Federal Agency/Executive Branch – Advanced BioFuels USA

Can Bacteria, Biocement, Biomason Save the Concrete Industry?

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … Portland cement is a core ingredient in traditional concrete and the cement industry accounts for about 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions. So making biocement – a cement that captures carbon instead of releasing carbon – is a huge deal and Biomason is doing

April 12, 2021 Read Full Article

Study Shows Higher Ethanol Blends Reduce CO2 Emissions

by Lura Roti (SDPB Radio) Results from a recent University of Nebraska Study could dramatically increase demand for ethanol. This is optimistic news for South Dakota corn farmers, ethanol manufacturers and family farm advocates. Redefining Renewable Fuels was a year-long study conducted by researchers from the University of Nebraska Department of Chemical

April 9, 2021 Read Full Article

Biofuels Caucus Requests Meeting with EPA Administrator

by Jacqui Fatka (Farm Progress) Bipartisan members urge Administrator Regan to maximize benefits of RFS. The bipartisan Congressional Biofuels Caucus extended an invitation to meet with EPA Administrator Michael Regan to discuss the Renewable Fuel Standard and other biofuels priorities. In a letter to Regan, the members urged the administrator to maximize

April 9, 2021 Read Full Article

Oil Industry Games in the Delaware Valley Are Played out | Opinion

by Jan Koninckx (USA TODAY Network/Delaware Online) Every few years, leaders like Sen. Tom Carper and Sen. Chris Coons are on the receiving end of lobbying blitz by area petroleum refiners seeking to roll back the Renewable Fuel Standard. The 2005 law requires oil refiners to blend a modest, but growing

April 9, 2021 Read Full Article

Renewable Diesel Growth Provides Signal Upstream to Expand Crush Capacity

by Ron Kotrba (Bio-Based Diesel Daily) Canada’s largest agribusiness, Richardson International Ltd., is doubling canola crush capacity at its processing facility in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. In addition to doubling capacity to 2.2 million metric tons, the company said it will optimize operational efficiencies and modernize the plant to meet growing demand. Construction

April 8, 2021 Read Full Article

Senators Ask USDA to Update Biodiesel Emissions Study

by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) A group of 10 senators led by Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., on March 18 sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging the USDA to complete a full lifecycle assessment of soybean oil-based biodiesel, including direct and significant indirect emissions, before

April 8, 2021 Read Full Article

Co-Optima Capstone Webinar Series — Last Thursday of the Month — ONLINE

The Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative is accelerating the introduction of efficient, clean, affordable, and scalable high-performance vehicle fuels and engines. The Co-Optima Capstone Webinar Series highlights key takeaways from the breakthrough initiative. Webinar sessions share topline findings, potential near- and long-term impacts, research methodology, challenges, and possible

April 8, 2021 Read Full Article

Webinar: Scale-up of Biotechnologies — April 16, 2021 — ONLINE

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) will host a webinar on Friday, April 16, 2021 from 3–4 p.m. ET. The webinar will focus on BETO’s planned biotechnologies scale-up strategy and will be of interest to those who may apply to Topic Area 1 of the FY21 BETO Scale-up and Conversion

April 8, 2021 Read Full Article

U.S. Department of Energy Announces $61 Million for Biofuels Research to Reduce Transportation Emissions DEADLINE: April 30, 2021

(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced more than $61 million for technologies and processes that produce low-cost, low-carbon biofuels. Biofuels are made up of renewable resources and can power heavy-duty vehicles that are difficult to electrify with current technologies—including airplanes and ships—to help accelerate America’s path to

April 8, 2021 Read Full Article

Grassley Says Biden Infrastructure Plan Doesn’t Do Enough for Rural America

by Mark Dorenkamp (Brownfield Ag News) U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says President Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan is lacking in many areas important to rural America. During his weekly call with ag reporters Tuesday, the Iowa Republican singled out biofuels. “Unfortunately despite the emphasis on environment, biofuels don’t even appear to

April 8, 2021 Read Full Article

Data Collection Project to Help Farmers Address Greenhouse Gas Emissions

by Leslie Reed (University of Nebraska–Lincoln/Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute/Nebraska Today) University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers affiliated with the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute have received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to better quantify carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions connected with corn production

April 8, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden Seeks $2.5T in Corporate Tax Hikes to Fully Pay for Infrastructure

by Naomi Jagoda (The Hill) … The White House is also proposing to eliminate tax preferences for fossil fuel companies and expand tax incentives for clean-energy production. Treasury said in the report that its estimates indicate that eliminating subsidies for fossil fuel companies would raise federal revenue by more than

April 7, 2021 Read Full Article

Biofuels Producers, Farmers Not Sold on Switch to Electric

by Scott McFetridge (Associated Press) The president and auto industry maintain the nation is on the cusp of a gigantic shift to electric vehicles and away from liquid-fueled cars, but biofuels producers and some of their supporters in Congress aren’t buying it. They argue that now is the time to increase

April 7, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden Wins CAFE Penalty Court Dispute

by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York has sided with the Biden administration in a lovers’ quarrel with green groups, blue states and Tesla over the Trump administration’s delay of a fuel economy penalty increase. A late-Trump rule (Reg.

April 7, 2021 Read Full Article

NBAA Welcomes Increased Capitol Hill Focus on Sustainable Aviation Fuel

(National Business Aviation Association/Biobased Diesel Daily) On March 30, the National Business Aviation Association recognized a bipartisan congressional request to the Government Accountability Office for a study exploring effective policy measures to expand awareness, availability and use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). “This study offers an opportunity to answer the industry’s

April 6, 2021 Read Full Article

Fossil Fuels Get Too Many Government Handouts. Biden Wants to Cut Them off.

by Lili Pike (Vox) The American Jobs Plan proposes taking away major tax breaks for the fossil fuel industry. — One of the great ironies of climate politics is that America continues to subsidize — to the tune of billions of dollars a year — the very industries that are most

April 6, 2021 Read Full Article

The Biofuels Industry Seeks Spot in Infrastructure Discussion

(Red River Farm Network) … Renewable Fuels Association Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Troy Bredenkamp wants biofuels to also have a place in the infrastructure discussion. “It’s disappointing to see what came out from the Biden administration in terms of the role they think biofuels should play. It’s very

April 6, 2021 Read Full Article

RFS Won’t Expire Next Year, Volume Requirements in Limbo

by Kellan Heavican (Brownfield Ag News) The clock on the Renewable Fuel Standard won’t run out at the end of 2022 when it resets, but industry leaders wonder how the Environmental Protection Agency will set volume requirements for 2023. Renewable Fuels Association CEO Geoff Cooper calls the RFS “an absolute winner.”

April 6, 2021 Read Full Article

Barasso: Innovation, Not Regulation, Is the Best Way to Improve Our Country’s Mobility

(Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources) Today (March 16, 2021), U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), delivered the following remarks at a full committee hearing on transportation technologies. … “Too often regulation raises costs, punishing people who can

April 6, 2021 Read Full Article

Coprocessing at Diesel Refinery: bp Products, North America — Cherry Point Refinery | Blaine, Washington

(EcoEngineers) bp’s Cherry Point Refinery is the first refinery in the Pacific Northwest capable of manufacturing diesel made from biomass-based feedstocks, which are processed alongside conventional feedstocks in an existing ultralow-sulfur diesel unit. Renewable diesel has the same properties as conventional ultralow-sulfur diesel, but with a lower carbon footprint. Producing and distributing

April 5, 2021 Read Full Article

Will Biden’s $2.3 Trillion Infrastructure Plan Usher in Era of the EV?

by Sebastian Blanco (Car and Driver) While not targeting gas-powered cars for extinction, the plan intends to bring electric cars fully into the mainstream by spending $174 billion to promote EVs and build charging stations. — … There are a lot of things packed into President Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure proposal,

April 5, 2021 Read Full Article

How Green Are Electric Vehicles? In Short: Very Green. But Plug-in Cars Still Have Environmental Effects.

by Hiroko Tabuchi and Brad Plumer (New York Times) Here’s a guide to the main issues and how they might be addressed. — … But a lot depends on how much coal is being burned to charge up those plug-in vehicles. And electric grids still need to get much, much

April 5, 2021 Read Full Article

Tailpipe Litigation Put in Park

by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) Despite procedural objections from states and environmentalists, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday granted the Biden administration’s request to pause litigation over federal auto emissions and fuel economy standards. That will give the agencies time to rewrite the SAFE Vehicles rule that

April 5, 2021 Read Full Article

USDA Seeks Applications to Support Technical Assistance and Improve Rural Transportation Systems

(U.S. Department of Agriculture) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Justin Maxson today announced that USDA is accepting applications for grants to improve rural transportation systems. USDA is making the grants available under the Rural Business Development Grant program. Eligible applicants are organizations seeking to provide rural

April 2, 2021 Read Full Article

USDA Seeks Public Input to Help Create a New Rural Renewable Energy Pilot Program DEADLINE: April 29, 2021

(U.S. Department of Agriculture) Agency to Host Public Listening Session on April 22, 2021 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it is requesting public input from interested parties, including potential customers and interested stakeholders, to help create a new Rural Renewable Energy Pilot Program. To ensure a diverse

April 2, 2021 Read Full Article

OPINION: Infrastructure that Makes a Difference

by Cassie Mullen (Renewable Fuels Association) … At the same time—flying under the radar—has been the latest round of grants approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under its Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program, also known as HBIIP. This is an important effort begun last year by the USDA to

April 2, 2021 Read Full Article

Opinion: Scrap the Renewable Fuel Standard

by Andrew Quinlan (Center for Freedom and Prosperity/Washington Examiner) Plummeting demand due to reduced travel during the COVID-19 pandemic compounded the many flaws with the Renewable Fuel Standard and strained some in the petroleum industry to the breaking point. … The RFS has not brought promised environmental benefits. A large

April 2, 2021 Read Full Article

Ethanol: Time to ‘Think Big Picture’

by Andy Knight (The Herald Bulletin) Legislation that opponents say would limit consumers’ access to a promising blend of ethanol fuel is on its way to becoming law. Senate Bill 303 has passed through both chambers of the Indiana General Assembly with overwhelming bipartisan support. The bill passed the Indiana House in a

April 2, 2021 Read Full Article

Clean Fuel for Planes

by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) Airlines for America, the main U.S. trade group for the industry, is pushing for more fuel credits to be added to Biden’s multitrillion dollar infrastructure plan. The group is backing a sustainable aviation fuel blender’s tax credit of up to $2 per gallon, as

April 2, 2021 Read Full Article

Transitioning to a Sustainable Bioeconomy with Algae Biofuels and Biomaterials – Policy Directions for 2021 and Beyond

(Algae Biomass Organization) … Algae, encompassing photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic aquatic organisms including microalgae and seaweeds (macroalgae), create a highly versatile and tunable platform for the development of fuels and products. In most cases, large scale algae production can be done on marginal land, including the underdeveloped coastal area around the

April 1, 2021 Read Full Article

EIA Releases First Biofuels Capacity and Feedstocks Update

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. Energy Information Administration on March 31 issued the first edition of its monthly Biofuels Capacity and Feedstocks Update, reporting that 20.431 billion gallons of operable U.S. biofuel production capacity was in place as of January. More than 24.657 billion pounds of feedstock was used

April 1, 2021 Read Full Article

Electric Vehicles and Biofuel: Pentagon Poised to Go Greener under Biden

by Lara Seligman and Bryan Bender (Politico) “Where the military goes, the civilian world often follows,” says one influential player helping to shape the policy. — The Pentagon is weighing a series of proposals to make the military more energy efficient, from mandating all-electric vehicles to weaning trucks, ships and aircraft

April 1, 2021 Read Full Article

Exclusive: White House Asks EPA to Study How EVs Can Generate Renewable Fuel Credits

by Jarrett Renshaw, Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The White House has directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to study how using renewable fuels to power electric vehicle charging could generate tradeable credits under the nation’s biofuels program, two sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters. … If the program were expanded

April 1, 2021 Read Full Article

Biofuel Groups, States File Amicus Briefs in SCOTUS SRE Case

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Advanced Biofuels Association, Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas, the National Biodiesel Board and a group of eight states on March 31 filed amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court urging the court to affirm the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals’ January 2020 ruling

April 1, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden Releases $2 Trillion Jobs and Infrastructure Plan

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) President Biden on March 31 released a $2 trillion infrastructure and jobs plan, officially titled the American Jobs Plan. Biofuel/bioproducts and carbon capture and storage (CSS) are each briefly addressed in the plan. One provision of the American Jobs Plan calls for the U.S. to

April 1, 2021 Read Full Article

USDA Seeks Comments on Rural Energy Pilot Program DEADLINE: April 29, 2021

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The USDA on March 30 announced it is seeking public input on a new rural energy pilot program that was authorized in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, a bill signed by former President Donald Trump on Dec. 27, 2020. Section 781 of that nearly 5,600-page bill authorizes

March 31, 2021 Read Full Article

CHS Grows Access to High Ethanol Blend Fuels

(CHS) High ethanol blend E15 gasoline is available at about 50 Cenex locations and that number is expected to grow. — In early 2021, CHS announced it had taken steps to make E15 fuels more accessible to the company’s Cenex® branded retail locations by registering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

March 30, 2021 Read Full Article

Auto Industry Urges Biden to Back ‘Comprehensive’ EV Plan

by David Shephardson (Reuters) … “Neither the current trajectory of consumer adoption of EVs, nor existing levels of federal support for supply- and demand-side policies, is sufficient to meet our goal of a net-zero carbon transportation future.” The White House did not immediately comment on the letter. John Bozzella, who heads

March 30, 2021 Read Full Article

Ag Wary of Biden’s Carbon Bank

by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) The Biden administration is facing skepticism on one of its most ambitious climate change initiatives: A multibillion-dollar bank to pay farmers to capture carbon. While some environmentalists view it as a positive sign of the administration’s climate commitment, other parts of the agriculture industry

March 29, 2021 Read Full Article

QUOTE OF THE WEEK — Brian Ross

“Holy moly. How on Earth are you going to get people not coming with pitchforks and tar to these siting meetings?” Brian Ross, a vice president at the St. Paul, Minn.-based Great Plains Institute upon reviewing a map representing the required renewable power growth for an “electrify everything” future. Quoted

March 26, 2021 Read Full Article

Bill Includes Clean Cities Funding to Support Alternative Fuels

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Legislation introduced by the 32 democratic members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 11 could provide federal funding to support the development of alternative fuel infrastructure and expanded use of alternative fuel vehicles. The bill, titled the Leading Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s America

March 26, 2021 Read Full Article

Biocrude Passes the 2,000-hour Catalyst Stability Test

by Karyn Hede (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Sewage and food waste biocrude conversion process reaches major milestone — A large-scale demonstration converting biocrude to renewable diesel fuel has passed a significant test, operating for more than 2,000 hours continuously without losing effectiveness. Scientists and engineers led by the U.S. Department

March 26, 2021 Read Full Article

U.S. Energy Information Administration to Release New Monthly Biofuels Data

(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) announced today that it will release expanded monthly biofuels data through a new report—the Monthly Biofuels Capacity and Feedstocks Update. On March 31, 2021, EIA plans to publish the first edition of this report, which will contain January 2021 data. EIA will

March 26, 2021 Read Full Article

Feedstock Development, Production, Management: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to USDA’s Feedstock Innovations

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From switchgrass, sorghum or sugarcane, feedstock development, genomics, and crops improvement abound with USDA’s help at the Biomass Research Center. Rob Mitchell, Research Leader and Research Agronomist at USDA ARS, shares all about the latest ethanol and biofuel feedstock innovations in Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, South

March 26, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden’s Dilemma: Land for Renewables

by Peter Behr and Jeffrey Tomich (E&E News) Picture an area of land equal to the combined territories of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. That’s the space that could be required to site the massive deployments of renewables needed to fulfill President Biden’s clean energy

March 26, 2021 Read Full Article

Carbon Capture Coalition Applauds Introduction of Bipartisan Senate Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage Tax Credit Amendments Act

(Carbon Capture Coalition) Robust Legislation Addresses Top Two Coalition Priorities from New Federal Policy Blueprint — The Carbon Capture Coalition today endorsed the bipartisan Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage Tax Credit Amendments Act. The bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate today by a strong cohort of carbon management champions led

March 26, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden’s High-Cost Plan To Accelerate U.S. Adoption Of Electric Vehicles

by David Blackmon (Forbes) With electric vehicles making up just 2% of U.S. auto sales in 2020, achieving a rapid “energy transition” to an all-electric vehicle fleet in the coming 15 years will be a huge endeavor, one that President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats in congress are determined to aggressively

March 25, 2021 Read Full Article

Regan: EPA to Get RFS Back on Track What the Broader Economy Can Learn From Climate Work Done in Agriculture

by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) One day after EPA granted deadline extensions to refiners to comply with the Renewable Fuel Standard, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the Biden administration will be working to get the RFS back on track this year. On Tuesday, EPA announced it would extend deadlines for

March 25, 2021 Read Full Article

Banks Poured $3.8B into Fossil Fuel Companies since Paris Agreement

by Natasha Lasky (Our Daily Planet) A new report, published Wednesday found that the world’s largest commercial and investment banks have altogether put $3.8 trillion into fossil fuels from 2016 to 2020. This report — a collaboration between the Rainforest Action Network, Bank Track, Indigenous Environmental Network, Oil Change International, Reclaim Finance, and Sierra

March 25, 2021 Read Full Article

Next-Generation Tech for Biofuels: Refining Smart Transfer Chutes Solves a Pervasive Problem in the Biofuel Refinery Industry—Potentially Making Biofuels More Affordable

by Laura Mullane (Los Alamos National Laboratory) Helping to strengthen the economic viability of biorefineries in the production of alternative fuels derived from biomass is critical to decreasing the use of fossil fuels and mitigating carbon dioxide emissions. To that end, a collaboration between Los Alamos National Laboratory and Jenike &

March 24, 2021 Read Full Article

U.S. Regulatory Changes Alter Landscape for Summer Gasolines

(OPIS) On Jan. 1, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Fuels Regulatory Streamlining Rule went into effect, and while some impacts are already being felt in east of the Rockies markets, others are on the horizon as gasoline markets continue to transition to summer gasoline specifications. With this regulatory shift,

March 24, 2021 Read Full Article

Researchers Are Turning Kitchen Waste into Biofuels

by Steven Ashby (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) … As part of advancing sustainable energy solutions, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are converting food waste into clean, renewable fuel that could power our planes, trains and automobiles. … In their recent efforts, researchers successfully converted food waste from

March 24, 2021 Read Full Article

Byogy Commissions Sustainable Low Carbon Jet Fuel Plant in Japan Advancing ‘Alcohol to Jet’ to Zero Carbon

(Biogy/PR Newswire) Byogy Renewables Inc., the original architect of the “Alcohol to Jet” (ATJ) process for the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), has built, and is now commissioning, one of the world’s largest ATJ demonstration facilities converting cellulosic bioethanol into full replacement Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel in Japan.

March 24, 2021 Read Full Article

Time to Grow Biofuel Use

by Zippy Duvall (American Farm Bureau Federation) As homegrown fuels, ethanol and biodiesel have helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower gas prices, increase demand for corn and soybeans and decrease our dependence on foreign energy sources. But the road to success has sometimes been a bumpy one, so we must keep

March 24, 2021 Read Full Article

EPA Extends RFS Compliance Deadlines

by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) The first decision by the new administration that impacts biofuels is a disappointment to the industry. Late Tuesday afternoon, the Environmental Protection Agency extended compliance deadlines for the Renewable Fuel Standard, a move proposed under the Trump Administration that is opposed by biofuels supporters. EPA finalized a rule to

March 24, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden’s EV Pledge Bumps Against Realities of Bureaucracy, Market

by Courtney Rozen (Blooomberg Law) … President Joe Biden’s call for the federal government to stock up on electric vehicles is running headlong into two harsh realities: the marketplace and the bureaucracy. The president, in an executive order aimed at combating climate change, requested a plan by the end of April to

March 24, 2021 Read Full Article

Daily on Energy: Gas Companies, Ttilities, and Labor Unions Push Biden to Support ‘Clean’ Hydrogen

by Josh Siegel and Abby Smith (Washington Examiner) … Natural gas companies, utilities, and labor unions are joining forces to lobby the Biden administration to invest in developing hydrogen as it pursues a historic federal clean energy spending program. The Clean Hydrogen Future Coalition, which launched today with a letter to President

March 23, 2021 Read Full Article

Vilsack: US Carbon Market Needs a Focus on Farmers

by Bill Tomson (Agri-Pulse) A priority for the USDA in the coming years will be judging the feasibility of setting up, executing and paying for a federal carbon bank to help farmers reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reward them for their actions, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Monday. It won’t be

March 23, 2021 Read Full Article

Meeting Emissions Goals Will Save Consumers A LOT of Money — Fact Sheet: Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards

(Consumer Reports) The Biden-Harris Administration has committed to getting the U.S. on a path to a low-carbon economy by 2050, bringing back the Obama-Biden vehicle standards, and setting new, ambitious ones. Meeting those commitments will require steady progress on gasoline vehicle fuel economy and zero emissions vehicle market share. Consumer Reports

March 23, 2021 Read Full Article

Happy National Agriculture Day, March 23, 2021! Learn More!

A post-fossil carbon world will rely on four things: Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry (including wastes and residues), Waste Management (circular economy) and Minerals/Chemicals (like hydrogen, captured carbon, rare earth metals). On National Agriculture Day, we bring attention to the people who make the agriculture parts happen day after day, today

March 22, 2021 Read Full Article

New Clean Energy Process Converts Methane to Hydrogen with Zero Carbon Dioxide Emissions

by Lynne Roeder (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Novel bimetallic catalyst also yields valuable solid carbon co-products for manufacturing industries — … Researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and West Virginia University (WVU), in collaboration with industry partners Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) and C4-MCP, have developed a process that converts methane—the primary

March 22, 2021 Read Full Article

EPA Reboots Climate Change Website

(Environmental Protection Agency) As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to action on climate change and restoring science, EPA is taking the first step in a relaunch of its climate change website. For the first time in four years, EPA now has a webpage to guide the public to a range

March 22, 2021 Read Full Article

TeselaGen Partners with Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit to Accelerate the Bioeconomy

(Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU)/CISION) Collaboration deploys the TeselaGen AI-enabled operating system to close the gap between promising research and large-scale fermentation-based production of renewable bioproducts — TeselaGen Biotechnology and the Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU) of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Berkeley Lab) announced today a partnership to advance

March 22, 2021 Read Full Article

President’s Environmental Youth Award DEADLINE April 30, 2021

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Your project–or one you are sponsoring–could be an award winner. Apply or encourage a student you know to apply for PEYA and see what a difference they can make for the environment with an award-winning project. Applicants from all 50 states as well as U.S. territories are

March 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Lawmakers Introduce Comprehensive CO2 Infrastructure Bill

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Reps. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, and David McKinley, R-W.V., on March 17 introduced the Storing CO2 and Lowering Emissions (SCALE) Act, a comprehensive CO2 infrastructure package. The bill aims to support the buildout of infrastructure to transport

March 18, 2021 Read Full Article

RFA Urges EPA to Stay the Course on Renewable Fuel Standard

(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association on Wednesday asked newly confirmed EPA Administrator Michael Regan to “stay the course” on the Renewable Fuel Standard, as the important policy faces renewed attacks from oil refiners. In a letter to Regan, RFA responds to several assertions about the RFS and RIN credits contained

March 18, 2021 Read Full Article

DOE Backs Projects to Produce Hydrogen from Coal, Biomass

by Darrell Proctor (PowerMag.com) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the agency has awarded $2 million to four research and development (R&D) projects aimed at advancing clean-hydrogen production technologies. The DOE’s awards on March 15 are part of a push by the Biden administration in its fight against climate change.

March 18, 2021 Read Full Article

World to Biden: Stop Financing Coal, Oil and Gas Abroad

by Han Chen (NRDC) NRDC and hundreds of other organizations around the world have just submitted a letter calling on the Biden Administration to immediately end all US public financing for fossil fuels, including “natural” gas. The letter asks the Biden Administration to make good on its climate executive order, which directed agencies to

March 18, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden Administration Wants the Financial Sector to Face up to Climate Risk

by Steven Mufson and Juliet Eilperin (Washington Post) The Commodity Futures Trading Commission aims to create a new Climate Risk Unit, joining initiatives at Treasury, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Reserve — A growing number of federal regulators are pushing corporate America to reckon with the cost

March 18, 2021 Read Full Article

Mess with Texas: Time for a 2nd Look at Electric Vehicles

by Burl Haigwood (Clean Fuels Development Coalition) … Imagine it is 2050 and Texas gets hit by another winter storm, flood, heat wave, or God forbid, a physical or cyber terrorist attack on a vulnerable electric power system. As news cameras roll with footage of citizens lined up to evacuate, or

March 18, 2021 Read Full Article

CO2 Infrastructure Bill Unveiled Today

by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) A bipartisan bill being unveiled today calls for pouring billions in carbon capture and storage to bolster the technology that sponsors say will be crucial to meet climate goals. — FIRST IN ME — CO2 INFRASTRUCTURE BILL: A bipartisan cohort of lawmakers in the

March 17, 2021 Read Full Article

The Geopolitics of Critical Minerals Supply Chains

by Jane Nakano (Center for Strategic & International Studies) As clean energy technology becomes the latest frontier for geoeconomic rivalry, the security of supply chains for rare earths and critical minerals—essential materials for clean energy—has become a global strategic issue. The fragility of global supply chains revealed by Covid-19 and

March 17, 2021 Read Full Article

Aemetis Discusses Plans for Renewable Diesel, Cellulosic Ethanol

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) … McAfee (Eric McAfee, CEO of Aemetis Inc.) provided an update of the many improvement projects underway at the Keyes plant that will reduce the carbon intensity (CI) of the fuel it produces, including the use of renewable natural gas (RNG), a membrane dehydration unit,

March 16, 2021 Read Full Article

USDA Seeks Public Input on Climate-Smart Ag and Forestry Strategy DEADLINE April 30, 2021

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The USDA on March 15 announced it is opening a 45-day public comment period to gather input on its climate-smart agriculture and forestry strategy, including several topics focused specifically on biofuels, bioproducts and renewable energy. The agency said the notice soliciting public comments represents an

March 16, 2021 Read Full Article

RFS Reset Coming in 2022

by Julie Harker (Brownfield Ag News) A reset of the Renewable Fuels Standard will take place in 2022 as part of the original law. Gary Marshall, former CEO of the Missouri Corn Growers, tells Brownfield the EPA Administrator will have to assess the RFS program. “The RFS (will) all of a

March 16, 2021 Read Full Article

Supreme Court Picks Date for Ethanol Case

by Larry Lee (Brownfield Ag News) An ethanol court case over Small Refinery Exemptions will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court April 27th. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says he is confident the Supreme Court will review the case and affirm the 10th Circuit Court decision in their favor,

March 16, 2021 Read Full Article

U.S. DOE Job Office to Help Fossil Fuel Workers Find Clean Energy Jobs

by Alexander Richter (Think Geoenergy) A new job office within the U.S. Department of Energy is to support fossil fuel workers find jobs in the clean energy sector, particularly in geothermal energy. — With continued announcements on a clean energy drive in the U.S. following the start of the Biden Administration,

March 16, 2021 Read Full Article

Climate Change: Jet Fuel from Waste ‘Dramatically Lowers’ Emissions

by Matt McGrath (BBC) A new approach to making jet fuel from food waste has the potential to massively reduce carbon emissions from flying, scientists say. — Currently, most of the food scraps that are used for energy around the world are converted into methane gas. But researchers in the

March 16, 2021 Read Full Article

The Green Secrets of Goat Poop – Smarter Materials, Better Medicines, and Sustainable Biofuels

(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/SciTechDaily) Microbes found in the goat gut microbiome could help humans convert plant material into valuable, eco-friendly commodities. Converting the tough fibers and complex sugars in plants into biofuels and other products could be humanity’s ticket to smarter materials, better medicines, and a petroleum-free, sustainable future. But harnessing

March 16, 2021 Read Full Article

Now You Can Give the SEC Your “Two Cents” On Climate Disclosures DEADLINE June 15, 2021

(Our Daily Planet) The Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission wants to know what you want to know about how corporations are dealing with climate change and other environmental risks. In a speech yesterday to the liberal think tank the Center for American Progress, she explained specifically what the Commission, which

March 16, 2021 Read Full Article

Characteristics of the Soil in Biofuel Crop Fields Affect Its Potential to Store Carbon

(NewsWise) Microbiome and soil chemistry at long-term bioenergy research sites challenge the idea that switchgrass increases carbon accrual in surface soils on marginal lands. — In this study, researchers characterized the influence of crop and site on fungal and bacterial community structure, potential enzyme activity, soil carbon chemistry, and total

March 16, 2021 Read Full Article

WEBINAR: Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines Past, Present and Future: What Did We Learn and Where Do We Go Next? — September 30, 2021 — ONLINE

Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines Capstone Webinar Series: How Can Co-Optimized Fuels and SI Engines Enhance Efficiency while Reducing Carbon Emissions of LD Passenger Vehicles? While electric cars are coming off the assembly line in ever-growing numbers, vehicles with internal combustion engines using fuels produced mainly from petroleum will continue