Advanced BioFuels USA

China Seen Importing US Ethanol via Alternative Routes Amid Trade War

by Srijan Kanoi (S&P Global Platts) China has switched to importing US ethanol via alternative routes since the US-China trade war erupted in April, the country’s General Administration of Customs data indicated Tuesday.

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In a surprise to the market, the data showed that China imported ethanol from Indonesia and Malaysia, both countries with little or no domestic ethanol production.

It was also the first time that both the countries had exported any ethanol to China, market sources said.

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US origin denatured ethanol imports incur a 70% import duty in China and US undenatured ethanol incurs a 50% import duty. Exports out of Indonesia and Malaysia into China are duty free and subject only to the standard 16% domestic VAT, S&P Global Platts data showed.

Traders have been looking for alternative routes to sell ethanol to China since the 70% import duty on US ethanol imports firmly closed the arbitrage window between the two countries.

“The hike in import duty [for ethanol from the US to China] to 70% has killed the imports into China,” a trader said.

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The importing of US ethanol into China via other countries is likely to continue, with US Department of Agriculture data showing that the US exported 50,600 cu m of ethanol to Malaysia in September.

The import of US ethanol into Malaysia is not for domestic consumption but for re-export, a trader said. “What is really happening is a ship-to-ship transfer and a document switch, putting Malaysia as origin, and the product is being shipped into China,” the trader claimed. READ MORE

60 Organizations Sign Tax Extenders Letter to Congress

by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) A group of 60 organizations representing diverse business, energy, transportation, real estate and agriculture sectors has sent a letter to leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate on the “pressing need” to address the expired tax provisions, commonly referred to as the tax extenders.

The tax extenders, including the $1 per gallon blenders credit for biodiesel and renewable diesel, expired on Dec. 31, 2017.

“This has created confusion for the numerous industry sectors that utilize these tax incentives and support thousands of jobs in the U.S. economy,” the letter states. “The continued uncertainty with regard to eventual congressional action on tax extenders is undermining the effectiveness of these incentives and stands as a needless barrier to additional job creation and economic growth in the private sector.”

In the letter, the organizations ask the legislators to retroactively extend the expired tax provisions, at a minimum, through 2019 before Congress adjourns for the year. READ MORE

EXTENDERS DRAFT ON TAP: (Politico’s Morning Energy)

Washington Insider — Thursday: Tax Extenders in Congress (DTN The Progressive Farmer)

Excerpt from Politico’s Morning Energy: A draft bill to address tax extenders is almost ready for circulation, House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady said Tuesday. “Brady said the package will also include 70 to 80 other alterations to the tax law, H.R. 1 (115), the vast majority of which he characterized as very minor clarifications,” Pro’s Aaron Lorenzo reports. READ MORE

Excerpt from DTN The Progressive Farmer: A draft bill to address a host of tax extenders is almost ready to be released, according to House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, a plan which would include the biodiesel tax credit which lapsed at the end of 2017.

Permanently extending all 26 tax provisions that expired at the end of 2017 that are currently in play would reduce federal revenue by about $92.5 billion over the coming decade, according to a Congressional Research Service analysis based on Joint Committee on Taxation estimates.

Most costly of the lapsed provisions is a $1.00 per gallon tax credit for the sale of biodiesel. “There is enormous public benefit to home-grown, renewable clean energy,” said Kurt Kovarick, vice president of federal affairs for the National Biodiesel Board, a trade association. “Without that credit, we would not have the support to grow the industry. We don’t want to remain at two percent to three percent of the market.”

The biodiesel credit is an expensive proposition for some, above $3 billion per year. Permanently extending the credit would cost an estimated $35.2 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Research Service.

One of the key players in creating the biodiesel credit as chairman of the tax-writing Finance Committee in 2004, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told reporters Tuesday that extending it was one of his top lame duck priorities. “There some important provisions that need to be dealt with, and the one that I’m most interested in is the biodiesel tax credit,” said Grassley, who is in line to become Finance chairman once again if he decides to leave his top slot on Judiciary. READ MORE

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Emails between the EPA and the oil industry show that EPA asked oil industry employees what test fuels they would “prefer to see tested” and then revised the test fuels in response to their input. The EPA also threw out three test fuels after preliminary results showed that ethanol lowered emissions of nitrogen oxides and other pollutants and otherwise altered its slate of test fuels to downplay ethanol’s positive effects,” according to emails from a Freedom of Information Act request by Urban Air Initiative. READ MORE

March for Science — May 4, 2019 — various locations

SAVE THE DATE We turn our attention to the future of science advocacy. We’ll continue to advocate every day for equitable,

November 16, 2018 Read Full Article

CALL FOR PAPERS: Plant Based Summit — May 22-24, 2019 — Lyons, France DEADLINE: November 21, 2018

Plant Based Summit will launch its 5th edition in Lyon, with an even sharpened positioning on the innovation, the co-development

November 16, 2018 Read Full Article

Plant Based Summit — May 22-24, 2019 — Lyons, France

Plant Based Summit will launch its 5th edition in Lyon, with an even sharpened positioning on the innovation, the co-development

November 16, 2018 Read Full Article

USA Science & Engineering Festival — April 25-26, 2020 — Washington, DC

The USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo will return to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC on

November 15, 2018 Read Full Article

CALL FOR PAPERS: BioCycle WEST COAST19 — April 1-4, 2019 — Portland, OR DEADLINE: December 10, 2018

Accepting abstracts now for presentations on April 2-3, 2019. BioCycle WEST COAST19 includes four tracks of sessions. Abstracts should be no longer than

November 15, 2018 Read Full Article

6 Reasons Why This Tax Is a Crummy Way to Improve Illinois’ Roads and Bridges The So-Called Vehicle Miles Traveled Tax Being Bandied about in Springfield Is the Wrong Tool to Address Illinois’ Transportation Challenges. Here’s Why.

by Howard Lerner (Crain’s Chicago Business/Environmental Law & Policy Center ) Current gas tax revenues are insufficient to meet Illinois’ infrastructure

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Calvera Supplies CNG Equipment to E.ON Biofor Sweden’s Station Network

(Gasnam/Calvera/NGV Journal) The Calvera Industrial Group signed an important collaboration agreement with the Swedish company E.ON Biofor Sweden, division of the

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Biofuel Cell Can Match the Performance of Platinum

(The Engineer) Researchers in Germany have developed an enzyme-based biofuel cell that can match the performances of fuel cells made using

November 15, 2018 Read Full Article

Producers Call on Government to Implement B30 Biodiesel Policy

(Jakarta Post) While the implementation of the 20 percent blended biodiesel ( B20 ) mandatory policy needs fine tuning, biodiesel producers want

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Air BP Invests in New Fuelling Infrastructure to Supply Bergen Airport, Norway

(BP) Air BP has invested in upgrades to its fuel infrastructure at Dolvik terminal in Norway. The newly upgraded terminal, which

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G20 Nations Still Led by Fossil Fuel Industry, Climate Report Finds

by Jonathan Watts (The Guardian) Coal, oil and gas subsidies risking rise in global temperatures to 3.2C, well beyond agreed Paris

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National Corn Growers Association, Environmental Defense Fund Partner to Improve Environment while Growing Profits

(Wallaces Farmer) Environmental Defense Fund and National Corn Growers Association will engage in continuous improvements for water quality while strengthening yields

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Can We Produce Enough Green Hydrogen to Save the World?

(FuelCellsWorks) … ‘Hydrogen and fuels derived (from it) is capable of reducing the carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels in the

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Dems to Hold Two Days of Hearings on Climate

by Timothy Cama (The Hill) House Democrats are planning to hold two days’ worth of hearings on the impacts of climate change and

November 15, 2018 Read Full Article

EPA Extends Comment Period on RFS Information Collection Request New DEADLINE: December 13, 2018

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA is extending the comment period on a previously announced information collection request

November 15, 2018 Read Full Article

Biofuel Groups Ask Federal Judge to Freeze U.S. Refinery Waiver Program

by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) A group representing biofuel companies asked a federal judge on Tuesday to force the U.S. Environmental Protection

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Near-Zero ROUSH CleanTech Engine Can Run on Renewable Propane

by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) ROUSH CleanTech has announced that its 0.02 grams per brake horsepower-hour engine can operate on renewable

November 15, 2018 Read Full Article

France Sets Out Plan to End ‘Imported Deforestation’

(France 24 with Reuters) France set out plans on Wednesday to tackle deforestation around the world, saying it would look to

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China Seen Importing US Ethanol via Alternative Routes Amid Trade War

by Srijan Kanoi (S&P Global Platts) China has switched to importing US ethanol via alternative routes since the US-China trade war

November 15, 2018 Read Full Article

It Might Be Giant: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Nanocellulose, American Process Style

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A few years back, Research & Markets startled the bio world when they projected that the “Nanocellulose

November 15, 2018 Read Full Article

3D Printed Bio-Eyes, Biobased Surfactants, Duckweed’s Comeback, Cow Poop Fabric, Starch Algae Opp, Disney Goes Bio, Alt Tuna: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of November 14th

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top

November 15, 2018 Read Full Article

Big Oil Spent 1 Percent on Green Energy in 2018

by Ron Bousso (Reuters) Top oil and gas companies jointly spent around 1 percent of their 2018 budgets on clean energy,