developing enabling platforms and applications in manufacturing, energy
production, and agriculture.
This RFI is intended to inform notable gaps, vulnerabilities, and
areas to promote and protect in the HBIIP that may benefit from Federal
government attention. The information can include suggestions on those
areas of greatest priority within the HBIIP, as well as past or future
Federal government efforts to build, promote, and sustain the sale and
use of renewable fuels. The public input provided in response to this
RFI will inform USDA as well as private sector and other stakeholders
with interest in and expertise relating to such a promotion.
Instructions
Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each individual or institution
is requested to submit only one response as directed in the ADDRESSES
section of this notice. Submission must not exceed 10 pages in 12 point
or larger font, with a page number provided on each page. Responses
should include the name of the person(s) or organization(s) filing the
comment. Comments containing references, studies, research, and other
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies or
electronic links of the referenced materials. Comments containing
profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate language or
content will not be considered. Comments submitted in response to this
notice are subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Responses to
this RFI may also be posted, without change, on a Federal website.
Therefore, we request that no business proprietary information,
copyrighted information, or personally identifiable information be
submitted in response to this RFI. In accordance with FAR 15-202(3),
responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the
Government to form a binding contract. Additionally, the U.S.
Government will not pay for response preparation or for the use of any
information contained in the response.
To inform the Federal government's decision-making and establish
the Nation's guiding principles in the promotion of the HBIIP, USDA now
seeks public input on how U.S. Government action might support
appropriately the expansion of a nationwide effort. To that end,
responders are specifically requested to answer one or more of the
following questions in their submissions. Consortia responses are also
encouraged.
1. What type of assistance/incentive would encourage the increased
sales/use of fuel ethanol and/or biodiesel in a way that is most cost-
effective to the government?
a. Should a potential biofuels infrastructure program incentivize
the lowest cost per incremental gallon of ethanol or biodiesel use/
sales at the retail/fueling station level or terminal/depot/wholesale
level or both retail/fueling station and terminal/depot/wholesale
levels?
b. What types of equipment and infrastructure should be eligible
under the program?
2. Should program funding provided to participants include: (a)
Direct cost-share toward purchase of equipment, retrofitting, and
enhancements; (b) higher blend biofuel sales or marketing incentives;
(c) both; or (d) other?
3. Should the program include minimum standards for equipment, such
as equipment certified to dispense biofuel blends containing 25 percent
ethanol (certified for use with E15) and/or B20-compatable or higher
biofuel blend dispensers?
4. From your perspective, what types of efforts have proven to be
effective in increasing higher biofuel blends sales?
a. What are the most appropriate higher biofuel blend levels (for
both ethanol and biodiesel) that the program should be incentivizing?
b. Should there be a minimum requirement on the number or
percentage of dispensers converted to higher biofuel blends at a retail
site or fueling station?
c. Should there be a requirement for certain dispenser
configurations such as shared hoses (as practicable and allowed by law,
for higher biofuel blends to share a pump hose with existing fuels)?
d. Should there be a requirement for signage (as allowed by law)
and marketing?
e. Should USDA insist on consistent terminology and branding and
naming of E15 and/or B20 or other higher biofuel blends?
5. From your perspective, if cost-sharing is required, what minimum
level of cost-share (owner contribution) should be required of
recipients of funding? What would you consider to be the most cost-
effective level of cost-share?
6. What steps should a potential biofuels program take to ensure
equitable program participation by small- to mid-sized station owners?
(That is, owners of less than 10 to less than 20 sites/stations. We are
especially interested to hear from small- to midsized station owners on
this question.)
7. From your perspective, how much post-award reporting is
reasonable for recipients of funding? e.g. quarterly or annual
reporting of higher blend fuel sales by the participant?
8. What other barriers exist that limit expansion of availability
of biofuels to consumers? What specific actions could USDA take to
guide a transformation and/or expansion of a nationwide biofuels-
infrastructure program, in both the short- and long-term?
9. To what extent should infrastructure investments made today be
required to accommodate fuels anticipated to be in the marketplace of
tomorrow?
10. Please provide feedback on the effectiveness of the 2015-2019
Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) program.
Robert Stephenson,
Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
Bette B. Brand,
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-00617 Filed 1-15-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P
