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 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 …

(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 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 …

(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.” …

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 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 …

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 John Davis (DomesticFuel.com)  One of the great things about the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference is the diverse group of biofuels stakeholders with diverse points of view. Case in point, Shell Oil’s presence at the …

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 …

(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 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, …

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)  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 …

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 …

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 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 …

(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 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 …

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 …

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 Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  This week in Washington, it has been one for the record books, emailwise and biofuelswise. Reams and reams of emails attest to the seriousness of the stakes — as NGOs, …

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 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 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 …

(PR NewsWire/American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers)  American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) President Charles T. Drevna issued the following statement following the withdrawal of its Petition for Waiver of the 2012 Cellulosic Biofuel Volumetric Requirements:
“We appreciate the …

by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association)  Prices for conventional renewable fuel RINs (Renewable Identification Number)[1]have increased significantly in recent weeks. Oil companies and various media outlets have suggested the increase in RIN prices is due …

(Platts)  Prices of renewable fuel credits, needed by refiners to comply with the nation’s Renewable Fuel Standard, have skyrocketed over the past few months, an indication to some that the dreaded “blend wall” is close.
The …

by Brad Krohn (Biofuels Digest/United States EnviroFuels, LLC)   Big Oil’s best kept secret from the American consumer is Brazil’s fuel ethanol mandate, which started during the 1970s as a result of the OPEC oil …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  A Feb. 26 hearing featured testimony of three E15 critics, including a representative of the Coordinating Research Council, which has authored research reports concluding E15 could damage engine valves …

by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Fuels America is redoubling its efforts to point the finger at the real beneficiaries should the RFS be weakened and E15 smeared and it’s not consumers or the environment.
Fuels …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology’s Subcommittee on Environment is scheduled to hold a hearing on mid-level ethanol blends on Feb. 26. The hearing …

by  Maxx Chatsko (The Motley Fool)  …Here are four reasons action is desperately needed.
1. Economic catalyst
When the RFS became law in 2005, it was easy for critics to muffle the optimism for a future ethanol industry. Some …

(Renewable Fuels Association)  For the second year in a row, national polling presented today at the National Ethanol Conference proved Americans, by an overwhelming majority, support the key federal policy driving renewable fuel innovation in …

by Michael Wang, Jeongwoo Han, Jennifer B Dunn, Hao Cai and Amgad Elgowainy (US Department of Energy/IOP Science)  corn-based ethanol production occurring mostly in the US and sugarcane-based ethanol production occurring mostly in Brazil. Advances …

by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA)  Bradley Frieze, a student at Hood College in Frederick, MD and Advanced Biofuels USA volunteer has posted a petition to stop funding of oil subsidies.  The petition is on …

(Specialty Equipment Market Association)  SEMA has joined with a number of other trade associations to sponsor “Smarter Fuel Future,” a website intended to raise awareness about the economic and environmental threats posed by the United …

by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  … Hart Energy’s Tammy Klein wrote a piece, published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, “Election is finally over; now let’s lock in an energy policy.”
…To blend all the ethanol required …

by Zack Coleman (The Hill E2Wire)  House Republicans plan to put the renewable fuel standard on trial next Congress, a House Energy and Commerce Committee aide told The Hill.
Committee staff is gearing up for hearings …

by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Markets shape ethanol production, Nathan Kauffman, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, argues in the most recent issue of the Main Street Economist. In a …

by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Industry Organization/Biofuels Digest)  The biofuel industry breathed a big sigh of relief last month when the EPA declined several governors’ petitions to waive the Renewable Fuel Standard. Then, after a herculean …

(Union of Concerned Scientists)  Communities can benefit financially and environmentally from bioenergy produced from common sources such as vegetative waste materials, fast-growing grasses, and agricultural residues. And clean fuel and electricity produced from these sustainable, …

by Daryll Ray and Harwood D. Schaffer (Southwest Farm Press/University of Tennessee)  …On November 16, 2012, the EPA denied the request of Governor Perdue and others. The short story is that while the EPA recognizes …

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that the agency has not found evidence to support a finding of severe “economic harm” that would warrant granting a waiver of the …

(25 x ’25) In response to the EPA decision today upholding volume requirements of the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, 25x’25 Co-chairmen Read Smith and Bart Ruth issued the following joint statement:
“EPA’s decision today finding no evidence that …

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)  In August 2012, Governors from several States requested a waiver of the national volume requirements for the renewable fuel standard program (RFS) pursuant to Section 211(o)(7) of the Clean Air Act. …

(Platts)  The US ethanol industry’s loudest voice in Washington expects to have to defend the Renewable Fuel Standard during congressional hearings next year.
Bob Dinneen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, told reporters Friday he considers …

by Brent Erickson (BIO/Biofuels Digest)  For the advanced biofuels industry, the 2012 election turned on Senate races.
…The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has jurisdiction over the RFS.
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) will remain Chairwoman, but …

by Gerard Wynn (Reuters)  BP’s decision to scrap plans for a U.S. cellulosic ethanol refinery is a setback for second generation biofuels and opens the door to alternatives including Brazilian sugar ethanol, biodiesel and electric …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  An October report from the Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute concludes that a reduction in the renewable fuel standard wouldn’t greatly reduce corn prices in the 2012/’13 crop …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  The 4th Annual Biofuels: Science and Sustainability Tour took place recently hosted by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA). The three-day tour brought several Washington, D.C. policymakers and regulators to Iowa for a inside and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …Those momentum killers. Company wreckers. The investor flight-inducing crevasses along the route to the top – that take away a level playing field, remove your access to markets, delay a …

by Bruce Dale (Star Tribune) Commentaries: Considered in context, it’s clear that ethanol has an important role to play.
A commentary about corn ethanol published in the Star Tribune this summer was disappointing (“Too much corn is …

by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  This summer’s drought in the farm belt raised real fears about food supplies and prices. But some in the livestock, poultry and meat processing industries are using …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  A new study, Global Biofuels Outlook to 2025, authored by Hart Energy, finds a disconnect between mandates established in the U.S. Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) and Renewable Energy Directive in the European …

by Ned Stowe (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) In the wake of the devastating heat wave and drought which covered much of the United States this year, it has become clear that there will be less …

by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association)  About EPRINC: EPRINC is a non-profit group funded by Big Oil, staffed by former oil company employees, and directed by a board of trustees that is a veritable who’s-who …

by Zack Coleman (The Hill/E2Wire)  …Tom Buis, the CEO of biofuels industry group Growth Energy, said the “170-some appointments” biofuels proponents held Monday through Wednesday assured him of bipartisan and administration commitment to the renewable …

by Brian Jennings (Ethanol Producer Magazine/American Coalition for Ethanol)  …What we have going for us is that ethanol has a compelling story to tell. We can and should go on offense. The RFS costs taxpayers …

by Marlo Lewis (GlobalWarming.org)  The Governors of Georgia, Texas, Arkansas, Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, and North Carolina have petitioned EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to waive the mandatory ethanol blending requirements established by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The petitioners hope thereby to lower and stabilize corn prices, which recently hit record …

by Dave Vander Griend (ICM/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  I was disappointed to read the Aug. 24Wichita Eagle editorial titled “End Ethanol Mandate.” It was important for us to provide factual information instead of misinformation.
First, the U.S. ethanol industry …

by Mario Parker (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)  Ethanol, the best-performing energy commodity this year, is cheaper than gasoline, encouraging refiners to use the biofuel even if President Barack Obama’s administration ends a requirement to do so.
A 49 …

by Ken Silverstein (Forbes)  …By most standards, the hope that is such first-generation fuel additives are supplanted by next-generation ones, or those produced from cellulose. Worth it?
Such fibers are abundant and could supply 130 million …

(Reuters)  * EPA to gather public comment for 30 days
* EPA must make decision on ethanol waivers by November
* Petitioners must show mandate causing severe economic harm
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday said it …

by Todd Sneller (Journal Star)  The petroleum mandate forced on U.S. motorists prevents consumers from choosing less costly fuel options at the pump. Artificial impediments imposed on the fuel market restrict the use of less …

(Renewable Fuels Association)  Responding to an official waiver request of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) released the following statement:
“The Environmental Protection Agency should reject …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, the governors of North Carolina, Arkansas, Maryland and Delaware made a formal request for a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard, in response to the 2012 US drought, …

(Platts)  A waiver of the US ethanol mandate would not destroy corn demand because current gasoline blending economics still favor the use of the corn-based biofuel, Deutsche Bank’ analysts Michael Lewis and Christina McGlone said …

by (Bloomberg) …Refiners can meet biofuel targets by drawing from ample stockpiles and utilizing excess credits, known as Renewable Identification Numbers, that can be submitted in lieu of physically blending a gallon of ethanol to …

by Weiner and George Clingan (Miami Herald)  As the world watches the 2012 London Olympics, the United States ought to brace for a looming embarrassment at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Unless we act …

by Tom Buis (Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  …Though it sometimes can be easy to lose sight, the increasing challenges we face are directly correlated to our achievements. In particular, with higher blends of ethanol in …

by Gerard Wynn (Reuters)  …It has now become ubiquitous to quote the ethanol industry’s corn consumption at 40 percent of the national crop.
But the estimate is inaccurate, by assuming away ethanol co-products and in particular …

by Whitney McFerron (Bloomberg BusinesssWeek)  Potential changes in a U.S. government mandate for ethanol are unlikely to “materially impact” demand for the gasoline additive made from corn, Morgan Stanley said.
Livestock producers and some U.S. lawmakers have …

by Brent Erickson (BIO/Biofuels Digest)  Despite oil industry claims of “$10 million in fines for non-existent fuels” – they paid exactly $19,010.16 for cellulosic ethanol waivers in 2010, costing US consumers 14 millionths of one …

by Zack Coleman (The Hill/E2Wire)  The biofuels industry is at loggerheads with House Republicans, who are eyeing its funding for elimination in the farm bill.
Biomass and biofuels groups warn that the loss of $800 million …

by Cindy Zimmerman  (DomesticFuel.com)  Members of Congress are exchanging dueling fact sheets about corn ethanol and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2).
Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) sent an email last month to members of the House Commerce, …

(Renewable Fuels Association/BioFuelsChat.com)  …Specifically, (Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob) Dinneen noted two driving factors that have led to refinery shutterings on the East Coast:
First, most East Coast refineries cannot process the lower-cost types of …

by David Shaffer (Star Tribune)  A new blend of ethanol and gasoline may soon show up at the gas station pumps — along with mixed messages on whether it’s safe to put it in your …

by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA)  In an interview with Kris Bevill of Ethanol Producer Magazine, John Eichberger, National Association of Convenience Stores vice president of government relations and author of the paper, titled “The …

(Renewable Fuels Association)  Providing flexibility to fuel retailers will be key to the continued growth in availability of higher level ethanol blends like E15 and other renewable fuels, according to Renewable Fuels Association President and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, Heather Zichal, Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, addressed the Renewable Fuels Association’s Washington Legislative Forum.
…“Now, as we produce more biofuels, it’s also important …

by Brian Jennings (American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine)   …First, with E15 market ready in many states, the U.S. EPA ought to ensure summer Reid vapor pressure (RVP) limitations do not stand in the …

by Cindy Zimmerman  (DomesticFuel.com)  …At the recent National Ethanol Conference, where ICM, Inc. founder Dave Vander Griend was honored with the Renewable Fuels Association 2012 Membership Award, he talked about how ethanol could replace some of the additives currently found …

by Tom Buis (Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  … Our nation imagines itself the most free and secure in the world, but the volatility of the global oil market shows how vulnerable we are as a …

by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  …Before year’s end, Congress should pass a multi-year extension of the Producer Tax Credit for cellulosic ethanol production as well as the Accelerated Depreciation Allowance for Cellulosic …

(American Coalition for Ethanol)  The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), a national advocacy association for the
U.S. ethanol industry, released this statement today following President Obama’s remarks on energy policy and gasoline
prices.
“We appreciate that the President …