[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 11 (Thursday, January 16, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2699-2700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00617]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

[Docket ID RBS-20-Business-0002]


Request for Information on a Higher Blends Infrastructure 
Incentive Program

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service and the Commodity Credit 
Corporation, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of request for information (RFI) for a Higher Blends 
Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP).

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SUMMARY: The United States Department of Agriculture requests input 
from all interested parties on a Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive 
Program (HBIIP). The Department Agency is exploring options to expand 
domestic ethanol and biodiesel availability and is seeking information 
on opportunities to consider infrastructure projects to facilitate 
increased sales of higher biofuel blends (E15/B20 or higher.) This 
effort will build on biofuels infrastructure investments and experience 
gained through the Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership (BIP). USDA 
administered BIP from 2016-2019 through state and private partners to 
expand the availability of E15 and E85 infrastructure to make available 
higher ethanol blends at retail gas stations around the country.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on January 30, 2020. Comments received after 
the posted deadline will not be considered, regardless of postmark.

ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in response to this notice may be 
submitted online Via the Federal eRulmaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for the Docket ID RBS-20-Business-0002. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
    All comment received will be posted without change and publicly 
available on www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Brodziski: telephone (202)690-
4730, email: [email protected]. Persons with disabilities that 
require alternative means for communication should contact the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) Target Center at (202)720-2600 
(voice).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview

    This Request for Information (RFI) solicits information on options 
for fuel ethanol and biodiesel infrastructure, innovation, products, 
technology, and data derived from all HBIIP processes and/or science 
that drive economic growth, promote health, and increase public 
benefit. Through this RFI, USDA seeks input from the public, including 
but not limited to: (a) Retail fueling stations, convenience stores, 
hypermarket fueling stations, fleet facilities, and similar entities 
with capital investments; (b) equipment providers, equipment 
installers, certification entities and other stakeholder/manufacturers 
(both upstream and down); (c) fuel distribution centers, including 
terminals

[[Page 2700]]

and depots; and (d) those performing innovative research, and/or 
developing enabling platforms and applications in manufacturing, energy 
production, and agriculture.
    This RFI is intended to inform notable gaps, vulnerabilities, and 
areas to promote and protect in the HBIIP that may benefit from Federal 
government attention. The information can include suggestions on those 
areas of greatest priority within the HBIIP, as well as past or future 
Federal government efforts to build, promote, and sustain the sale and 
use of renewable fuels. The public input provided in response to this 
RFI will inform USDA as well as private sector and other stakeholders 
with interest in and expertise relating to such a promotion.

Instructions

    Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each individual or institution 
is requested to submit only one response as directed in the ADDRESSES 
section of this notice. Submission must not exceed 10 pages in 12 point 
or larger font, with a page number provided on each page. Responses 
should include the name of the person(s) or organization(s) filing the 
comment. Comments containing references, studies, research, and other 
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies or 
electronic links of the referenced materials. Comments containing 
profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate language or 
content will not be considered. Comments submitted in response to this 
notice are subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Responses to 
this RFI may also be posted, without change, on a Federal website.
    Therefore, we request that no business proprietary information, 
copyrighted information, or personally identifiable information be 
submitted in response to this RFI. In accordance with FAR 15-202(3), 
responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the 
Government to form a binding contract. Additionally, the U.S. 
Government will not pay for response preparation or for the use of any 
information contained in the response.
    To inform the Federal government's decision-making and establish 
the Nation's guiding principles in the promotion of the HBIIP, USDA now 
seeks public input on how U.S. Government action might support 
appropriately the expansion of a nationwide effort. To that end, 
responders are specifically requested to answer one or more of the 
following questions in their submissions. Consortia responses are also 
encouraged.
    1. What type of assistance/incentive would encourage the increased 
sales/use of fuel ethanol and/or biodiesel in a way that is most cost-
effective to the government?
    a. Should a potential biofuels infrastructure program incentivize 
the lowest cost per incremental gallon of ethanol or biodiesel use/
sales at the retail/fueling station level or terminal/depot/wholesale 
level or both retail/fueling station and terminal/depot/wholesale 
levels?
    b. What types of equipment and infrastructure should be eligible 
under the program?
    2. Should program funding provided to participants include: (a) 
Direct cost-share toward purchase of equipment, retrofitting, and 
enhancements; (b) higher blend biofuel sales or marketing incentives; 
(c) both; or (d) other?
    3. Should the program include minimum standards for equipment, such 
as equipment certified to dispense biofuel blends containing 25 percent 
ethanol (certified for use with E15) and/or B20-compatable or higher 
biofuel blend dispensers?
    4. From your perspective, what types of efforts have proven to be 
effective in increasing higher biofuel blends sales?
    a. What are the most appropriate higher biofuel blend levels (for 
both ethanol and biodiesel) that the program should be incentivizing?
    b. Should there be a minimum requirement on the number or 
percentage of dispensers converted to higher biofuel blends at a retail 
site or fueling station?
    c. Should there be a requirement for certain dispenser 
configurations such as shared hoses (as practicable and allowed by law, 
for higher biofuel blends to share a pump hose with existing fuels)?
    d. Should there be a requirement for signage (as allowed by law) 
and marketing?
    e. Should USDA insist on consistent terminology and branding and 
naming of E15 and/or B20 or other higher biofuel blends?
    5. From your perspective, if cost-sharing is required, what minimum 
level of cost-share (owner contribution) should be required of 
recipients of funding? What would you consider to be the most cost-
effective level of cost-share?
    6. What steps should a potential biofuels program take to ensure 
equitable program participation by small- to mid-sized station owners? 
(That is, owners of less than 10 to less than 20 sites/stations. We are 
especially interested to hear from small- to midsized station owners on 
this question.)
    7. From your perspective, how much post-award reporting is 
reasonable for recipients of funding? e.g. quarterly or annual 
reporting of higher blend fuel sales by the participant?
    8. What other barriers exist that limit expansion of availability 
of biofuels to consumers? What specific actions could USDA take to 
guide a transformation and/or expansion of a nationwide biofuels-
infrastructure program, in both the short- and long-term?
    9. To what extent should infrastructure investments made today be 
required to accommodate fuels anticipated to be in the marketplace of 
tomorrow?
    10. Please provide feedback on the effectiveness of the 2015-2019 
Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) program.

Robert Stephenson,
Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
Bette B. Brand,
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-00617 Filed 1-15-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P