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under the RFS," NBB wrote in its com- ments, which can be found on the NBB website. "Today, nearly 2 billion gallons of biodiesel and renewable diesel displace an equivalent amount of petroleum diesel. This has resulted in significant reductions in pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while creating thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in economic impact across the nation." "The industry now has production plants in nearly every state in the country making fuel from an increasingly diverse mix of feedstocks, including recycled cooking oil, plant oils such as soybean oil and animal fats," the comments state. "In short, the biomass based diesel pro- gram has exceeded expectations and is achieving the goals that Congress outlined in creating the RFS. As a result, it war- rants additional volume growth to meet the objectives of Congress in expanding renewable fuel use in the diesel market and in promoting advanced biofuels under the program. NBB's comments follow a letter from 36 U.S. senators calling for increased bio- diesel volumes, and add to thousands of comments submitted by biodiesel sup- porters to the EPA in recent weeks. "The EPA's proposal is an improve- ment over its initial draft, but the agency can and should do much better," said Anne Steckel, NBB vice president of fed- eral affairs. "We have presented credible, compelling reasons for increasing bio- diesel use under the RFS, and we hope the EPA carefully reviews our comments and those of thousands of other biodiesel supporters who have weighed in." Made from a diverse mix of resources such as recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and animal fats, biodiesel is a renew- able, clean-burning diesel replacement used in existing diesel engines without modification. It is the first and only com- mercial-scale fuel produced across the U.S. to meet the EPA's definition as an Advanced Biofuel—meaning the EPA has determined that it reduces green- house gas emissions by more than 50 % when compared with petroleum diesel. Biodiesel falls under the Biomass- based Diesel category of the RFS, which is a subset of the overall Advanced Biofuels category. The EPA proposal, which is slated to be finalized in November, would gradually raise biodiesel volumes by about 100 million gallons per year to a standard of 1.9 billion gallons in 2017. The overall Advanced Biofuel standard would rise to 3.4 billion gallons in 2016. NBB had requested more aggressive growth to a biodiesel standard of 2.7 bil- lion gallons by 2017, along with additional growth in the overall Advanced Biofuel category. RENEWABLE ENERGY GROUP TO ACQUIRE IMPERIUM RENEWABLES Renewable Energy Group, Inc. and Imperium Renewables, Inc. announced that they have signed an asset purchase agreement where REG would acquire substantially all the assets of Imperium, including a 100-million gallon name- plate capacity biomass-based diesel refinery and deepwater port terminal at the Port of Grays Harbor, Wash. Based in Ames, Iowa, REG is a lead- ing North American producer and marketer of biomass-based diesel, with 10 active biorefineries across the US and a nationwide production, distribution and logistics system. Seattle-based Imperium Renewables began developing proprietary technol- ogy and processes in the production of biodiesel in 2004. The Grays Harbor refinery began operation in August 2007 in Hoquiam, Wash., and is well positioned for advanced biofuel pro- duction, storage, and transport from southern California to western Canada. The fully-operational 100-million gal- lon nameplate capacity biorefinery will be renamed REG Grays Harbor, LLC. The facility includes 18 million gallons of storage capacity and a terminal that can accommodate feedstock intake and fuel delivery on deep-water PANAMAX class vessels as well as possessing significant rail and truck transport capability. Calendar of Events SEPTEMBER, 2015 Pacific Oil Conference Sept. 8-10 JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE! Los Angeles, Calif. Oil Heat Institute of Long Island Fall Outing Sept. 14 St. George's Golf & Country Club, Stony Brook, N.Y. 631-360-0200 info@ohili.org F.W. Webb 16 th Annual Customer Appreciation Expo Sept. 17, 2015 1019 New Loudon Road (Rte 9) Latham, N.Y., 12047 Info: www.fwwebb. PPA 2015 Fall Energy Conference and Annual Meeting September 28-30 Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa Bedford, Pa. Contact: rwillis@papetroleum.org or (717) 939-1781 OCTOBER, 2015 10 th Annual AltWheels Fleet Day Oct. 7 Four Points by Sheraton Norwood, Mass. Contact: Classic Communications: 508-698-6810 Email: info@classic-communications.com NACS Show October 11-14 Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nev. www.nacsonline.com/NACSShow OPIS 7 th Annual RFS2, RINs & Biodiesel Forum October 15-16 Chicago Marriott Downtown Chicago. Ill. 888-301-2645 8 th Integer Emissions Summit USA & DEF Forum 2015 October 27-29 Hyatt Regency & Convention Center McCormick Place, Chicago, Ill. Contact: James Hobday: james.hob- day@integer-research.com DATELINE BREAKING NEWS 4 SEPTEMBER 2015 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com