S4408

1) What happened: On April 28, 2026, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced S. 4408, the Supporting Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Act. The bill was read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. It is in an early legislative stage. The bill extends the biodiesel mixture credit and biodiesel credit (Section 40A) and the excise tax credit for biodiesel mixtures (Section 6426) through December 31, 2029, with retroactive reinstatement for the period from January 1, 2025 through enactment. It also adds a coordination provision to prevent double benefits with the clean fuel production credit (Section 45Z). 2) The money trail: This bill does not authorize or appropriate direct spending. It extends existing tax credits that reduce federal revenue. The biodiesel blender's tax credit (BTC) is worth $1.00 per gallon of biodiesel or renewable diesel blended with petroleum diesel. The excise tax credit is also $1.00 per gallon. The Joint Committee on Taxation would estimate the revenue cost, but based on current production levels (~3 billion gallons/year of biodiesel and renewable diesel combined), the annual cost is approximately $3 billion. The bill also includes a retroactive reinstatement for the gap period (Jan 2025 to enactment), which would provide a lump-sum benefit to producers for production during that period. 3) Structural winners and losers: Winners are pure-play biodiesel producers ($REX), feedstock suppliers and joint venture partners ($DAR), and diversified renewable fuel producers (, ). Equipment suppliers like $GEV benefit from increased capacity investment. Losers are not directly created by this bill, but the coordination provision with Section 45Z may reduce the value of the clean fuel production credit for some producers who also claim the blender's credit. 4) Competitive landscape: The renewable diesel market has seen rapid capacity expansion, with total US production capacity exceeding 5 billion gallons per year. The credit extension provides policy certainty that supports continued operation of existing capacity and investment in new capacity. The retroactive reinstatement is particularly important for producers who continued production during the gap period without the credit. 5) Timeline: The bill is in early stages. It must pass the Senate Finance Committee, the full Senate, the House (either as a standalone bill or as part of a larger tax extenders package), and be signed by the President. Given the bipartisan support for biodiesel tax credits historically, passage is likely but not guaranteed. The bill's timing (introduced in April 2026) suggests it could be part of a year-end tax extenders package.