WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday said it struck down the Biden administration's decision to deny small refiners "hardship waivers" that exempt them from nation's biofuel mandates, in a win for the refining industry. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found in favor of refineries that challenged the EPA's decision, including Ergon, Calumet Shreveport and Placid. Under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), oil refiners must blend billions of gallons of biofuels into the nation's fuel mix, or buy tradable credits from those that do. The EPA can, however, award exemptions to some small refiners if they prove that the obligations cause them undue harm. Refiners, meanwhile, have long argued that the nation's ethanol mandates impose unfair costs on fuel producers, and can threaten the viability of small plants.

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Persons: Heather Timmons, Mrigank Dhaniwala Organizations: WASHINGTON, Biden, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S, Appeals, Fifth Circuit, EPA Locations: Ergon, Calumet Shreveport, Placid