Tesoro slams EPA biofuel plan as 'giant step' toward litigation

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. oil refiner Tesoro Corp has slammed the U.S. government's proposal for renewable fuel use, signaling a lengthy legal fight may be in the cards ahead of the new quotas being finalized later this year. "If the goal of the Administration was to set the stage for protracted and complex litigation over the rule when finalized later this year, today's proposal is a giant step toward that objective," said Stephen Brown, Vice President and Counsel in a statement. "One has to wonder whether the proposed 2016 volumes are anything more than an invitation by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to Congress to intervene via reform legislation." (Reporting by Josephine Mason)