On November 7, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted some relief on 14 of 16 small-refinery exemption petitions covering Renewable Fuel Standard compliance years 2021 through 2024. Two petitions received full exemptions, 12 received partial exemptions, and two were denied. Reuters reported that the partial exemptions reduced the affected refineries’ obligations by 50%.
What EPA decided in November 2025
The EPA action covered 16 petitions submitted by eight refineries for compliance years 2021–2024. The agency granted two full exemptions and 12 partial exemptions, while denying two petitions. The 14 approvals therefore count petitions receiving at least partial relief—not 14 refineries. EPA’s November 7 announcement describes the aggregate decisions; Reuters’ report says the partial exemptions were for 50% of the obligations.
| Disposition | Petitions | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Full exemption | 2 | Full relief from the covered RFS obligations |
| Partial exemption | 12 | Reuters reported a 50% reduction in covered obligations |
| Denied | 2 | No exemption granted on those petitions |
What a small-refinery exemption changes
The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requires regulated parties to meet renewable-fuel compliance obligations. A small-refinery exemption relieves an eligible refinery from some or all of those obligations for the covered compliance period. It is not a blanket exemption from environmental regulation, nor does it repeal the RFS or eliminate biofuel-blending requirements generally.
RFS compliance is tracked in part through Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), credits associated with renewable fuel. An exemption changes the covered party’s compliance obligation; it should not be confused with a count of refineries, petitions, gallons of fuel, or RINs. The available November 2025 announcement establishes the petition outcomes, but does not give a total number of RINs attributable to that batch.
#1 Best Overall
- ALGAE CULTURE: In our labs in San Diego we grow algae and zooplankton cultures for most habitats on our planet (and perhaps Mars!) We carry freshwater, brackish, marine, and extremophile cultures of algae. They grow to exhibit colorful pigments of red (phycoerythrin), orange (carotenoids), brown (fucoxanthin), blue green (phycocyanin), and our favorite->green (chlorophyll). Our algae strains have been selected because they are grown well in bottles and flasks.
- SCIENCE PROJECT: Teachers, parents, and students - grow algae easily and get great results for inquiry-based projects. Because algae grow FAST experiments take a fraction of the time as land-plants (and algae is cooler!) Great experiments: toxicology, light quality, environmental changes, algae blooms. Blog posts detail science-fair winners and other projects. Students have sent our algae into SPACE THREE TIMES (would have been four, but the rocket exploded.. we still love you Space X.)
- WHO WE ARE: Algae Research Supply is a small group of teachers and scientists with a mission of educating the next generations on aquatic science. Over 50% of the planet's oxygen comes from algae, however we are not emphasizing algae's importance in school- our mission is to make it EASY, AFFORDABLE, and REPEATABLE to teach algae in classrooms.
- WHICH ONE TO PICK: Choose from culture, culture kit, farming kits, algae beads or Brainy Briny's. All items come with our Algae Culture Manual. CULTURE is simply cells of algae. CULTURE KIT is the culture, salts, nutrients, and a flask (in most kits). FARMING KIT is used to grow batches of algae to harvest biomass. ALGAE BEADS are concentrated cells in a gel used for classrooms. Brainy Briny's are a zooplankton and algae culture kit.
How EPA says it reviewed the petitions
The Clean Air Act allows EPA to temporarily exempt small refineries from RFS obligations when compliance would cause disproportionate economic hardship. EPA said it consulted the Department of Energy, reviewed refinery submissions, and evaluated the petitions under the Clean Air Act and relevant case law. EPA’s later decision document describes a small refinery as one with average aggregate daily crude-oil throughput of no more than 75,000 barrels in a calendar year. EPA’s August 2026 decision document provides that threshold.
The public sources establish the November batch’s overall disposition, but do not establish each refinery’s identity or the detailed rationale for each decision. Refinery-specific materials may include confidential business information.
Rank #2
- THE ORGINAL DIY BACTERIA TEST KIT that is certified accurate by Good Housekeeping Labs, American Red Cross, Underwriter Labs, and Merck Labs. Designed and developed by our EPA certified scientists. Made in the USA.
- PATENTED TECHNOLOGY: Detects 50 different species of coliform bacteria (including E. coli), as low as 1-organism. Test any freshwater supply.
- 3RD PARTY STERILIZATION: Every Safe Home kit is sterilized by a certified facility (see attached certificate) and guaranteed to be “free from bacteria” before you test. This process assures zero “false positive results” from product contamination, as may be experienced with other kits who skip this sterilization process.
- FAST RESULTS- Get results as quickly as 6 hours. May take up to 72 hours based on incubation conditions, and concentrations of bacteria in the water being tested.
- YOUR PURCHASE MAKES A DIFFERENCE in people’s lives. Safe Home donates a portion of every test kit sale to clean water initiatives around the globe. See attached images with this listing, to learn more.
Why the 2026 decisions are a separate batch
EPA announced another set of decisions on August 31, 2026, covering petitions for compliance year 2025. Those decisions are not part of the November 2025 tally. EPA reported 34 petitions in the later batch: 18 full exemptions, 11 partial exemptions, three denials, and two petitions deemed ineligible. The agency also reported that this separate action exempted 1.76 billion RINs. EPA’s announcement, updated September 2, 2026, gives those figures.
| Decision date | Compliance years | Petitions | Refineries | Outcome | Reported RIN volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 7, 2025 | 2021–2024 | 16 | 8 | 2 full, 12 partial, 2 denied | Not stated in the cited EPA announcement or Reuters report |
| August 31, 2026 | 2025 | 34 | Not stated in the cited EPA announcement | 18 full, 11 partial, 3 denied, 2 ineligible | 1.76 billion RINs |
What the decision may mean for fuel and farm markets
The Renewable Fuels Association criticized the November decisions. Its president, Geoff Cooper, said the action created “even more uncertainty and confusion” in renewable-fuel and agriculture markets, pointing to record corn and soybean harvests. That is the association’s assessment; the cited reporting does not establish a specific market-price effect caused by the 14 approvals.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Easy-to-use pouch provides industry leading presumptive testing results.
- Handheld field test…no calibration needed
- Sealed system eliminates contamination
- Removable Swab for acquiring sample or particulate
- 3 Step Process…Swab, Crush and View Results
Rank #4
- Your At-home Gut Health Test: Find out how to support your digestive health from home with BIOHM’s at-home gut test kit. Once you purchase and receive your kit, just collect and submit your sample to receive your personalized gut health report, it’s that easy
- Comprehensive Gut Report: BIOHM’s Gut Test kit provides a comprehensive report based on your sample and the completed lifestyle survey. Your gut health report includes a gut score, comparisons of your bacterial, and fungal levels to normal levels as well as a summary of recommendations for improving your gut health
- Easy-to-read Results: With so many bacteria and fungi to analyze, reviewing a comprehensive gut report can be overwhelming. BIOHM’s Gut Report uses an easy to read legend, so that you can visualize your gut make-up as compared to normal make-ups
- Actionable Recommendations: In addition to receiving the results of your BIOHM Gut Test, your gut report will also include actionable recommendations from Registered Dietitians. Learn about lifestyle and dietary changes you can make to optimize your digestive health
- Get Your Gut Score: Find out how your digestive health measures up with BIOHM’s gut scoring system that grades your gut microbiome diversity on a scale of 1-10. Then, use the recommendations for improving your overall gut health to improve your gut score
Rank #3
- 【Complete Water Testing Kit】- The Funhaosta Bacteria Test Kit includes 12 culture plates, detailed testing instructions, a bacterial identification guide with treatment recommendations, 12 sterile swabs, labeling stickers, testing gloves, and sealable bags. Everything is included - no additional supplies required!
- 【Accurate Test Results】- Unlike color-changing test strips, our kit allows you to visually observe bacterial growth within 24-48 hours on the culture plates, providing more reliable and verifiable results.
- 【Universal Water Testing】- Safely test all water sources including tap water, well water, pool water, aquariums, and more. Perfect for homes, RVs, camping trips, and outdoor use to ensure your water is bacteria-free.
- 【Detects ALL Bacteria】- Comprehensive testing for total bacterial contamination - not just E.coli/coliform. Identifies harmful bacteria like Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and other common waterborne bacteria.
- 【FREE Expert Analysis】- Can't identify the bacteria? Simply send us clear photos of your culture plates for professional analysis. No need to mail samples - we'll provide a detailed bacteria analysis report!
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
