The EPA says the Lone Star State may need a better reason to be exempted from the new renewable fuels standard, but EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson said Tuesday that he is willing to give the state time to come up with one before the federal government makes a decision.

"Given the amount of work that remains to sufficiently answer the Texas request for a waiver from the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), it is now clear that a final decision on the request will not be completed by July 24," said Johnson in a press release. "Rather, additional time is needed to allow staff to adequately respond to the public comments and develop a decision document that explains the technical, economic and legal rationale of our decision."

Texas officially requested a waiver from the RFS in late April. The agency said it then received over 15,000 comments, a number of which raised substantive issues and included significant economic analysis.

"I believe it is very important to take sufficient time to review and understand these comments in order to make an informed decision," said Johnson in the release. "EPA is also required to consult with the Departments of Agriculture and Energy in considering whether to grant or deny the waiver request and has begun these consultations."

Johnson noted he was confident that a decision would be made by early August.