NEFI has filed two major comment letters with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in recent days, addressing proposed regulatory reforms to expedite natural gas pipeline expansion and change how heating oil is treated under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Both follow recent testimony by NEFI President & CEO Jim Collura before the agency and ongoing engagement with senior administration officials.

Regarding natural gas pipelines, Section 401 of the Clean Water Act gives states the authority to certify, condition, or deny federal permits for projects that may impact water quality, including energy projects. In the Northeast, this provision has been used to block or delay large-scale natural gas pipeline projects such as the Constitution Pipeline. Proposed changes at EPA could narrow state authority, making it more difficult to deny permits. In fact, the owner of these projects has confirmed they are being restarted.

NEFI's filing on Section 401 challenges the outdated claim – often cited by pipeline proponents – that new gas infrastructure is needed to replace "dirty" home heating oil. NEFI detailed the industry's transformation over the past decade, including universal adoption of ultra-low sulfur heating oil, widespread renewable fuel blending, and the availability of high-efficiency equipment. These advances have significantly reduced emissions, improved performance, and provided consumers with affordable, reliable, and increasingly renewable energy. NEFI urged EPA to base decisions on current data, ensure a level playing field, and recognize heating oil's role in regional energy security.

The debate intensified last week when EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin published an op-ed in the Boston Globe supporting construction of the Constitution Pipeline. In response, New England Senators including Markey (D-MA), Whitehouse (D-RI), Welch (D-VT), Shaheen (D-NH), King (I-ME), and Blumenthal (D-CT), sent Zeldin a letter criticizing the administration's energy policies, particularly its assault on wind and solar energy, and urging support for the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

In separate comments on the RFS, NEFI strongly supported higher renewable fuel volume requirements for biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuels, citing the industry's proven capacity to meet ambitious targets. However, the association warned that proposed definitional changes to "heating oil" and "renewable fuel oil" could apply impractical documentation requirements for producers, distributors, and millions of homeowners. NEFI cautions that these changes could raise costs, reduce supply, and undermine more than 15 years of successful renewable fuel integration in the heating oil market. NEFI also joined the Advanced Biofuels Association in opposing a proposed 50% RIN reduction for fuels from foreign feedstocks, which would disproportionately harm the Northeast.

NEFI will continue to engage the EPA and other policymakers on these issues and keep members and supporters up to date.

For more information or questions regarding these issues, contact NEFI President & CEO Jim Collura at jim.collura@nefi.com.