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25 Jan

Posted at 23:10h in Advocacy, Industry News, Regulatory
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Renew Kansas Biofuels Association's comment to EPA to amend the Kansas State Implementation Plan (SIP) to allow for year-round sales of E15 fuel in Kansas City has now been submitted (via Regulations.gov) on the “Kansas Air Plan Approval; Removal of Kansas City, Kansas Reid Vapor Pressure Requirement”. You can find the proposal, and submit comments, here: Regulations.gov - Docket Folder Summary (Docket No. EPA-R07-OAR-2020-0711) Renew Kansas' comment, available via the button to the left, will be viewable on Regulations.gov once EPA has reviewed it. Use our tracking number to find the status...

23 Jan

Posted at 16:33h in Advocacy
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Legislative Session, Week Two Security issues with the capitol building caused a slow-down of activity for a couple of days during a week which also saw a flood of new bills introduced on dozens of issues. Many of these bills were being given new life following the shortened session last year. Of note this week, was the quick passage, by both the Senate and the House, of a bill extending the current emergency declaration under the Kansas Emergency Management Act (KEMA). That bill will be advanced to the Governor for review....

19 Jan

Posted at 21:27h in Advocacy, Industry News, Regulatory
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Renew Kansas Biofuels Association has been working to amend Kansas and Missouri State Implementation Plans (SIPs) to allow for year-round sales of E15 fuel in Kansas City. The Kansas SIP Amendment Proposal for the Kansas City area has now been published in the Federal Register, and the 30-day comment period on the proposal will close on February 18th. The comment period on the Missouri Proposal will close on January 22nd. To date, EPA has received no comment on the Missouri proposal. SUBMIT COMMENTS...

19 Jan

Posted at 21:19h in Industry News
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Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment has launched a website dedicated strictly to COVID-19 vaccination information. The website includes statistics, safety, availability, providers and much more. A frequently asked questions section also contains answers to many different inquiries. Anyone wishing to gather more information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine in Kansas, visit https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/....

17 Jan

Posted at 18:50h in Advocacy, Industry News, Regulatory
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EPA has formally proposed to extend 2019 RFS compliance deadlines for small refineries, following up on an announcement by Administrator Andrew Wheeler before the March 2020 deadline. Only small refineries would receive the 2019 extension; the new compliance deadline would be November 30, 2021. EPA also proposes to extend the 2020 RFS compliance deadline for all obligated parties to January 31, 2022. The attest engagement deadline under the proposal for both years would fall on June 1, 2022. EPA has scheduled a virtual public hearing on this proposal for Tuesday February 9,...

15 Jan

Posted at 23:03h in Advocacy
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2021 Legislative Session Commences The Kansas legislature gaveled in on Monday, January 11, 2021, and your association’s government affairs staff was at the capitol monitoring and weighing in on bills affecting our industry. It was a busy week in Topeka which saw the swearing in of new members following the 2020 elections, a virtual State of the State address by Governor Laura Kelly, and the introduction of many new bills. Heading into the session, several controversial issues have been gearing up for prime time. The Senate started off quickly out of the gate, passing...

15 Jan

Posted at 14:21h in Advocacy, Industry News, Regulatory
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Renew Kansas Biofuels Association has been working toward amending Kansas and Missouri regulations and State Implementation Plans (SIPs) to allow for year-round sales of E15 fuel in Kansas City. The Kansas low RVP removal SIP proposal for the Kansas City area will publish in the Federal Register on Tuesday, January 19th. The comment period on the Missouri proposal closes on Friday, January 22nd. To date, EPA has received no comments on the Missouri SIP proposal. Forecast: EPA will review any public comments received, and should then issue its approval to amend the SIPs. Kansas...

14 Jan

Posted at 16:16h in Advocacy, Industry News, Regulatory
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Following multiple conversations with Renew Kansas Biofuels Association staff newly sworn in Senator Dr. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) coordinated and sent a letter to United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler urging against small refinery exemptions. Marshall, a longtime supporter of the biofuels industry, noted the harm granting small refinery exemptions would cause to biofuel processing plants and producers in the Midwest. "Ethanol and biodiesel plants that are already struggling to cope with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic are at risk of closing their doors, cutting off key markets...

08 Jan

Posted at 16:24h in Industry News
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Governor Laura Kelly has announced the five-phase distribution order of COVID-19 vaccines for population groups in Kansas. In early December, Renew Kansas Biofuels Association organized a coalition of 14 agriculture-related organizations and led efforts of sending a letter to Kelly and Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam emphasizing prioritizing distribution of COVID-19 vaccines among front-line agricultural employees behind the obvious top-tier recipients. ”These COVID-19 vaccination phase groups were created using guidance from national and state public health experts and with input from the Kansas Coronavirus Vaccine Advisory Council, or COVAC, which represents a...

06 Jan

Posted at 17:19h in Industry News, Regulatory
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The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a final rule clarifying the standard for employee versus independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Sharpening the test to determine who is an independent contractor under the FLSA makes it easier to identify employees covered by the Act, while recognizing and respecting the entrepreneurial spirit of workers who choose to pursue the freedoms associated with being an independent contractor. The Final Rule includes the following clarifications: Reaffirms an “economic reality” test to determine whether an individual is in business for him or herself (independent contractor)...

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