EPA data shows strong RIN generation, D4 fuels drive compliance gains
EPA’s May data showed nearly 2.02 billion RINs generated, with D4 volumes nearing 3.02 billion and driving the strongest compliance gains.
EPA on June 18 said nearly 2.02 billion renewable identification numbers were generated under the Renewable Fuel Standard in May, lifting total RIN generation for the first five months of 2026 to 9.66 billion.
The agency’s monthly data point to a market still producing heavy compliance activity, with D4 fuels carrying most of the load. Through May, D4 generation reached nearly 3.02 billion RINs, up 11% from the same period in 2025, while D3 cellulosic generation totaled 467.19 million, down 4% year over year.
May D3 output was more than 10.16 million RINs, drawn from cellulosic ethanol, renewable natural gas and compressed RNG. The smaller D3 total versus D4 underscores a familiar split in the RFS stack: biomass-based diesel and renewable jet are doing most of the work, while cellulosic supply remains uneven.
EPA’s public RFS pages say monthly RIN generation data are available through Moderated Transaction System reporting, with CSV downloads and custom reports. That tracking matters because refiners, traders and producers are watching whether the volumes reflect real fuel production and blending or just credit generation moving ahead of demand.
The latest data come after EPA finalized the 2026 and 2027 Renewable Fuel Standard volumes on March 27, 2026, setting them at 26.81 billion gallons and 27.02 billion gallons, respectively. The rule also included a 70% reallocation of small refinery exemptions granted for 2023 through 2025 and partially waived the 2025 cellulosic requirement. EPA estimated biodiesel and renewable diesel production and use will need to rise by more than 60% versus 2025 to meet those levels.
Energy Information Administration analysis published in June said compliance credits for biomass-based diesel and ethanol have doubled in value since the start of 2026, with higher U.S. biofuel blending targets cited as the main driver. The agency said the combination of higher RIN prices and firmer motor gasoline and diesel markets has supported a stronger producing-and-blending environment.
American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers has challenged EPA’s 2026 and 2027 mandates in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, arguing the rule will raise compliance costs and fuel prices. That legal fight gives each monthly RIN update added weight as the market gauges how much of the new mandate can be met by physical fuel flow and how much will depend on credit balances.
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