Why It Matters

American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) is pushing back against what it views as escalating regulatory costs. The group argues the EPA set renewable fuel obligations at levels too large and expensive for refiners to comply with without affecting fuel supply or increasing costs for consumers. This comes as U.S. refining capacity continues to shrink, with a Houston refinery closure alone removing 263,776 barrels per day from the market and a planned Los Angeles facility exit threatening another 138,700 barrels daily.

By the Numbers

AFPM spent $1,520,000 on lobbying in the second quarter of 2026, filing its disclosure on July 27. The group operates an in-house lobbying operation with six active lobbyists, including vice president of government relations Aaron Ringel, senior director of government relations Cory Toth, government relations manager Hannah Sztorc, and three others. Over the past year, AFPM generated $5,930,000 in total lobbying revenue. The group also retained Capitol Tax Partners for energy-related tax issues, though that firm's filings remained consistent at $80,000 per quarter through the first quarter of 2026.

The Agenda

The EPA finalized renewable fuel standard volumes for 2026 and 2027 on March 27, setting renewable volume obligations at 25.82 billion renewable identification numbers for 2026 and 25.98 billion for 2027. The rule included a 70 percent reallocation of small refinery exemptions granted for 2023 through 2025. AFPM characterized the regulation as this administration's most expensive regulation. The group backed the REFINER Act, which would require government examination of refineries' contributions to U.S. energy security and recommendations to increase capacity. Treasury and IRS issued proposed regulations on the amended 45Z clean fuel production credit on February 3, introducing what has been described as a technology-neutral, emissions-based framework replacing several prior biofuel and alternative fuel incentives.

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