The total blend of ethanol in the fuel supply in 2016 is about 10.1 percent based on the ethanol volume of 14.5 billion gallons.  If set at 9.7 percent as proposed in the Flores-Welch bill, however, the volume obligation for ethanol would be 13.86 billion gallons.As a follow-up to last Friday’s report on the 2017 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the petroleum industry’s noted push for a Required Volume Obligation (RVO) of 9.7 percent of the total fuel supply is based on newly proposed legislation, the Food and Fuel Consumer Protection Act, sponsored by Representatives Bill Flores (R-Texas), Peter Welch (D-Vermont), Jim Costa (D-California) and Robert Goodlatte (R-Virginia). This bill would require the following:

The EPA administrator...