Congress moves to block EPA's renewable fuel rule, tightening biofuel mandates

What it does

This is a Congressional Review Act resolution that would block an EPA rule setting renewable fuel blending requirements for 2026–2027 and partially waiving cellulosic biofuel mandates for 2025. If passed, the rule would be nullified and have no legal effect, leaving prior fuel standards in place.

Why we flagged it

This is a procedural CRA resolution under 5 U.S.C. § 801 et seq., which allows Congress to nullify agency rules within 60 legislative days. It does exactly one thing: disapprove a specific EPA rule. The mechanism is transparent and statutory.

What the text implies

• Disapproving the rule does not restore a prior rule—it voids the 2026–2027 standards and the partial waiver, leaving the question of what fuel standards actually apply in 2026–2027 potentially unresolved unless prior rules remain in effect by operation of law.
• The partial waiver of cellulosic biofuel requirements was a concession to fuel blenders and refiners; disapproving it tightens cellulosic mandates, raising compliance costs for fuel producers and potentially increasing fuel prices at the pump.
• A successful disapproval would likely trigger litigation over whether prior RFS standards automatically remain in effect or whether the EPA must issue a new rule to fill the void.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Blocking the EPA rule preserves existing renewable fuel mandates, which may lower fuel costs for some consumers (biofuel is often cheaper than petroleum) but could raise costs at the pump if blending requirements increase fuel prices. The partial waiver the rule contained would have eased cellulosic biofuel requirements, so disapproving it tightens those mandates—benefiting renewable fuel producers but potentially raising compliance costs passed to consumers.

Who stands to gain

• renewable fuel producers (ethanol, biodiesel, cellulosic biofuel manufacturers)
• agricultural commodity producers (corn, soybeans, cellulose feedstock suppliers)

Named in the bill

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program, cellulosic biofuel producers, fuel blenders and refiners, Congress

Where it stands

1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.

• Apr 20, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Apr 20, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $20,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 11 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.

Scott Perry, the sponsor, reported $668,994 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Center for Individual Freedom — $20,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 16, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.