Articles in Opinions
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Robert E. Kozak, Advanced Biofuels USA founder and board member began his remarks at the Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum in Washington, D.C June 12, with …
by Aino Siirala (Advanced Biofuels USA) The 21st European Biomass conference and Exhibition was held in Copenhagen on June 3-7, 2013, gathering almost 2000 attendees.
Denmark, one of the world’s leading countries in the green energy …
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Advanced Biofuels USA, an internationally respected nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting the understanding, development and use of advanced biofuels as an energy security, economic development, military flexibility and …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The EPREINC scenario—One chart was prepared by the Energy Policy Research Foundation for its Congressional testimony on the Renewable Fuel Standard yesterday.
…
EPRINC’s scenario foresees a big shortfall between the production …
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/The Energy Collective) …Incredibly, the American Petroleum Institute’s anti-RFS “training center” (yes, Big Oil has a “training center” apparently intended to spawn an army of certified RFS haters) has the …
(WiseGEEK) In an effort to find a viable alternative to foreign oil, many politicians and environmental groups have been heavily promoting the advantages of ethanol fuel. Ethanol is a primarily plant-based fuel which can be …
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) I’m writing in response to the guest opinion piece that ran on May 18 by Stephen Buck. It was addressed to Congresswoman Bustos and entitled “Stop Using E15 Fuel Until Further …
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/The Energy Collective) …Big Oil’s PR machine regurgitates these myths via conference calls with reporters, meetings with editorial boards, sham studies, paid advertising, social media and many other channels. Their …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On June 5, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Health Care and Entitlements held a hearing on the federal renewable fuel standard (RFS). …
by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) The car racing carnival came to Detroit this past weekend. The venue was Belle Isle, once a beautiful island park in the Detroit River that served as a verdant …
(US Department of Energy) On July 31–August 1, 2013, the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and Advanced Biofuels USA will co-host the Office’s sixth annual conference, Biomass 2013: How the Advanced Bioindustry is Reshaping American Energy, at …
(The Oil Palm) Spanish MEP and Draftsman for the influential Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE), Alejo Vidal-Quadras, has dismissed the European Commission’s proposal to introduce Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) factors as part of …
Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Is the ultimate industrial fuel system going to be based on electricity, waste CO2 and brackish water – to return society to the days of energy abundance? It will take a …
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) In an interview published on May 22, Charles Drevna, President of the American Fuels & Petrochemical Manufacturers, disparaged the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and claimed it negatively effects consumers. He couldn’t …
by Geoff Cooper (The Energy Collective/Renewable Fuels Association) Anyone with even a casual interest in energy policy knows that a full frontal assault has been launched against the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Big Oil has …
(Southeast Agriculture & Forest Energy Resources Alliance) “We’re the nation’s only comprehensive biofuels agency, and I say that more out of surprise than for the purpose of touting North Carolina,” said Steven Burke, President and CEO of the Biofuels Center of North …
(U.S. Grains Council/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Grains Council, along with the National Corn Growers Association, MAIZAR, representing Argentina producers and the maize supply chain and ABRAMILHO (Brazilian Association of Corn Producers) have signed a …
by Fred Cannon (The Hill’s Congress Blog/KiOR) More than one-third of the world’s total energy usage relies on liquid fuels – primarily from fossil fuels. In the first quarter of 2013 consumption outpaced production, and …
by Tim Landis (State Journal-Register) Ethanol supporters in Illinois want to trade a 20 percent sales tax break on E10 fuel sales in Illinois for a 10 percent break on E15, arguing it would mean …
by Paul Kenney (KAAPA Ethanol/Kearney Hub) Opinion: …Ethanol blends are becoming a staple at pumps across the nation, and ethanol accounts for more than 10 percent of the country’s motor fuel supply. It’s a higher-octane alternative …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) The House and Energy Commerce Committee has released its third white paper on the Renewable Fuel Standard, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Environmental Impacts.” Executive Vice President of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), …
(European Commission/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The European Commission can confirm that on May 14, 2013, commission officials carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of several companies active in and providing services to the crude oil, …
(ePURE/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ePURE, the European Renewable Ethanol Association, has asked the European Commission to investigate if EU customs legislation is properly applied in Finland. Evidence from several sources indicates that ethanol blended with gasoline …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Reps. Pete Olson, R-Texas, and Jim Costa, D-Calif., have introduced legislation that would allow ethanol produced from domestic natural gas to meet the volume requirements of the renewable fuel …
(News Press) A bio-energy company on the Treasure Coast has joined Fort Myers-based Algenol Inc. in calling for Gov. Rick Scott to veto a measure that would repeal the state law requiring most gasoline sold …
(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) Passage of Retailer “Bill of Rights” Shows Commitment to Local Retailers and Consumer Fuel Choice
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) today applauded the Iowa Legislature’s passage of H.F. 640 as a big …
by Ryan Tracy (The Wall Street Journal) Instituting a carbon tax could help reduce the deficit and “produce incremental benefits” for the environment, but could also raise the cost of many goods and services, the …
by William C. Holmberg (Physicians for Social Responsibility) Asthma, $16 billion. Premature births, $26 billion. All cancers, $227 billion. Autism, $126 billion. Heart disease, $272 billion. Obesity, incl. Type 2 diabetes, $190 billion. These are …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) According to a recent survey conducted by SRI, 65 percent of retail investors and 53 percent of institutional investors are currently expressing interest in fossil fuel-free portfolios in reaction to climate …
by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Industry Organization/Biofuels Digest) …Renewable chemicals offer cost-competitiveness with petrochemicals or new properties and features that add value to innovative consumer products. In that way, they’ve captured some market share and created …
by James Stafford (OilPrice.com) … Mark Thoma is a macroeconomist and time-series econometrician at the University of Oregon. His research focuses on how monetary policy affects the economy, and he has also worked on political …
(Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining) The Renewable Energy Directive (RED) has set a general binding target for the European Union to derive 20% of its final energy and 10% of its transport fuels from renewable sources …
by Sandra I. Erwin (National Defense Magazine) …Although the Pentagon consumes just 1.5 percent of the nation’s fuel, biofuel investors and green-energy advocates have looked upon the military as a catalyst for a massive expansion of …
by Javier E. David (CNBC) Imagine a world where leftover corn, wheat and wood chips can be used to power your car.
That’s the aim of cellulosic ethanol, a budding sector of the renewable fuel industry that …
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) What used to be known as “The New York Sugar Conference” has become “The ISO and Datagro Sugar & Ethanol Conference” with a record-setting number of attendees (350 from …
by Enos Shumba, et al (World Wildlife Fund for Nature) The bio-fuel debate has largely focused on large feedstock plantations that produce products for the export market. It has not acknowledged and seriously considered the …
by Barry Cohen (National Algae Association/PR Log) The DoE has spent $2.5 billion on algae research but to date nothing has been commercialized. Why? Because their mission is to develop technologies. It’s not their problem or …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In an exclusive Digest interview, Shell’s VP for Alternative Energy, Matthew Tipper, reveals the company’s thinking about RFS2, their increasing re-focus on North America and the EU. Plus, Shell’s ambition …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Canada, around 200 delegates from 44 countries are meeting in Montréal today, in a meet-up organized by the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), to explore: the commercialization of aviation …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, BIO begins the week with applause for Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and other members of the Senate Agriculture Committee for including mandatory funding for …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biofuels’s Montagues and Capulets were at it again last week — with a flurry of press releases about court decisions and commercial timelines regarding their respective isbutanol technologies.
At the heart …
by RP Siegel (Industry Market Trends Green & Clean Journal/ThomasNet.com) Four years ago, American LeMans kicked off its first green racing season. The program, which requires teams to use alternative fuels such as ethanol blends (E10 or …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Oil refiners have been waging a well-funded war on California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which requires oil companies to reduce the carbon pollution from gasoline and diesel by 10 percent …
by Vicki Ekstrom (Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change/Renewable Energy World) …Their study, recently released in Geophysical Research Letters, found that land-use changes caused by a major ramp-up in biofuel crops — enough …
by William La Jeunesse (Fox News) …”We just feel that it is not safe for the consumer. It’s not safe for their engines,” said Charles Drevna, executive president of American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers.
…
“Look, this is …
(EurActiv)
Leaders of the EU and their partners in the G8 nations are under mounting pressure to reconsider their support for biofuel targets amid concern that plant oil production competes with food output in poor countries.
Britain, …
Christopher Doering (Des Moines Register) President Obama’s choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency, Gina McCarthy, vowed to take a more active role in working with the agriculture community.
During her confirmation hearing before the Senate …
by Tim McDonnell (Mother Jones) … In mid-March, in a speech at Illinois’ Argonne National Lab, Obama pitched an Energy Security Trust, which would collect $2 billion in additional revenues by 2020 from oil and gas …
(25 x ’25) With global demand for food, feed, fiber and energy on the rise, the need for critical ecosystem services like flood control, water filtration, biodiversity and carbon sequestration is even greater. The development …
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) Legislation to reauthorize the Farm Bill energy title was introduced in the Senate Monday. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Al Franken (D-MN) introduced the Rural Energy Investment Act to “help farmers, ranchers, and …
(Tallahassee.com) Having spent some time on the ground in Tallahassee and talking with several legislators over the past few years, it is clear the ethanol program the state has developed is not understood and certainly …
(EurActiv) …This conflict is not one between green ambitions and trade rules – it is a conflict between trade rules and a biofuels policy aiming to favour domestically produced biofuels at the expense of foreign …
by Mark Green (The Energy Collective) …What we see is that despite an aggressive push with promotions and massive state investment, the state has gone from recorded E85 sales of just under 18 million gallons in …
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, penned the following letter in response to a recent Palm Beach Post ethanol editorial.
Some say “where there is smoke, there is …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Biofuel opponents are crying wolf, so it would seem, claiming that the blend wall is insurmountable. However, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today has published an infographic that busts the myths surrounding the …
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) There’s some real negativity hanging over the biofuels industry these days. And while any industry has risks, it seems that the setbacks loom larger over the renewable energy sector compared to …
by Herman Wang and Matthew Kolhman (Platts) Aviation biofuel’s newly minted ability to generate tradable US renewables credits, known as RINs, may be key to the industry’s economics, according to market watchers.
“The availability of RINs is …
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) As part of its ongoing review of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the House Energy & Commerce Committee recently asked stakeholders to comment on the impact of the RFS on the …
(European Geosciences Union) …Attention has now turned to second generation biofuels, produced from non-edible sources such as wood or waste plant residual like straw. In the next decade, these biofuels are expected to replace three …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Is there bio-based relief for the harried taxpayer in sight? Could conservationists, growers and biofuels producers find common ground in adapting the Conservation Reserve Program for bioenergy? Could the US …
by Amy R. Remo (Philippine Daily Inquirer) The Department of Energy is set to issue a circular that will require the blending of 10-percent ethanol in all gasoline products. In the same order, the energy …
by Ellyn Ferguson (Roll Call) A House panel’s decision to look back at mandates set in the 2007 renewable-energy law could be a pivotal moment for industries hoping to slow down growth in the ethanol industry.
The …
by Matthew L. Wald (The New York Times) Faced with a crop of lemons — too much ethanol, a population of cars not tuned to burn it effectively and a driving public leery of the …
by Jessica Shankleman (BusinessGreen.com) …Three campaign groups, backed by 12 organisations in the timber, paper and furniture industries, yesterday warned that a surge in demand for wood as a result of renewable electricity subsidies …
by Mario Parker (Bloomberg) …“The only thing that worries me is the gasoline demand category,” said Jason Ward, an analyst at Northstar Commodity Investments Inc. in Minneapolis. “It’s key because if you start fading on gasoline demand, …
by Tina Casey (TriplePundit) Just yesterday, we noted that auto manufacturers are beginning to shed their century-old love affair with petroleum, and now it seems that the agriculture sector is ready to move on, too.
On …
(25 x ’25) …It is interesting to see the advances in renewable energy being made in, of all places, nations with the largest oil reserves in the world. According to a recent report from Ernst …
(Clean Energy Report) An initial split between some biofuels groups over EPA’s 2013 renewable fuel standard’s (RFS) production targets appears to be expanding divisions over other agency fuel policies.
Advanced biofuels producers are opposing EPA’s Tier …
by Jonathan Fahey (Fuel Fix/Associated Press) A decade ago, large investors in so-called clean technology had a straightforward goal: finance companies that would help eliminate the world’s dependence on oil, natural gas and coal.
But as …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)
Last week the biofuel industry took a hit when Florida voted to repeal its Renewable Fuel Standard, HB4001, that required fuel retailers to blend ethanol into their gasoline. The charge against ethanol was led …
by Kenneth Prewitt (Science Magazine) Editorial: This month, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) will apply two criteria in its review of research proposals: intellectual merit and impact. One discipline, however, will have to meet a further …
(Advanced Biofuels USA) As part of the recently proposed Tier 3 motor vehicle fuel and emission regulations, EPA had included a very forward looking idea that could bring higher octane, higher ethanol (E-30) gasoline to …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Several biofuel trade organizations have weighed in on white paper published by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the impact the renewable fuel standard (RFS) has had on the U.S. …
(Algae Industry Magazine) Tim Engstrom reports in Gannett’s news-press.com that a bill to repeal Florida’s Renewable Fuel Standard passed in the current legislative session and sent to Gov. Rick Scott for signing is putting Algenol’s …
(Renewable Fuels Association) In seventeen pages of comments, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) answered questions put forth in the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy and Commerce Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Assessment on Agricultural Sector …
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A bill proposed Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., that would put E15 on hold for another round of studies was evaluated by the Congressional Budget Office.
…H.R. 875 would require the …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …The stock has not recovered much — but it’s remarkable the progress the company has made, all the same. Analysts are now expecting the company to bring its first production …
by Joe Jobe (The Wall Street Journal/National Biodiesel Board) It is not true that all renewable fuels are the same and that advanced biofuels aren’t being produced on a commercial scale (“An Ethanol Spring,” Review & …
by Kent Peppler (Denver Post) …But predictions of more off-the-charts wildfires this summer are a reminder of how fragile it all is and how much we have to lose. Renewable fuels can help us protect …
by Darren Goode (Politico) An effort by ethanol backers to get the Environmental Protection Agency to scale back the amount of advanced biofuels required in the U.S. gasoline supply this year has opened a rift …
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) If RFS detractors get their way, biodiesel may become a casualty of the war against ethanol. It’s up to all of us to make sure this doesn’t happen
In editorials and …
(PorkNetwork) Iowa State University is conducting a nationwide survey of livestock producers’ use of feed-related coproducts from ethanol production. … Livestock producers are invited to take the survey online until June 19 at: http://humansciences.ethanolcoproducts.sgizmo.com/s3/ READ MORE and MORE (Ethanol …
by Eva Murray (Bangor Daily News) …Rep. Jeff Timberlake, R-Turner, has been heading up an effort in the Maine Legislature to revisit ethanol and to encourage fuel suppliers to make a non-ethanol product available to …
by Bruce Dale (The Hill/Michigan State University) The oil industry hopes to protect its control over America’s fuel supply by undermining renewable fuels. By confusing us with misleading claims and outright falsehoods, oil companies hope …
by Michael Thede (Kearney Hub) Letter to Editor: Recent efforts by several members of Congress to dismantle the federal Renewable Fuel Standard are a direct attack on a domestic biofuels program that generates enormous benefits …
(Asociación de Productores de Energías Renovables Biocarburantes – Spain; Associação Portuguesa de Produtores de Biocombustíveis – Portugal; Krajowa Izba Biopaliw – Poland; Renewable Energy Association – United Kingdom; Verband der Deutschen Biokraftstoffindustrie – Germany) We support the current target …
by by Francis X. Johnson (Public Service Europe) Policies should focus on long-term approaches to a sustainable biofuels market development, rather than short-term reactive approaches
Europe’s relationship with biofuels has been marked by dramatic turns. Biofuels for …
(US Department of Energy) The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, and Argonne National Laboratory have released a joint study on biochemical biorefinery sizing. “Investigation of biochemical biorefinery sizing and …
(The Wall Street Journal/Dyadic) …We are using that technology to produce enzymes for converting biomass into cellulosic sugars to produce second-generation fuels and chemicals, like ethanol, butanol, succinic acid, lactic acid, etc. We are also …
(Associated Press/PhillyBurbs.com) The mayor of the central Pennsylvania borough of State College has endorsed a campaign that urges municipalities to divest from fossil fuel companies, the environmental group 350.org said in a release Thursday.
Borough Mayor …
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) Some researchers say that, at current production levels, algae biodiesel is not a commercially viable product. But some algae advocates believe researchers might have some ulterior motives for coming to that …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …Though there are exceptions among the archipelagoes with access to offshore oil assets — Indonesia comes to mind— but these are, in the main, exceptions to what might be described …
By Paul Brown (Climate News Network/ClimateCentral.org) Fossil fuel subsidies provided by both rich and poor countries to keep their citizens happy are holding back the world economy, accelerating climate change and damaging the health of …
(25 x ’25) …But the growth in new, clean energy is only just beginning, driven in large part by the energy programs first enacted in the 2002 Farm Bill and renewed again in 2008. Now …
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The House Committee on Energy and Commerce is continuing its assessment of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The Committee has issued its second white paper focusing on “Agricultural Sector Impacts.” …
(Environmental Research Web) …It referred to a report by North Energy Associates (NEA) and Forestry Research (FR) produced for DECC, which tried to answer the question: ‘Is it better to leave wood in the forest …
by Nicole Lederer (Huffington Post) … One thing I’ve noticed over the years: The changing face of the clean energy industry. Increasingly, clean energy business leaders come from rural areas. They are farmers. They are community …
(US Senate Finance Committee) This document is the fourth in a series of papers compiling tax reform options that Finance Committee members may wish to consider as they work towards reforming our nation’s tax system. This …
by Douglas L. Faulkner with contributions from Jacques Beaudry-Losique (Biofuels Digest) …We believe it is time for bioenergy industry leaders to take the initiative and chalk up a new comprehensive game plan, reflecting the new reality …
(NorthEscambia.com) Sen. Greg Evers is applauding the passage of his bill that allows Florida consumers to choose gas that is ethanol free.
…The bill passage prompted a joint statement from a joint statement, Bob Dinneen, President …
