Federal Agency – Advanced BioFuels USA

Department of Energy Announces $40 Million in Funding for 29 Projects to Advance H2@Scale

(U.S. Department of Energy) Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced approximately $40 million in FY 2019 funding for 29 projects to advance the H2@Scale concept. The focus of H2@Scale is to enable affordable and reliable large-scale hydrogen generation, transport, storage, and utilization in the United States across multiple sectors.

August 23, 2019 Read Full Article

Trump Set to Discuss Biofuels Thursday with USDA, EPA: Sources

by Humeyra Pamuk and Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) President Donald Trump, faced with mounting anger in the farm belt over policies that allowed oil refineries to use less corn-based ethanol, is set to meet with cabinet members on Thursday to discuss ways to boost biofuel demand, four sources familiar with the matter said.

August 22, 2019 Read Full Article

2020 Dems Aim to Capitalize on Trump’s Ethanol Policy

by Brian Dabbs (National Journal) Democratic presidential candidates are exploiting a controversial White House ethanol policy to try to generate support among President Trump’s staunchest backers. The Environmental Protection Agency waived ethanol blending requirements for more than 30 petroleum refiners earlier this month, in a move that continues to infuriate

August 22, 2019 Read Full Article

From Chicken Kiev to ZEV: The Birth of Electro-Active Technologies, and Hydrogen Fuel for Zero Emission Vehicles, the Newfangled Way

by jmlhydrogen (Hydrogen Digest) From Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee comes news that Electro-Active Technologies has exclusively licensed two biorefinery technologies to convert organic waste into renewable hydrogen gas for use as a biofuel. The Technology The system combines biology and electrochemistry to degrade organic waste—such as plant biomass or

August 22, 2019 Read Full Article

New Catalysts, Improved Genetic Tools Bring New Opportunities: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to ORNL’s Biomass to Bioproducts

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Organisms are interesting creatures and genetic tools and biochemical pathway knowledge is changing the way we look at them. Brian Davison, Chief Scientist for Biotechnology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, gave this knowledge-filled presentation on how to leverage organisms for biofuels and bioproducts, consolidated bioprocessing, barriers

August 22, 2019 Read Full Article

EPA Mulling Ethanol Reallocation, Sources Say

by Alex Guillén (Politico’s Morning Energy) The Trump administration is considering reallocating the volumes of ethanol that were reduced when it allowed dozens of refineries to waive their Renewable Fuel Standard requirements to blend the biofuel with gasoline, four industry sources with knowledge of the discussions told Pro’s Eric Wolff.

August 22, 2019 Read Full Article

Biofuel Lobby Sues EPA Over Renewable Fuel Standard Exemptions

by Michael McGrady (Inside Sources) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is facing a legal challenge from a coalition of biofuel and agriculture industry groups regarding the agency’s proposal for reduced renewable fuel volumes. According to a press release from the coalition, the organizations filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the

August 21, 2019 Read Full Article

Governors Ask EPA to Clarify Biogenic CO2 Not Regulated under CCA

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) Governors representing Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska and North Dakota recently sent a letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler urging the agency to clarify biogenic CO2 is not a pollutant subject to regulation under the Clean Air Act. “We respectively request that you prioritize regulatory reform

August 21, 2019 Read Full Article

Ethanol Board Offers Fuel Retailer Training to Install E15 Blends and Higher

(Nebraska Ethanol Board) Since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lifted regulations against the sale of E15 throughout the summer months, the market and industry feedback has proven positive. For the first time ever, consumers driving 2001 or newer vehicles can access the fuel with up to 15% ethanol year-round. Because

August 21, 2019 Read Full Article

All About Algae: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to DOE’s Advanced Algal Systems

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Algae has a lot of recent federal support, and this presentation takes us there. The Advanced Algal Systems is working on a host of strategies to focus on enhacing productivity, feedstock, quality and robust yields while developing higher-value bioproducts. Alison Goss Eng, Program Manager, Feedstock

August 21, 2019 Read Full Article

It’s Time to Rebuild: Farmland as Critical Infrastructure

by Michael A. Fatigati (Vantaggio Renewables/Biofuels Digest) … We believe that one of our nation’s important natural resources, while protected in some ways, is being neglected to our peril and should be re-classified as infrastructure. This segment of infrastructure supplies 95% of the food requirements of our nation. This segment

August 21, 2019 Read Full Article

DOE Announces $59 Million and 43 Projects to Accelerate Advanced Vehicle Technologies Research

(U.S. Department of Energy) U.S. Department of Energy Under Secretary of Energy Mark W. Menezes announced $59 million for 43 projects for new and innovative advanced vehicle technologies research. Funded through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, these projects address priorities in advanced batteries and electric drive systems, co-optimized

August 21, 2019 Read Full Article

Wound up over Waivers

by Alex Guillén (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA’s internal watchdog is being asked to determine how the agency decided to grant the vast majority of exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard that oil refiners have requested. EPA approved 31 petitions for waivers from the 2018 requirements, while rejecting just six, and

August 21, 2019 Read Full Article

Bioenergy Startup Licenses ORNL Food-Waste-to-Fuel System

(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Electro-Active Technologies, Inc., of Knoxville, Tenn., has exclusively licensed two biorefinery technologies invented and patented by the startup’s co-founders while working at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The technologies work as a system that converts organic waste into renewable hydrogen gas for use as

August 20, 2019 Read Full Article

Addressing Two Objections to My Midwest Ethanol Plan

by Robert Rapier (Forbes) … My proposed solution is for the Midwestern states to band together to provide sufficient state incentives to develop a major Midwest corridor where E85 — a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline — is the primary fuel of choice for consumers. There is enough

August 19, 2019 Read Full Article

Report: Trump Ordered Waivers: Ongoing Court Challenges May Be Only Avenue Left for Biofuels

by By Todd Neeley and Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) …The president sided with oil refiners over ethanol producers and corn farmers, just two months after reiterating his support for ethanol at a rally held at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to celebrate the approval of year-round

August 19, 2019 Read Full Article

E15, E30, and Blender Pumps May Become Generally Available, but Refinery Exemptions Make the RFS Irrelevant

by Doug Root* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Farm Fest in southern Minnesota is always a forum on the health of the agriculture sector of the economy and biofuels. This year was no exception as Rep. Colin Peterson hosted a listening session with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and six members of

August 17, 2019 Read Full Article

Trade Dispute Affecting Ethanol Production in Midwest

by Andy Knight (The Herald Bulletin) Officials with POET Biorefining in Alexandria are monitoring the ongoing trade dispute between the United States and China, which has resulted in significant tariffs on U.S. ethanol shipments to that country. POET employs more than 40 people in Madison County and, according to the company’s

August 16, 2019 Read Full Article

Trump Intervention Triggered EPA’s Surprise Biofuel Waiver Decision: Sources

by Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) A phone call from U.S. President Donald Trump last week ended a nearly two-month-long review of the nation’s biofuels program, three sources familiar with the matter said, with the White House siding in favor of oil refiners over corn growers. Trump gave Andrew Wheeler, head of the U.S.

August 16, 2019 Read Full Article

How to De-Fossilize Your Fleet: Suggestions for Fleet Managers Working on Sustainability Programs

by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Cities, companies, universities, organizations pledge to be 100% renewable (or 50%) by a certain date. But how often does that pledge include renewable transportation energy? I’m guessing just about never. But it doesn’t have to be that way. At conferences, sustainability events, by phone

August 15, 2019 Read Full Article

Study: Fracking Responsible for Rising Methane Levels in Atmosphere

by Sergio Chapa (Houston Chronicle) Rising levels of the potent greenhouse gas methane in the atmosphere have been linked to emissions produced by the shale oil and natural gas industry, a new study from Cornell University reveals. — In a study published this morning (August 14, 2019) in the European Geosciences

August 15, 2019 Read Full Article

Environmental Advocates Should Take Another Look at Biofuels

by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and former Sen. Timothy Wirth (D-CO) (The Hill) … But public policy to date has put almost the entire burden of the sector’s transformation on the nation’s vehicles. Shouldn’t the fuels they burn get equal attention? Look at the numbers: Even a rapid transition to electric

August 15, 2019 Read Full Article

Iowa Farmers Stick With Trump Despite Trade War

by John McCormick and Jesse Naranjo (Wall Street Journal) … “He’s doing the right thing,” said Leo Balk, a fifth-generation farmer who raises corn, soybeans, oats, beef and dairy cows on about 300 acres near New Hampton, Iowa. “It hurts, but his concept is absolutely right.” One of the reasons farmers

August 15, 2019 Read Full Article

Small Refinery Waivers: Is EPA Breaking The Law?

by Anna-Lisa Laca (Farm Journal’s Ag Pro) For the past two years the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been issuing small refinery hardship waivers, which allow the awarded refiners to forgo blending ethanol with their fuels. Is EPA breaking the law by issuing such waivers? It depends on who you

August 15, 2019 Read Full Article

Team Brad and Biobug

(National Biodiesel Education Program/University of Idaho) Adventure Awaits! After aliens invade, the earth is pretty bleak…that is, until deliverymen Brian and Chad (Team Brad) get a mysterious package with a clue to stop the intruders! Join Team Brad and their talking biodiesel car, Biobug, on an exciting road trip where biofuels may

August 15, 2019 Read Full Article

Florida Ag Producers, Foresters Share Ideas to Deal with Climate Change

(Solutions from the Land) Florida Rep. Kathy Castor told a group of farmers, ranchers and timber producers in her state Monday that responding to a changing climate must be a collaborative effort, drawing together producers, government agencies and academics to develop the steps needed for the agriculture sector to adapt

August 14, 2019 Read Full Article

O’Brien: Retailers, Prime the Pump Set the Stage for E15 Adoption

by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) For retailers who are still looking to add E15 to their product mix, Growth Energy’s vice president of market development, Mike O’Brien believes there’s no better place to learn about and ask questions than the Prime the Pump program. Retailers who have already made the

August 14, 2019 Read Full Article

Promising New Solar-Powered Path to Hydrogen Fuel Production

(Lehigh News) A team at Lehigh is the first to use a single enzyme biomineralization process to create a solar-driven water splitting catalyst that produces hydrogen with the potential to be manufactured sustainably, cheaply and abundantly. — Engineers at Lehigh University are the first to utilize a single enzyme biomineralization process

August 14, 2019 Read Full Article

33 Million Reasons Why Your Garbage Is Worth More than You Think: Breakthrough, Cox et al Investing, Accelerating Sierra Energy in Waste-to-X Race

(Hydrogen Digest) … In 2015, we reported that the Defense Logistics Agency awarded Sierra Energy a $100,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant $100,000 grant to further explore the production of hydrogen fuel from waste. Sierra Energy’s patented FastOx gasifier converts waste into an energy-dense gas with high hydrogen content. The system’s

August 14, 2019 Read Full Article

Tulane Researcher Working to Turn Waste to Fuel Wins NSF Career Award

by Barri Bronston (Tulane University) Nicholas Sandoval’s lab at Tulane works on the development and application of advanced synthetic biology tools for microbes and other model cell lines for the purpose of therapeutics and sustainable fuel and chemical production. — Nicholas Sandoval, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Tulane

August 14, 2019 Read Full Article

DOE Seeks Information on Opportunities to Leverage Bioethanol Production Facilities, Food Waste Streams, High-Impact Data, and Algal Biomass to Advance the Domestic Bioeconomy –DE-FOA-0002150: FY 2019 BETO-WIDE RFI DEADLINE: September 6, 2019

(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is requesting information on the following research opportunities to help inform its priorities and funding strategies: advanced processes and retrofits to co-produce cellulosic biofuels and other products at existing

August 13, 2019 Read Full Article

City in Colorado Develops Innovative Biogas Plant & CNG Station Project

(City of Longmont/NGV Journal) Steel rising on a site at the northwest corner of the city of Longmont’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is a sign of the future. The steel provides the frame for an approximately 23,000-square-foot building for Longmont’s Biogas Treatment and Renewable Natural Gas Fueling Station Project, which will

August 12, 2019 Read Full Article

Coalition Pushes EPA to Reconsider Limits on Higher Ethanol Blends

(Urban Air Initiative) In a joint petition filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals, a broad alliance of ethanol, agriculture, and clean fuel organizations requested judicial review of a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rulemaking that would limit ethanol blending and restrict the use of blender pumps. The Urban Air Initiative

August 12, 2019 Read Full Article

USGC Team Explores Ethanol Potential for Latin America U.S. Grains Council

(U.S. Grains Council/Farm Forum) … This goal of enabling expanded conversations on ethanol blending is why the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) organized a trade team in July to connect representatives from national refineries, ministries of energy and other key stakeholders in Latin America with U.S. refiners currently blending ethanol with

August 12, 2019 Read Full Article

Five Myths about Corn: Actually, It’s Not All Genetically Modified — or Unhealthy.

by Laura Reiley (Washington Post) … MYTH NO. 5 Biofuels derived from corn can help the environment. Ethanol, made by fermenting sugars from corn or sugar cane, contains oxygen that enables a car’s engine to burn fuel more efficiently. It was heralded as the “fuel of the future” by Henry Ford in 1925 —

August 12, 2019 Read Full Article

Can They? Should They?: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to DOE’s Biofuels in Marine Engines

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The fuels market and demand for jet fuels is big, but what about the marine sector? After all, over 90% of all goods are shipped via marine vessels fueled with high sulfur (3.5 wt.%) heavy residual fuel oil (HFO). Zia Haq, Siva Sivasubramanian, Mark Shmorhun, Mohan

August 12, 2019 Read Full Article

EPA Strikes Icy Blow to Ag & Biofuels: 31 Waivers Hit Heart of American Farmers and Biofuels

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) EPA might have a new name in some circles – Exemptions for Petroleum Agency – thanks to the 31 small refinery waivers issued on Friday which has the biofuels and agriculture industries reeling after promises made by President Trump to look into why big oil

August 12, 2019 Read Full Article

Managing LCFS Credits and Risk in Uncertain Times

by Michael Newman (Parhelion Underwriting Inc./Biofuels Digest) Trading in the climate finance market – the systems designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – sometimes create areas of uncertainty. The risk of invalidation of credits worry market participants – but insurance risk capital can be used to mitigate these concerns and in

August 8, 2019 Read Full Article

Trump Administration Moves to Finalize Weakening of Car Efficiency Standards: The White Houes’s Rule Would Cost the Economy $400 Billion by Midcentury, According to a New Analysis from Energy Innovation.

(GreenTechMedia) An analysis published Wednesday by clean energy advocacy group Energy Innovation found that if the administration does eliminate California’s waiver, costs from the rule change would total $400 billion in 2018 dollars by 2050. By 2035, Energy Innovation projects that transportation emissions will be at least 10 percent higher than

August 8, 2019 Read Full Article

China Dismisses Trump Agri Purchase Claim, Says Honouring Pledges; NDRC Says Claims China Not Buying US Agri Products ‘Groundless’

by Hallie Gu and Tom Daly (Reuters/Zawya) Beijing is honouring its pledges to buy U.S. agricultural products, state media cited China’s state planning body saying, dismissing an accusation from U.S. President Donald Trump that it had not met purchasing promises in the sector. Trump had said on Thursday that Beijing had

August 7, 2019 Read Full Article

Brazil Considers Dropping Barriers to U.S. Ethanol

by Rachel Gamarski and Fabiana Batista (Bloomberg) Decision may be taken before tax-free quota expires end-August; Any tariff on U.S. ethanol would hurt bilateral trade talks — As China turns its back on American ethanol in a lingering trade spat, Brazil is considering opening its doors to U.S. biofuel. — Brazilian authorities are

August 6, 2019 Read Full Article

USGC: Feeding Trials in Southeast Mexico Expand US DDGS Use

(U.S. Grains Council/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Utilizing Market Access Program and Agricultural Trade Program funds, the U.S. Grains Council’s Mexico office has invested in marketing U.S. distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) through strategic feeding trials in southeast Mexico. In 2018, five trials proved DDGS to be economically successful within small cattle

August 6, 2019 Read Full Article

Report: EU Ethanol Consumption to Increase in 2019

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A recent report filed with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network discusses the current use of biofuels in the European Union and the potential for increased use in the future. According to the report, the EU has set a 10 percent target

August 6, 2019 Read Full Article

EPA’s Final SAFE Vehicles Rule under OMB Review

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA submitted its final Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule for Model Years 2021-2026 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks to the White House Office of Management and Budget on Aug. 2. OMB review marks a final stage before the public release of the

August 6, 2019 Read Full Article

Fuel Blending Guide Will Bring Consistency

by Dave VanderGriend (Ethanol Producer Magazine/ICM/Urban Air Initiative) Emissions testing reforms needed to reduce misinformation about ethanol. — … Drivers using E15 know it’s a great fuel, but a simple internet search leaves the average driver with a lot of conflicting information when it comes to the benefits of ethanol. The misinformation

August 6, 2019 Read Full Article

Mining Safety, Health Focus of $1.7M Grant

by Geri Kelly (University of Arizona News) Researchers at the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health will study alternatives to diesel fuel, commonly used to power equipment in underground mines, to reduce cancer and respiratory disease in miners. — … With a $1.78 million grant from the National Institute of

August 6, 2019 Read Full Article

RNG Stakeholders Speak out on EPA’s 2020 Renewable Fuel Proposal

by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) More than two dozen representatives from the renewable natural gas (RNG) industry spoke at Wednesday’s public hearing in Michigan to provide feedback on 2020 biofuel volumes proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. “The RNG Coalition is the

August 6, 2019 Read Full Article

Funding Opportunity for Algae from the US Department of Agriculture DEADLINE: October 23, 2019

(Algae Biomass Organization) The U.S. Department of Agriculture is supporting algae like never before, thanks to a new Farm Bill that gave algae farmers everything from new crop protections, to support for advanced R&D and commercialization. This month the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced a funding opportunity from its Small

August 5, 2019 Read Full Article

Supercomputing Improves Biomass Fuel Conversion

by Holly Ober (Univesity of California Riverside News) Researchers combine supercomputing with nano-imaging to reveal how to efficiently break down plant biomass and transform it into transportation fuels — … In order to access the energy-rich sugars found in the plant cell walls, researchers have renewed focus on solvating lignin, a

August 5, 2019 Read Full Article

States Sue Trump Administration for Reduced Penalties on Fuel Efficiency

by Rebecca Beitsch (The Hill) Thirteen states filed suit against the Trump administration Friday, arguing it was breaking the law by cutting penalties for automakers that do not meet Obama-era fuel efficiency standards. The suit, led by California’s and New York’s attorneys general, goes after a National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) rule that

August 5, 2019 Read Full Article

Fact Sheet: Fossil Fuel Subsidies: A Closer Look at Tax Breaks and Societal Costs

by Clayton Coleman and Emma Dietz (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) A recent analysis published in Nature Energy found that continuing current fossil fuel subsidies would make it profitable to extract half of all domestic oil reserves. This could increase U.S. oil production by 17 billion barrels over the next few decades and emit

August 2, 2019 Read Full Article

Dennis Lundell: Ethanol Is Vital to Rural America

by Dennis Lundell (The Cap Times) Dear Editor: With the recent move to lift restrictions on E15 by President Trump, the agricultural community has an opportunity to build America’s economy with more renewable biofuels. And that means less reliance on foreign oil, cleaner air and more income in rural communities.

August 2, 2019 Read Full Article

Vampire Algae Killer’s Genetic Diversity Poses Threat to Biofuels

(Science Daily/U.S. Department of Energy Los Alamos Laboratory) New DNA analysis has revealed surprising genetic diversity in a bacterium that poses a persistent threat to the algae biofuels industry. With the evocative name Vampirovibrio chlorellavorus, the predatory pest sucks out the contents of the algae cells (thus the vampire reference) and

August 2, 2019 Read Full Article

South Dakota Farmers Union Meets with EPA Director to Discuss E30

(South Dakota Farmers Union/Farm Forum) South Dakota Farmers Union, together with leaders from 13 South Dakota agriculture organizations, sat down with Gregory Sopkin, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional administrator for District Eight to discuss challenges facing South Dakota farmers and ranchers, as well as opportunities to be found through expanded

August 2, 2019 Read Full Article

China’s Ethanol Goals Could See Big Increase in Demand

by Sean Pratt (Western Producer) An analyst doesn’t think China will delay implementing its E10 policy until there is adequate domestic capacity because the policy is being driven by a desire to clean up the country’s air before hosting the 2022 Olympics. Moving to a 10 percent gasoline blend by 2020

August 2, 2019 Read Full Article

MARINER’s Magnificent Macroalgae: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to ARPA-E

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Oceans are the largest untapped growth opportunity for biomass and that macroalgae is the quintessential ocean crop, according to ARPA-E. But, it says that with the current state of technology, it will never scale to meet energy and CO2 capture demands. So what to do? That’s

August 2, 2019 Read Full Article

Letter: Protect Renewable Fuels

by Jim Lykam (Quad City Times) I respectfully disagree with Kerry Etringer’s July 18 letter in which he described homegrown ethanol as a “sop” to farmers rather than a “good renewable source of energy.” The truth is that Iowa farmers deserve credit for leading the charge on clean energy. The biofuels we

August 2, 2019 Read Full Article

Biofuel Industry Testifies on Proposed RFS Levels — Small Refinery Exemptions Still Main Point of Contention with Renewable Fuel Producers.

by Jacqui Fatka (Feedstuffs) The Environmental Protection Agency hosted an annual hearing in Ypsilanti, Mich., on next year’s biofuel targets under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Many members of the biofuel industry pushed for higher levels and for the agency to correct demand lost from previous small refinery exemptions. … In his

August 1, 2019 Read Full Article

New York Publishes Proposed Rule to Allow E15 Sales

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The New York Department of Agriculture and Markets published a proposed rule July 24 to allow E15 sales within the state. The move will soon open the nation’s fourth largest gasoline market to sales of the fuel blend. The rulemaking comes nearly a nine years

August 1, 2019 Read Full Article

Blazing Pathways through the Clean-Tech and Governmental Wilderness

by Douglas L. Faulkner (The Cleantech Conservative/Leatherstocking LLC/ Biofuels Digest) … (W)e first addressed bio-based plastic research needs; second, we reviewed government regulations preventing the growth of advanced biofuels, a controversial action; then we launched an effort for 2019 for an intensive look at forests of the future and their opportunities for woody

August 1, 2019 Read Full Article

Coalition Seeks Court Action Forcing EPA to Account for Lost Biofuel Volumes

(Renewable Fuels Association) An agriculture and biofuels coalition has petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to lift a stay it placed on a joint 2018 petition asking the court to protect the renewable fuels industry from undue harm caused by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

July 31, 2019 Read Full Article

Renewable Fuel Standard Program: Standards for 2020 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2021, Response to the Remand of the 2016 Standards, and Other Changes Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2019-0136 COMMENTS DEADLINE: August 30, 2019

Under section 211 of the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to set renewable fuel percentage standards every year. This action proposes the annual percentage standards for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel that apply to gasoline and diesel transportation fuel produced

July 31, 2019 Read Full Article

RFA Urges EPA To Address RFS Small Refiner Waivers and Court Remand

(Renewable Fuels Association) In oral testimony presented at a public hearing today in Ypsilanti, Mich., the Renewable Fuels Association urged the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that its 2020 Renewable Fuel Standard final rule prospectively accounts for expected small refinery exemptions and properly addresses a 2017 court order to restore 500

July 31, 2019 Read Full Article

EPA Regional Eight Supervisor Greg Sopkin Visits Watertown Ethanol Plant

by David Law (MyKXLG) Cooperative board members and company employees spent most of Tuesday morning at the Glacial Lakes Energy plant in Watertown educating region 8 EPA head Greg Sopkin about the importance of ethanol to the state’s farm economy. Leading off was Mark Schmidt who is the president of the

July 31, 2019 Read Full Article

EPA Chief Defends Biofuel Waivers in Meeting with Farm Senators: Sources

by Humeyra Pamuk and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defended his agency’s expanded use of waivers exempting refineries from the country’s biofuel law during a closed-door meeting with farm state senators last week, arguing the program has had no negative impact on ethanol demand, according to

July 31, 2019 Read Full Article

An Answer to “Hard to Find” Equity – Opportunity Zone Funds

by Mark Riedy and Eddie Wang (Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP/Biofuels Digest) The recently-established Opportunity Zone Program offers developers, including start-up technology companies attempting to develop and commercialize new technologies in the energy, chemical, and infrastructure industries, an exciting, new opportunity to attract private placement investment funds into company-level business operations and

July 31, 2019 Read Full Article

The Future of Hydrogen, and the Debut of Hydrogen Digest

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In a new report from the International Energy Agency, the IEA’s executive director Dr. Fatih Birol writes, “This is a critical year for hydrogen. It is enjoying unprecedented momentum around the world and could finally be set on a path to fulfill its longstanding potential as a

July 31, 2019 Read Full Article

EPA Posts Call-in Information for July 31 Hearing on RFS Proposal

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA has posted call-in information for its July 31 hearing on the proposed rule to set 2020 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) and the 2021 RVO for biomass-based diesel under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The agency announced plans to hold the hearing earlier this month.

July 30, 2019 Read Full Article

Ethanol Report on Current Issues

(AgNewsWire/Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association is having a busy summer keeping up with the latest EPA actions impacting ethanol. In this edition of “The Ethanol Report,” RFA president and CEO Geoff Cooper discusses preparing for the July 31 public hearing on the proposed 2020 volume obligations, waiting on EPA to make a decision

July 29, 2019 Read Full Article

EERE Helps American Small Businesses with $43.6 Million for Phase II Innovation Projects

(U.S. Department of Energy) American small businesses received a near-$44 million boost from the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. As part of last Monday’s announcement, small businesses are receiving Phase II Release 2 grants that demonstrate commercial feasibility for innovations during the

July 29, 2019 Read Full Article

Department of Energy Announces $50 Million for Commercial Truck, Off-road Vehicle, and Gaseous Fuels Research

(U.S. Department of Energy) Today, the U.S. Department of Energy announced $50 million for new and innovative research of technologies for trucks, off-road vehicles, and the fuels that power them. Funded through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), these selections highlight the DOE’s

July 29, 2019 Read Full Article

U.S. Ethanol Industry Nearing Breaking Point: Green Plains CEO

by Jarrett Renshaw, Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. ethanol industry is about to break under the weight of the Trump Administration’s trade war with China and the surge in the number of small refineries exempted from the nation’s biofuel laws, said Todd Becker, CEO of Green Plains (GPRE.O). The U.S. ethanol industry

July 29, 2019 Read Full Article

RFA Extends Ethanol Invite as EPA Head Visits Oil Refinery

(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association has invited U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler to visit an ethanol plant as a follow-up to his tour of a Pennsylvania oil refinery. Wheeler was scheduled to visit Monroe Energy’s plant in Trainer, Penn., today at the invitation of Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA),

July 29, 2019 Read Full Article

American Coalition for Ethanol : ACE Calls on EPA to Rely on the GREET Model as It Considers Future RFS Volumes

(American Coalitin for Ethanol/Market Screener) American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings highlighted the important role corn ethanol could have in further reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions if properly valued under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler today, informing the agency of

July 26, 2019 Read Full Article

Rules and Regulations: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Regulatory Landscapes

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How chemical products and novel substances are regulated in the U.S. has a huge impact on the bioeconomy and the companies that are producing bioproducts today. Bergeson & Campbell shares their thoughts on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and how it impacts you, how you

July 26, 2019 Read Full Article

Major Automakers Strike Climate Deal with California, Rebuffing Trump on Proposed Mileage Freeze

by Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis (Washington Post) The agreement could have vehicles hit 50 miles per gallon on average by 2026 — Four automakers from three continents have struck a deal with California to produce fleets that are more fuel-efficient in coming years, undercutting one of the Trump administration’s most aggressive climate policy

July 25, 2019 Read Full Article

Scoop: Fed to Host Its First Conference Dedicated to Climate Change

by Courtenay Brown (Axios) On Nov. 8, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco — seated in a place that has seen its share of catastrophes linked to global warming — will host what is believed to be the central bank’s first research conference specifically on climate change. Why it matters: Climate

July 24, 2019 Read Full Article

QUOTE OF THE WEEK — Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)

“EPA is screwing around with the program to the detriment of agriculture and the ethanol industry. EPA needs to stop doing the bidding of big oil companies,” Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told reporters July 23, 2019, with regard to small refinery “economic hardship” exemptions according to Politico’s Morning Energy. READ

July 24, 2019 Read Full Article

Energy Department Says EPA Issued RFS Exemptions Against DOE Advice

(Office of Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)) Contrary to assertions by the EPA, the Energy Department confirmed in a letter to Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that the EPA has issued so-called “economic hardship” exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to small refineries, often owned by billion-dollar oil companies, even when the Energy Department

July 24, 2019 Read Full Article

Vampire Algae Killer’s Genetic Diversity Poses Threat to Biofuels

(Los Alamos National Laboratory/Phys.Org) New DNA analysis has revealed surprising genetic diversity in a bacterium that poses a persistent threat to the algae biofuels industry. With the evocative name Vampirovibrio chlorellavorus, the predatory pest sucks out the contents of the algae cells (thus the vampire reference) and reduces a productive, thriving, green

July 23, 2019 Read Full Article

USDA Has More Than $400 Million Still Available for Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Loan Guarantees

(U.S. Department of Agriculture) Funding Helps Farmers, Rural Small Businesses and Ag Producers Cut Energy Costs — Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Joel Baxley today encouraged farmers, rural small businesses and agricultural producers to apply for financing in a key U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program that provides loan

July 23, 2019 Read Full Article

Negatonnes: Beyond the ZEV, the Negative Emission Vehicle and Its Amazing Hydrogen Fuel and Electric Drive

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … There’s the technically tougher path, which is to split ethanol and make CO2 and hydrogen. The point source, high-grade CO2 has value. The bio-based hydrogen has even more value than the ethanol. Conceptually, the recipe is simple. Take ethanol, add water, apply energy, and split

July 23, 2019 Read Full Article

Algae Technology Educational Consortium Prepares Students for Careers in Algae Cultivation and Technologies

by Jonathan Male (U.S. Department of Energy) Algae is a fast-growing industry that needs a skilled workforce of scientists, researchers, and engineers to advance algae technology and the commercialization of algal products to support the bioeconomy. With funding from the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office

July 22, 2019 Read Full Article

U.S. Public-Private Cooperation Funds Biogas Production & Upgrading

(Xebec/NGV Journal) Xebec Adsorption Inc. announced its inclusion in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) US$24 million commitment to a public-private collaboration funding 77 energy technology projects. One of these initiatives includes the collaboration of Xebec, Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) and a California treatment facility, and is being conducted through Lawrence

July 22, 2019 Read Full Article

Report Shows Optimism for Fuel Ethanol Use in Korea

by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A recently released report from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Services Global Agricultural Information Network says South Korea may soon revise its regulations to allow the use of ethanol-blended fuel. The report follows the 2019 Seoul Fuel Ethanol Conference, hosted by the U.S. Embassy Seoul’s Office

July 22, 2019 Read Full Article

Small U.S. Refiners Vow to Sue EPA If It Fails to Issue 2018 Waiver Rulings in 60 Days

by Humeyra Pamuk (National Post/Reuters) Small U.S. refineries plan to sue Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 60 days, if the agency by then fails to issue its decisions on 2018 petitions for waivers from the nation’s biofuel laws, refiners said in a letter on Wednesday. … Since Trump took office, the EPA

July 19, 2019 Read Full Article

New University and Government Reports Set the Record Straight on Ethanol’s GHG Benefits

(Renewable Fuels Association) Two new academic studies released this week provide further evidence that grain-based ethanol is significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and call into question the reliability of recent “land use change” analyses based on flawed satellite imagery-based methodologies. These studies add to a large body of existing literature that

July 17, 2019 Read Full Article

Trump Admin Abandons Fast Timeline for Rollback — Sources

by Maxine Joselow (E&E News) The Trump administration appears to have abandoned its initial strategy for defending the rollback of Obama-era clean car rules from court challenges, according to three people with knowledge of the situation. The administration was previously rushing to finalize the rollback in early summer. Experts have said that would

July 17, 2019 Read Full Article

ITA Committee Focused on Renewable Energy Exports to Meet July 25

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration has announced an opening meeting of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee will be held July 25 in Washington, D.C. The REEEAC provides the secretary of commerce with consensus advice from the private sector on the