The Environmental Protection Agency has granted 31 small refinery exemptions from the 2018 Renewable Fuel Standard compliance year, a move that immediately angered the biofuel industry.

Supporters of EPA’s upcoming proposal to allow year-round use of gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol made their case on a call with reporters today, saying that the blend is safe, dependable, and cuts down on smog-forming tailpipe emissions.

The Renewable Fuels Association announced today that Bob Dinneen, who’s been the group’s president and CEO since 2001, will step aside in October to take up a senior advisory role. Executive Vice President Geoff Cooper will take over as president and chief executive.

Last year, U.S. cellulosic ethanol production rose to 10 million gallons, a milestone but still a tiny fraction of the 2007 Energy Bill’s original 5.5 billion-gallon mandate for 2017. Still, with the lure of big premiums, the industry expects the expansion to continue.