EPA sets record 2026-2027 RFS mandates as RINs rise from $1 to nearly $2.25

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized record Renewable Fuel Standard targets in March 2024, requiring 25.82 billion RINs for 2026 and 25.98 billion for 2027, while moving about 70% of small-refinery exemptions back into the general pool. Analysts expect the RIN stockpile to fall to zero by the end of 2024 and turn into a deficit in 2027. RIN prices have already climbed from about $1 at the start of the year to nearly $2.25, lifting refiners’ compliance costs and reinforcing demand for biofuel feedstocks such as soybeans.