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) … 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 …

(E2B) According to the Department of Transport, between 15 April 2012 and 14 January 2013, 965 million litres of renewable fuel were supplied, of which 66 per cent have so proven to be sustainable. 18 per …

(Green Car Congress)  The California Energy Commission unanimously adopted the 2013-2014 Investment Plan Update to support the development and use of green vehicles and alternative fuels. The update sets funding priorities for the approximately $100 million in …

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 …

(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 …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The University of California-Davis Institute of Transportation Studies has published a new status review of the state’s low carbon fuel standard (LCFS). The review is the second in a …

(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 …

(EnergyDigital) In the ethanol fuel market, the US takes the lead. Pilot and demonstration plants to commence in late 2013.
Ethanol is the most widely acclaimed alternative or additive for gasoline used for running vehicles, and …

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 …

(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 …

(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. …

(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 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 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 …

(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 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.” …

(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 …

(The PEW Charitable Trusts) High gas prices may give us pause before taking a long road trip, but we still need to drive to work, the grocery store or school. This Pew Clean Energy Program video …

by Robert Vierhout (ePURE/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  …Member states, however, are faced with the reality of an economic crisis and cannot think of any good reason to kill investments and opportunities for more investments in agriculture.
Maybe …

by Tom Buis (Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  …The industry has matured and is operating freely without any federal subsidies.
Yet, 100 years later, Big Oil refuses to give up its excessive tax subsidies.
The petroleum industry continues …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) has unveiled a list of 10 ways the renewable fuels industry is helping to improve the environment. According to IRFA, renewable fuels offer positive impacts …

by Alonso Soto and Reese Ewing (Reuters)  * Brazil cuts PIS/Cofins tax, extends credit for ethanol
* Ethanol industry says measures do not go far enough
* Measures will help industry’s margins, competitiveness
Brazil’s government threw its sugar-ethanol …

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine)  Pending legislation in Minnesota could alter the state’s ethanol mandate, allowing for the use biofuels under than ethanol to meet the current 10 percent renewable content requirement for gasoline.
…
Current bill text posted …

by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association)  … (Robert) Murphy simply regurgitates Big Oil’s false argument that the RFS is driving up fuel costs. There’s not a shred of evidence to support that notion, but that’s never …

by Christopher Doering (Des Moines Register)  The battle between U.S. ethanol producers and oil companies has reached a turning point, with the winners poised to gain an advantage over the future of the country’s energy …

(EurActiv.com)
A European Parliament report into the EU’s proposals for addressing the problem of indirect land use change (ILUC) in its biofuels policy will propose today (17 April) the application of unique ‘factors’ to account for …

(Argus Media)  Biodiesel trade terms are becoming increasingly complicated as buyers and sellers haggle over sustainability clauses, payments terms and water content.
Much of the wrangling has appeared over Fame 0 biodiesel compliant with the EU …

(Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  The Environmental and Energy Studies Institute (EESI) and the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) held a briefing on the conclusions of the newly released …

by Christopher Doering (Des Moines Register)  A meaningful change to the country’s renewable fuel mandate would drastically curtail the market opportunity for a cellulosic ethanol plant being built in Emmetsburg by ethanol producer Poet and …

by Ayesha Rascoe (Reuters)  * Wyden says committee will explore ethanol mandate
* Energy committee to look at gasoline prices this Spring
* Lawmakers introduced bill ending corn ethanol targets
The chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural …

by Sally Blakewell (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)  Biofuels will cost U.K. motorists about 460 million pounds ($707 million) this year as the government increases their use in transport fuel, driving up food prices in poorer countries, Chatham …

by Amy Harder (National Journal)  It’s hard to rival the diversity and sheer number of groups and companies with a vested interest in the renewable-fuels standard, from food and livestock businesses to those in the …

by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) To the Editor:   What’s there about lower prices at the pump, less pollution and reduced reliance on imported oil that Robert Bradley, Jr., doesn’t like (“It’s Time to Repeal the …

(Business Wire/Florida Biofuels and Bioenergy Association)  $1 Billion in Investment At Risk
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Florida Legislature will consider HB4001, which repeals the Renewable Fuels Standard set in 2008. With a federal mandate for 10 percent ethanol …

by Zack Coleman (The Hill E2Wire) The head of a powerful oil industry lobbying group met with top White House officials and senior lawmakers Wednesday about stripping a federal biofuel rule.
“We’re talking about the renewable fuel …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  Today, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released their Tracking Clean Energy Progress report in New Delhi that details the increased role that biofuels will need to play in reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) as …

by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA)  Although conference convener, Biofuels Digest’s Jim Lane, insisted that he “discouraged industry bashing,” the first morning of this 3-day conference was replete with unveiled references to The Oil Industry, …

(Biotechnology Industry Organization) The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) recently submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the proposed Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: 2013 Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS).
The comments emphasized that continued stable …

by Scott Irwin and Darrel Good (FarmDocDaily)  …Here, we present a proposal for implementing the RFS2 through 2015 that recognizes the constraints implied by the E10 blend wall and will avert the impact of the …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The ethanol industry reacted swiftly to the so-called RFS Reform Act, legislation introduced April 10 in the U.S. House of Representatives, which they said would gut the renewable fuel …

(ePURE)  The European Renewable Ethanol Industry, ePURE, together with Novozymes, find the double counting mechanism proposed by the European Commission is ineffective to kick-start the deployment of innovative advanced biofuels. Increasing the weighting of advanced …

(EV-olution.org)  President Obama’s FY 2014 budget proposal submitted to Congress provides $28.4 billion in discretionary funds for the Department of Energy, an 8% increase above the 2012 enacted level. Among the direct transportation-related highlights of the department’s …

by Sam Fenwick (E2B Pulse)  In this article, E2B explores the benefits of crop-based biofuels to the UK, the potential impact of a recent EU proposal and the wider issues associated with their adoption.
In October …

by Bruce Ritchie  (The Florida Current)  A Senate bill that would repeal the 2008 requirement that gasoline in Florida contain about 10 percent ethanol was rewritten on Tuesday to remove the repeal.
Bill supporters say the law …

by Ben Goad (The Hill E2Wire)  A key industry group is urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ratchet back this year’s volume requirements for biofuel production, arguing the proposed standards are unrealistic.
In formal comments submitted Monday, …

(Yahoo!Finance/Navigant Research)  After more than a decade of healthy growth for conventional biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel, the next wave of advanced biofuels is nearing commercialization. The pool of commercially available biomass-derived fuels is expanding …

by Andre Janse van Vuuren (City Press/Fin24)  Dormant plans to establish a local biofuel sector – earmarked to create up to 50 000 jobs and save the country at least R8.9bn in foreign exchange payments …

by Matt Horton (Mercury News)  …Yet at the fuel pump, consumers still have no power. We all know our dependence on fossil fuels weakens our economy and security while threatening our environment. We simply feel …

by Emily Pickrell (FuelFix)  On Jan. 1, Congress made algae-based fuel production eligible for a $1.01-per-gallon cellulosic biofuel production federal tax credit.
Cellulosic biofuels typically are made from woody, non-food material such as grasses or wood …

(Renewable Fuels Association)    The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today (April 5, 2013)  responded to the questions posed by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy and Commerce in a white paper entitled, “Examining ‘Blend …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The European Renewable Ethanol Association, ePURE, has released results of a study that determined the double counting mechanism proposed by the European Commission to spur production of advanced biofuels …

by Stephan Nielsen (Bloomberg)  Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR4), the state- run oil company, is boosting money-losing gasoline imports at its fastest pace ever, holding down prices for alternative fuels and hindering investments in ethanol.
…President Dilma …

by Scott Irwin and Darrel Good  (FarmDocDaily)  …We concluded that the buying and selling of RINs within that supply chain results in something close to a zero-sum game in terms of profitability for the industry. The …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The International Energy Agency, through its Task 39 group, has published its 207-page report on the “Status of Advanced Biofuels Demonstration Facilities in 2012″.
The report, in its pages, contains detailed …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  We go through the renewable fuels math — and find that the nattering nabobs of negativism might have crowed too soon.
…Lately, the nattering nabobs appear to have landed at the …

(www.4-Traders.com)  This year the Government continues to develop alternative fuel sources, in particular, to increase the production of bioethanol.  It is provided by the State Program of activation of the economic development for 2013-2014. To …

by Bob Dinneen (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Renewable Fuels Association)  As Congress and the country debate the renewable fuel standard (RFS), Big Oil and Big Food are flooding the zone with bought-and-paid-for “studies” seeking to discredit American …

(Platts)  Biofuels are not advanced enough yet to justify a specific binding 2030 EU renewable transport target, EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said Wednesday.
The EU has a binding 2020 target to source 20% of its …

by Robin Whitlock (Renewable Energy Magazine)  …There was a reduction in the consumption of liquid biofuels available for transport, down to 2.6 percent of UK motor fuel and this needs to be addressed in the policy …

by Bill Chameides (The Green Grok/Duke University)  …As a libation, ethanol’s been around for a long, long time. As a fuel, it dates back to 1826 when it was first used in an internal combustion engine. …

by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine)  There is enough land available to produce more food, more feed and more biofuels, which are not the cause of global malnutrition problems, according to the World Bioenergy Association.
WBA makes …

( SCS Global Services/PR NewsWire)   SCS Global Services has announced the expansion of its biofuel certification services in Southeast Asia. The veteran third-party environmental certification body will now conduct audits under the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  On March 27 the European Commission published its first Renewable Energy Progress Report under the Renewable Energy Directive, showing that the EU as a whole is on its trajectory …

by Beth Evans  (Platts)  Ratings agency Moody’s expects US refiners to increase investments in renewables blending and infrastructure if federal renewables targets are not lowered.
“In the absence of any EPA waivers to meeting the renewable …

by Tendai Mugabe (AllAfrica.com)  Green Fuel resumed operations at its ethanol plant here yesterday, raising prospects that the country could soon start the mandatory blending of fuel that has been on the cards for sometime.
There …

(HoosierAgToday)  For the second year in a row the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has created an ‘infographic’ promoting the benefits of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Entitled “An American Success Story,” the new infographic …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  ARPA-E aims to drive liquid fuel production from abundant, affordable methane — and sees biobased technology as the path forward.
In Washington, ARPA-E released its long-awaited funding opportunity announcement for Project …

by David Shephardson (Detroit News)  Major automakers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to approve a higher blend of ethanol for vehicles from 2001 and newer.
The …

(Center for Climate and Security)  The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, or PCAS, recently released a set of recommendations for President Obama on addressing climate change. The top-line recommendations include:

Focus on national preparedness for climate …

(EurActiv)  Several European ministers are blocking the EU’s proposal to curb the use of conventional biofuels, while some dispute claims the demand for crop-based oils drives deforestation and food insecurity in other parts of the …

by Ron Lamberty (American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  …The subhead of the article was “The U.S. will be the world’s leading energy producer, if we allow it.” That was a remarkably incomplete description.  A more …

by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The world will be capable of meeting its needs for food, fuel and fiber in 40 years, according to a paper from the Council for Agricultural Science and …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Sens. David Vitter, R-La., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, have sent a letter to U.S. EPA administrator nominee Gina McCarthy, asking her to outline “how she will protect American citizens …

(Clean Fuels Development Coalition)  Background:  The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was established under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and later modified through the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The RFS requires that …

Dr. Mike Strain (Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry/25 x ’25) … However, many do not realize that Louisiana’s strong agriculture and forestry industries have also primed us to be a national leader in new …

by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association)  There’s a fight for the future of American motor fuels – renewable fuels versus fossil fuels. Environmentalists shouldn’t have much trouble deciding which side they’re on.
After all, the major …

(Platts)  A third key congressional committee has entered the debate over the Renewable Fuel Standard, calling for comment on a series of questions and issuing a “white paper” detailing concerns about the biofuels mandate and …

by Amy Harder (National Journal)  …Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and ranking member Henry Waxman, D-Calif., released the first in a series of white papers on Wednesday seeking input on how—or whether—Congress should …

by Zack Coleman (The Hill E2Wire)  An amendment to a $984 billion Senate government funding bill that would have stripped funds from the Defense Department’s drop-in biofuels program failed by a 40-59 vote on Wednesday.
Sen. …

by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register)  Major oil companies called on Congress Wednesday to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard, the six-year-old federal law mandating biofuels use that is the base of demand for both ethanol …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The U.S. ethanol industry is responding to the oil industry’s latest attack on the renewable fuel standard (RFS). On March 20, the American Petroleum Institute released the results of …

by Meg Cichon  (Renewable Energy World)  Happy birthday, Big Oil! A group gathered in Washington D.C. this week to celebrate 100 years of tax subsidies for the oil industry – but attendees certainly weren’t oil-industry insiders …

(UFOP/Biodiesel Magazine) The German Research Center for Biomass (DBFZ) was commissioned by the German oilseed promotional council (UFOP) to explain the proposals by the European Commission regarding the amendment of the Renewable Energies Directive and …

(National Academies of Science)  A new National Research Council report finds that by the year 2050, the U.S. may be able to reduce petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent for light-duty vehicles — cars …

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 climate change/pollution control solution finds the …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Read any stories about renewable fuels lately in mainstream media? Bet they’re bad ones.  Here we look at the latest chapter in the “death to all renewables” propaganda war.
If you …

by John Voelcker (Green Car Reports)  …Now two bills recently introduced into Congress seek to delay or ban altogether the sale of E15 gasoline, which contains 15 percent ethanol rather than the 10-percent maximum standard …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Major push from Obama on energy.  From DOE: “Liquid fuels demand can be sufficiently reduced so that biomass can meet all liquid fuel needs.”  What’s up? 
…“I’m proposing that we take …

by Tom Buis (Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  It came as no surprise that the American Petroleum Institute recently called for a repeal of the renewable fuel standard (RFS), the most successful energy policy this nation …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Global Clean Energy Holdings announced that it has acquired Sustainable Oils, a leader in Camelina genetics and production. The acquisition includes 100% ownership interest of Sustainable Oils and the …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  The Governor’s Biofuels Coalition met in Sioux Falls Wednesday and sent a letter to members of Congress in support of the Renewable Fuels Standard.
The letter from the 30 governors represented by the Coalition, led by …

(Home Grown Cereals Authority) An HGCA-led review of regional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions figures has reopened market opportunities in the biofuels supply chain potentially worth several million pounds each year. 
Revised GHG figures, supplied by HGCA, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  At World Biofuels Markets, BP CEO Phil New delivered a keynote speech which attempted to turn the industry’s attention towards “the hard yards” of operational excellence, saying that “it is arguable …