Welcome to OPIS White Papers. As a service to our customers, we provide this web site as a free education and research tool. It will aid your quest for solutions to current or approaching business problems or needs. To search the site, simply scan the White Papers listed below or enter a key word or phrase in the search window above.
Managing jet fuel and carbon in Europe's new emissions trading system - an OPIS primerEurope’s carbon market is about to go global, albeit through the back door of the aviation sector. In this primer, we’ve asked leading fuel managers and treasury teams how they are buying carbon allowances and how they’ll manage the risks associated. 17 pages. Read more...
The Current State of California’s Low Carbon Fuel StandardOn December 29, 2011, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California ruled that California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) violates the U.S. Constitution and blocked the California Air Resources Board (CARB) from further enforcement of the LCFS. The LCFS subjects those that import, produce and sell transportation fuel in California to satisfy various regulatory requirements in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is a key part of California’s broad efforts to address climate change. Because California leads the nation on environmental issues, this ruling’s significance is quite broad and the path forward is being watched closely both inside and outside of the state. Read more...
Making the RIN Program WorkThe United States is one of the world’s largest producers of fuel from renewable sources. It invests millions of dollars of private and public funds each year into research and development of alternative fuels. It has created a system of regulations, incentives, mandates and tariffs to bolster domestic production and consumption. Read more...
RFS2 Recordkeeping, Reporting and ComplianceIt’s been about 18 months since RFS2 regulations went into effect. Aside from the changes in the core standards, as well as changes in policies regarding lifecycle analysis of biofuels and calculations of indirect land use changes, RFS also instituted a new central clearing house for all RIN transactions, called the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS). This represented a significant change from RFS1 in the way that RINs are managed, recorded, reported, complied with and move through the chain of commerce. Instead of a 38-digit number that was recorded on paper and passed from company to company, EMTS provides a mandatory banking system that generates all RINs and manages their movements from one party to the next. Read more...