EPA announced a public comment period for the draft document titled, “Biofuels and the Environment: Third Triennial Report to Congress (External Review Draft).”

EPA proposed applicable volumes and percentage standards for 2023 through 2025 for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel; a second supplemental standard addressing the remand of the 2016 standard-setting rulemaking; and several regulatory changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard program, including regulations governing the generation of qualifying renewable electricity and other modifications intended to improve the program's implementation.

DOE published a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking to establish revised energy performance standards for the construction of new federal buildings, including commercial buildings, multifamily high-rise residential buildings, and low-rise residential buildings per the Energy Conservation and Production Act, as amended by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

EPA determined that renewable diesel, jet fuel, heating oil, naphtha, and liquefied petroleum gas produced from canola/rapeseed oil via a hydrotreating process all meet the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions reduction threshold of 50% required for advanced biofuels and biomass-based diesel under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program, added these pathways to the list of approved pathways in the RFS regulations, and added a new definition of “canola/rapeseed oil” to the RFS regulations.

BLM proposed new regulations to reduce the waste of natural gas from venting, flaring, and leaks during oil and gas production activities on federal and Indian leases.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation approved an exemption that would relieve federal agencies from the historic preservation review requirements under the National Historic Preservation Act regarding the effects of the installation of certain electric vehicle supply equipment on historic properties.

DOE amended its regulations on the procedures for the acquisition of petroleum products for the strategic petroleum reserve to more closely align the regulatory language with the applicable statutory language, remove outdated procedures for acquisition under the royalty-in-kind program, add procedures for acquisition by exchange to better reflect petroleum product acquisition operations as conducted by the Office of Petroleum Reserves, and increase the Department’s flexibility in structuring acquisitions.

DOE seeks comment on its Microgrid Program Strategy, which focuses on impactful results in key metrics, such as reliability, resilience, decarbonization, and affordability, in the next five to 10 years.