Used Cooking Oil Import Surge Persists

Concerns persist over the surge in Chinese exports of used cooking oil (UCO) to the United States, with allegations suggesting the oil may be blended with virgin oils, such as palm oil or soybean oil, from third countries., The surge in imports has been driven in part by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which incentivizes low-carbon fuels but does not require domestic sourcing of feedstocks. This has allowed Chinese UCO imports, which now make up over half of all U.S. UCO imports—up from less than 1% in 2022—to dominate the market.