The United States has witnessed a concerning surge in the importation of used cooking oil (UCO) in recent years, with imports reaching a staggering 3 billion pounds in 2022 - a significant increase from the 200 million pounds imported just two years prior.
This dramatic rise has raised eyebrows among lawmakers, who are now seeking to uncover the underlying causes and potential implications of this trend.
U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) have taken the lead in addressing this issue, spearheading a effort to press the Biden administration for answers.
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Joining forces, the two senators have penned a letter to key government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), seeking clarity on the steps being taken to address the surge in UCO imports.
In their letter, Grassley and Marshall have outlined several pressing concerns. They highlight the potential for fraudulent activities, noting that the renewable fuels industry has raised the alarm about large quantities of imported UCO potentially being blended with virgin vegetable oils, such as palm oil, which is directly linked to deforestation in Southeast Asia.
This practice, if true, would constitute a fraudulent manipulation of the commodity, designed to take advantage of U.S. tax incentives and the Renewable Identification Number (RIN) system under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), according to the awmakers.
The senators also expressed concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding the United States' efforts to verify the integrity of imported UCO.
They seek assurances that the traceability requirements for these imports are being met and that the chemical composition of the UCO is being properly evaluated. This is crucial to ensure the integrity of the clean fuel policies that subsidize certain feedstocks, as taxpayers ultimately foot the bill for these programs.
The surge in UCO imports has implications that extend beyond potential fraud. Grassley and Marshall are also concerned about the impact on the domestic feedstock industry and the environmental consequences. The increased reliance on imported UCO could disrupt the delicate balance of the renewable fuels market, potentially undermining the efforts of U.S. biofuel feedstock producers.
This UCO-related effort is part of a broader push by Senator Grassley to support U.S. biofuel feedstock producers. The senator has been at the forefront of initiatives to strengthen the 2026 Renewable Fuel Standard levels and urge the Biden administration to increase the 2024-25 Renewable Volume Obligations. Additionally, Grassley has advocated for the incorporation of grain feedstocks into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), calling on the Biden administration to follow the science-based GREET Model.
Grassley and Marshall's efforts have garnered bipartisan support, with Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), and Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska) joining as co-signers on the letter to the Biden administration.
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