US ethanol, SAF leaders react to court decision on ReFuelEU aviation regulations

Renewable Fuels Association

3 hours ago2 min read

Leaders of the U.S. ethanol and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industries expressed disappointment Feb. 27 in the Feb. 25 decision by the General Court of the European Union to dismiss a challenge against the ReFuelEU aviation regulations brought by European biofuel producers.

The court ruled that ePURE and Pannonia Bio did not have a legal right to bring the challenge, which asserted the EU’s SAF regulation improperly discriminates against crop-based biofuels.

In May 2024, the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, U.S. Grains Council and LanzaJet petitioned the court to intervene in support of the European biofuel interests.

But because the underlying challenge was dismissed, the objections to the EU regulation raised by the U.S. groups were not considered by the court.

“We are disappointed by the court’s decision and strongly disagree with its finding that biofuel producers in the EU and United States—who manufacture the renewable fuels that become SAF—are somehow not harmed or affected by the EU’s unfair and unscientific SAF requirements,” the U.S. groups stated.

“We will continue exploring options with our partners in Europe to address the biased nature and punitive effects of the ReFuelEU aviation regulation,” they added.

By essentially banning crop-based SAF from qualifying, the ReFuelEU aviation regulation harms ethanol and SAF producers around the world by denying them access to an emerging low-carbon fuel market.

And, because commercial aviation is a global marketplace, the EU regulations also have extraterritorial effects on operations outside of Europe.

RFA also petitioned the court to intervene in a separate challenge brought by EU producers against the FuelEU maritime regulation, which similarly blocks crop-based biofuels from participating in the EU’s regulatory program to decarbonize maritime fuels.

The underlying challenge to the FuelEU maritime regulation—and RFA’s petition to intervene—were also dismissed by the court Feb. 25.