Short answer -- Don't believe we (ag sector/ethanol/farmers) actually asked for any changes, although have been pushing for RFS consideration of 15% ethanol fuel blends year-round and/or more flex/fuel pumps, along with seemingly constant requests to get EPA and/or petroleum industry to comply with existing legislation, while petroleum industry continues to try to limit/change legislation, request waivers, and blame ethanol and/or RINs for anything that goes wrong.
Recent activity to change RIN requirements/pricing spearheaded by Sen Cruz putting a "hold" on Northey confirmation. Hold lifted and Northey confirmed. Information from news articles mixed regarding any "deal" that might have been made, if any, so far. Although Trump and Perdue say they are supportive of the RFS, some of their statements appear wishy washy to me.
Here's a link that describes the RIN program -- https://www.epa.gov/renewable-fuel-standard-program/renewable-identification-numbers-rins-under-rene...
Basically, refiners earn RIN credits by blending ethanol into the fuel mixture. For refiners that do not blend, they are required to purchase RINs -- this is their incentive to blend, the more they refine and/or the higher the RIN cost, the higher the incentive to blend, it's sort of self-regulating. Putting a cap on RIN pricing, as was proposed by the refiners, would limit the financial incentive to blend the fuel, and perhaps reduce ethanol blending, usage and eventual production, thus impacting corn demand, grain prices, ethanol producers, and farmer (& other) investments in ethanol production facilities, etc.
Here's recent article from this website -- https://www.agriculture.com/news/business/perdue-says-he-stands-with-the-rfs-grassley-says-schooling...
