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by Meghan Gordon (S&P Global Platts) The US Environmental Protection Agency aims to adopt final rules for fuel economy standards by March and year-round sales of higher ethanol blends by May, according to a fall regulatory agenda released Wednesday by the Trump administration. The fuel economy rule is expected to increase
Federal Agency
October 18, 2018 Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The problem: The vast number of potential chemicals and products that could be made from biomass makes prioritization of research difficult for optimizing market viability, cost competitiveness, environmental benefits, and supply chain development. The project: This CEMAC/DOE initiative studied 160 potential chemicals, and the list was pared to
October 18, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Grains Council/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ..Countries shared their experiences with implementing biofuels policy and discussed how best to support the development and implementation of ethanol policies with a role for trade. Recognized scientists and ethanol experts demonstrated how ethanol use in transportation fuels improves air quality, extends the current fuel
October 15, 2018 Read Full Article
(Renewable Fuels Association) On October 9, President Trump announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will soon begin a rulemaking process to allow year-round sales of E15 (gasoline containing 15% ethanol) in conventional gasoline markets, which account for nearly 70% of total U.S. gasoline consumption.[1] Much of the media coverage surrounding
October 15, 2018 Read Full Article
by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) … After Tuesday’s announcement, the oil industry and some environmental groups were quick to claim that increasing the volume of ethanol in the fuel supply would worsen air quality. However, the evidence suggests otherwise. An obscure piece of air quality regulation—Reid Vapor Pressure
October 15, 2018 Read Full Article
(Washington Post) For more than a decade, the United States has pursued the foolhardy energy policy known as the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS. Thanks to legislation passed by a Democratic Congress and signed into law by a Republican president, George W. Bush, in 2007, the RFS illustrates the sad-but-true principle
October 15, 2018 Read Full Article
(GreenAir Online) With just three months to go before all airlines with international flights must start monitoring their carbon emissions, ICAO’s CORSIA carbon offsetting scheme was centre stage at this year’s Global Sustainable Aviation Summit (GSAS) in Geneva organised by the industry’s Air Transport Action Group (ATAG). Marking 10 years since
October 12, 2018 Read Full Article
(Urban Air Initiative) It didn’t take long. Minutes after President Trump announced he wanted to see E15 sold year round, the anti ethanol messages started. As President Trump himself said“ethanol makes the air cleaner”, Big Oil was spreading lies that ethanol hurts our cars and the environment. This is simply not true.
October 12, 2018 Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Illinois, a research team at Argonne National Lab released its GREET 2018 update. GREET is a life-cycle analysis (LCA) tool, structured to systematically examine energy and environmental effects of a wide variety of transportation fuels and vehicle technologies in major transportation sectors (i.e., road, air, marine,
October 12, 2018 Read Full Article
by Doug Durante and Doug Sombke (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/South Dakota Farmers Union/Biofuels Digest) … However, we may have a unique and perhaps unprecedented opportunity for a do-over with the proposed fuel economy rule. While we take no position on exactly what the mileage standards should be, whatever they are we can
October 11, 2018 Read Full Article
by Bill Keba* (Advanced Biofuels USA) October 2, 2018, Annapolis, Maryland. Inside the Doubletree Inn, it was as hectic as the traffic on Route 50. Eightyfive paid attendees were gathering, registering, networking, and hurriedly settling in for the 9:15 start of this workshop titled Opportunities and Challenges in Anaerobic Digestion:
October 11, 2018 Read Full Article
(Attis Industries/NewMediaWire/FuturesTradingCharts.com) … Jeff Cosman, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, explains, “The increased inclusion allowance plays a vital role in the expansion of renewable fuel production. The timing couldn’t be better for Attis as we plan to build our first of many biorefineries that will produce cellulosic ethanol and biobased materials. Without the
October 10, 2018 Read Full Article
by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Innovation Organization/Biofuels Digest) On September 30th, the 2018 Farm Bill officially expired. And while both chambers of Congress passed their respective bills, the final version of the legislation that supports the agricultural sector in the U.S. is still being negotiated between House and Senate leaders in conference
October 10, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Department of Energy) In celebration of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day, the Energy Department announces a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Army to collaborate in the development of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for military and civilian use. Signed by the Director of the U.S. Department of Army’s
October 10, 2018 Read Full Article
(Rutgers Today) Green algae stole genes from bacteria to survive in harsh environments, Rutgers-led study suggests — Green algae that evolved to tolerate hostile and fluctuating conditions in salt marshes and inland salt flats are expected to survive climate change, thanks to hardy genes they stole from bacteria, according to a Rutgers-led study. These Picochlorum single-celled
October 9, 2018 Read Full Article
by Barry Cohen (National Algae Association) After over 10 years of attempts at collaboration between the DOE Algae Biomass Program/BETO, university algae researchers and commercial algae producers over highly advertised pay-to-play taxpayer funded technologies, NAA and its algaepreneurs have no further interest. Why? On information and belief, many of these hyped
October 9, 2018 Read Full Article
by Mark E. Griffin (University of Wisconsin-Madison/Phys.Org) An ideal biorefinery would turn renewable crops into a variety of fuels and products with little waste. A significant challenge in realizing this vision is what to do with lignin, a fibrous and difficult-to-break-down material in the cell walls of plants that gives them their
October 9, 2018 Read Full Article
by Chris Clayton and Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Leading into President Donald Trump’s trip to Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Tuesday, a senior White House official said Tuesday that the president has directed the Environmental Protection Agency to create a new rule allowing year-round sales of 15% ethanol blends. Monte
October 9, 2018 Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … And that’s the story of the bioeconomy in some ways — the search for ways to use the things we have too much of, so that we can stop using the things that lead to imbalances — environmental, social or economic. … The story goes back
October 9, 2018 Read Full Article
(Quay County Sun) If all goes according to plan, a long-closed ethanol plant in Tucumcari may be converted into a methane plant and become fully operational by mid-2020. Tucumcari Bio-Energy Co. is hunting for investors and may begin converting the plant to methane gas production as soon as early 2019, said
October 8, 2018 Read Full Article
by Laura Shields (Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Improving poplar biomass production under stress conditions — … Stresses, such as high temperatures and a lack of freshwater, can cause reduced crop growth or even complete loss. The rising frequency of these stressful periods inspires a race to find more tolerant plants.
October 8, 2018 Read Full Article
by Joe Duggan (Omaha World-Herald Bureau) Nebraska literally put the rubber to the road more than 40 years ago to give ethanol a shot of much-needed street cred. It was called the “Nebraska 2 Million Mile Gasohol Road Test Program.” It began on Dec. 23, 1974, when a roads department supervisor
October 6, 2018 Read Full Article
(Solutions from the Land) Asserting that they are taking the state’s climate fight up a notch, members of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) last week adopted amendments to the state’s low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) that could enhance the role of E85 and the use of ethanol in high-octane, low-carbon (HOLC)
October 6, 2018 Read Full Article
by Bill Keba* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The Mid-Atlantic Bioenergy Conference and Expo (MABEX) was held on September 12 and 13 at the Convene at CityView in Philadelphia, Pa. The Mid-Atlantic Bioenergy Council did well in selecting this terrific skyscraping venue. It provided a wonderful bird’s eye view of the city
October 6, 2018 Read Full Article
by Betsy Lillian (NGT Journal) A number of fleets across the country have received grants for alternative fueling as part of a funding round from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The FTA is awarding $366.2 million in grants to improve the safety and reliability of America’s bus systems and enhance
October 6, 2018 Read Full Article
by Edwin L. Aguirre (University of Massachusetts Lowell) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a three-year, $1 million grant to a team of researchers from UMass Lowell, the University of Maine and Florida-based Mainstream Engineering Corp. to develop renewable fuel additives made from “woody biomass” – particularly sawdust from sawmills. “The
October 5, 2018 Read Full Article
by Julianne Beck (Northwestern University Campus News) A new collaboration led by Michael Jewett, professor of chemical and biological engineering at Northwestern University, will combine recent technological advancements in bioengineering to develop a transformative production system for next-generation biofuels and bioproducts. The multi-institutional project is supported by a three-year, $1.6 million contract
October 5, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is requesting input from industry (including but not limited to contract research organizations, contract manufacturing organizations, catalyst manufacturers, and catalyst research consortia), academia, National Laboratories, government agencies, and
October 5, 2018 Read Full Article
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) A panel of D.C. Circuit appellate judges today will hear yet another iteration of arguments over the Renewable Fuel Standard. The court has allowed an hour and 40 minutes to delve into the issues at stake, and if ME’s experience is any guide, they
October 5, 2018 Read Full Article
by Nicole Casal Moore (University of Michigan) U-M becomes one of the few institutes in the world working on the problem end-to-end — With $2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, University of Michigan researchers aim to make the long-touted promise of algae as a biofuel source for diesel engines into
October 5, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Department of Justice) A Harrisburg, Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to one count of conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood of the Justice
October 5, 2018 Read Full Article
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) … USGC data shows the U.S. exported nearly 332.63 million gallons of ethanol to Canada during the 2016-’17 marketing year, up from 313 million gallons during the 2015-’16 marketing year. The U.S. also exported 27.6 million gallons of ethanol to Mexico during the 2016-’17 marketing
October 3, 2018 Read Full Article
by Joshua Pedrick (S&P Global Platts) The volume of ethanol blended with gasoline is at an all-time high in India thanks to the government allowing a new feedstock in the production process, but continues to lag goals, the US Department of Agriculture said Monday. … The country could reach an ethanol
October 3, 2018 Read Full Article
(WNAX) Sources says the Trump administration is considering limits on trading biofuel credits. The goal is to discourage speculation and reduce costs for oil refiners to comply with U.S. biofuels policy. Renewable Fuels Association Executive Vice President Geoff Cooper says at this point, that’s just speculation, but his group is monitoring
October 3, 2018 Read Full Article
by Donnelle Eller (Des Moines Register) President Donald Trump on Monday hinted at a possible upcoming trip to Iowa to announce “something very important” while touting a new U.S. trade deal with Canada and Mexico. The comments came as Trump thanked Sen. Joni Ernst during a Rose Garden news conference announcing the $1.2 trillion
October 3, 2018 Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IEA Bioenergy Task 42’s goal is to contribute to the development and deployment of integrated biorefineries as part of highly efficient sustainable value chains (co-)producing food/feed ingredients, chemicals, materials, fuels, power and/or heat out of sustainably sourced biomass (wood, crops, residues, etc.) as base for a global
October 2, 2018 Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Why consider biogas to Renewable Natural Gas (RNG)? First, there’s the momentum nationally and internationally on RNG (aka, biomethane, R-gas, green gas, renewable gas). Plus, biomethane is a flexible renewable fuel; and can be used in vehicle fuel, electricity, thermal, CHP, bio-product feedstock. Moreover, we can use
October 2, 2018 Read Full Article
by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) The Alternative Fuels Council, a subsidiary of NATSO Inc., a national association representing the travel plaza and truckstop industry, has launched a new service designed to help fuel retailers that blend and sell renewable fuels to more efficiently participate in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program and
October 2, 2018 Read Full Article
(Algae Biomass Organization) Following close on the heels of the U.S. Department of Energy’s latest round of algae funding awards, President Trump Friday (September 21, 2018) signed into law a Fiscal Year 2019 spending bill providing an additional $44 million in FY2019 for algae and carbon utilization research — the highest funding level for
October 1, 2018 Read Full Article
by Cassidy Walter (The Gazette/Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) As an outspoken libertarian in favor of open markets, it is unfortunate that in a recent column, Adam Sullivan did not look closer at the history of U.S. energy policy before disregarding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) while blindly repeating every discredited claim about biofuels
October 1, 2018 Read Full Article
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, D.C., leaders of the United States and Japan, one of the largest U.S. grain customers and second largest buyer of U.S. corn after Mexico, announced that the two countries would pursue trade talks. The impact on agriculture is to be determined in the talks. The
October 1, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Department of Justice) The Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with NGL Crude Logistics, LLC that requires the company to retire 36 million renewable fuel credits and pay a $25 million civil penalty under the settlement to resolve violations of the Renewable Fuel
October 1, 2018 Read Full Article
by Darius Dixon (Politico’s Morning Energy) The California Air Resources Board on Friday approved a rule warning automakers that they will have to meet the current greenhouse gas emissions standards in California and its allied states, even after the Trump administration rolls back the federal rules. The so-called “deemed to
October 1, 2018 Read Full Article
by Wayne Madsen (State Journal-Register) When federal environmental standards are under assault from an administration that appears bent on rolling back the clock to an era of smog and air pollution caused by the use of dirty fossil fuels, now is not the time to abandon national clean fuel mandates. …
September 29, 2018 Read Full Article
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The White House is considering imposing restrictions on trading of biofuel credits, hoping to discourage speculation and reduce costs for oil refiners to comply with U.S. biofuels policy, according to three sources familiar with the discussions. … The move would be part of a widely anticipated deal to
September 29, 2018 Read Full Article
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A new study by researchers at Iowa State University’s Center for Agricultural and Rural Development has determined current trade disruptions are having a significant impact on the state’s economy, including its ethanol industry. The study examined different scenarios. Overall, the study shows losses to Iowa’s
September 26, 2018 Read Full Article
by Mario Parker and Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg) Gradual drop seen as refiners, farmers debate White House deal; Icahn owns 82% stake in independent oil refiner CVR Energy — The biofuel compliance credits used by refiners and criticized by billionaire Carl Icahn have tumbled to pennies from nearly a dollar when Donald Trump won
September 26, 2018 Read Full Article
by Tom Krisher adn Sudhin Thanawala (Associated Press) Automakers sought flexibility while environmental groups blasted the Trump administration’s proposal to roll back fuel economy standards at a public hearing on the plan in the industry’s backyard. At the hearing Tuesday in Dearborn, Michigan, home to Ford Motor Co. and just miles
September 26, 2018 Read Full Article
by Joe Duggan (Omaha World-Herald) Nebraska will run 50 state-owned vehicles on a 30 percent ethanol blend to see how the corn-derived fuel performs in conventional engines. The pilot program will monitor the effects of E-15 and E-30 blends on vehicle performance, fuel economy and emissions control systems in state
September 26, 2018 Read Full Article
In recent Renewable Fuels Association testimony, Kelly Davis noted, “It was apparent that the previous administration disregarded comments from RFA and many other stakeholders—including the automakers—that encouraged EPA to evaluate engines and fuels as integrated systems when assessing the efficacy of model year 2022-2025 fuel economy and GHG standards. Indeed,
September 26, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Department of Energy/Joint Genome Institute/Phys.Org) … For the highly polyploid sugarcane, an international team of researchers has successfully assembled a first monoploid reference sequence using a targeted approach that focused on the gene rich part of the genome by harnessing information from a sequenced related species – sorghum. Sugarcane produces
September 26, 2018 Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IEA Bioenergy Task 33 is a working group of international experts with the aim to promote the commercialization of efficient, economical and environmentally preferable thermal biomass gasification processes. Kevin Whitty gave this illuminating overview of the progress and promise of thermal gasification of biomass in the
September 26, 2018 Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Canada, we hear that Enerkem has tested and validated the production of fuel-grade bio-DME made from unrecoverable carbon-rich municipal solid waste. More than 1,000 hours of operations at its Innovation Centre in Westbury, Quebec have been completed.has successfully produced renewable bio-dimethyl ether (Bio-DME), a by-product
September 26, 2018 Read Full Article
(Argus Media) President Donald Trump’s administration will within weeks renew efforts to allow the year-round sale of higher-ethanol gasoline blends, according to multiple sources in biofuels and refining industries. The administration will announce changes to allow the year-round sale of 15pc ethanol gasoline in October, according to sources familiar with the
September 25, 2018 Read Full Article
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A biorefinery that will produce 16 MMgy of cellulosic ethanol and 120,000 of lignin pellets is set to break ground in Spiritwood, North Dakota, in the spring of 2019. The facility, under development by New Energy Blue, will feature Inbicon technology. The proposed plant, known
September 25, 2018 Read Full Article
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Chemists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated a practical, energy-efficient method of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from air. They report their findings in Nature Energy. If deployed at large scale and coupled to geologic storage, the technique may bolster the portfolio of responses to
September 25, 2018 Read Full Article
by Chad Moyer (KTIC Radio) Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) has been recognized as a 2018 High Octane Champion by Renewable Fuels Nebraska, the trade association for Nebraska’s ethanol industry. The award was developed by the RFN membership as a way to recognize public policy leaders that strongly support Nebraska’s $5 billion
September 24, 2018 Read Full Article
by David Shepardson (Reuters) California’s top air regulator urged the Trump administration on Sunday to abandon a plan to freeze fuel efficiency standards through 2026, as automakers urged state and federal regulators to reach agreement to extend nationwide rules. Mary Nichols, who chairs the state’s Air Resources Board, asked the U.S.
September 24, 2018 Read Full Article
by Michael McAdams (Advanced Biofuels Association) … When testifying recently before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the acting administrator was judicious in answering questions about EPA’s small refinery exemptions (SREs). He has publicly stated that there should be more transparency in the process for granting SREs, and that it would
September 21, 2018 Read Full Article
by Dave Stafford (The Indiana Lawyer) Evansville-based Imperial Petroleum Inc. has been ordered to pay nearly $32 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission after it failed to reply to the SEC’s court filings seeking damages in a biofuels fraud case that resulted in prison time for the former company president. Senior
September 21, 2018 Read Full Article
(National Biodiesel Board) Allowing year-round use of E15 is a positive step for ethanol, but doesn’t support biodiesel — Today, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) and the American Soybean Association (ASA) wrote President Donald Trump asking that he “provide additional help to the nation’s farmers and rural communities by supporting policies that
September 21, 2018 Read Full Article
by Chris Prentice, Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published new data detailing how it drastically expanded a biofuels waiver program for oil refiners since President Donald Trump’s administration took office, responding to pressure from the corn lobby to boost transparency over the opaque program. The details published on
September 21, 2018 Read Full Article
by Bob Bowman (Clinton Herald) The ethanol industry is critical to the Midwest, supporting thousands of jobs and adding billions of dollars to our economy. It also drives corn demand at a time when Iowa farm family income is at the lowest level in over a decade. However, the sale of
September 20, 2018 Read Full Article
(NAFB News Service/Hoosier Ag Today) The farm bill deadline at the end of the month could pass without a new farm bill or an extension. As the pace of the farm bill committee stalls, leadership says the actual deadline that would have any impact on farm country is in December, if
September 20, 2018 Read Full Article
(Washington Examiner) The military cost of defending oil trade routes makes a solid case for keeping in place strong fuel-economy standards, the group Securing America’s Future Energy said in a report released soon after Trump began tweeting about OPEC prices on Thursday. “Following President Trump’s OPEC tweet this morning, in which he
September 20, 2018 Read Full Article
by Anna-Lisa Laca (AgWeb) Over the past year, farmers and ethanol advocates alike have pressed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be more transparent when it comes to Renewable Identification Number (RIN) waivers for small refineries. Today, EPA recognized that concern and created a handful of new sections on their website
September 20, 2018 Read Full Article
(Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment) … A U of I Crop Scientist will lead a team of researchers on a five-year study of new crops that could contribute to the production of affordable, sustainable sources for market-ready fuels and other valuable products. U of I College of Agricultural, Consumer, and
September 20, 2018 Read Full Article
Resilience through Regional Partnership: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to the SPARC Consortium
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Southeastern Partnership for Advanced Renewables from Carinata (SPARC) is a consortium consisting of the University of Florida (lead), the University of South Florida, the University of Georgia, Auburn University, and other institutions, government agencies, the civil aviation industry, and Agrisoma Biosciences and Applied Research Associates (ARA) from
September 20, 2018 Read Full Article
by Anna Bete, Yazmin Camacho, Jonah Carter, Jason Dong, Christopher Guptil, Max Herrmann, Hayley Jesse, Peter Menart, Travis O’Leary, and Laura Polanka* (Carroll High School and the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Air Force Research Laboratory) With growing environmental concerns on the rise in recent years, more companies and individuals are becoming
September 18, 2018 Read Full Article
by Orrie Swazye (Yankton Daily Press and Dakotan) Our gasoline market today is 90 percent gasoline and Brazil’s 75 percent gasoline but oil still supplies 99+ percent of transportation fuels worldwide. As we begin to net export oil, oil remains a mandated commodity nations will go to war to gain
September 18, 2018 Read Full Article
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/My San Antonio) The Express-News Editorial Board recently missed the mark, claiming that the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS, is bad policy. The RFS has boosted local economies, strengthened U.S. energy security and improved overall air quality. … The Editorial Board cites an outdated and scientifically
September 18, 2018 Read Full Article
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA has announced its Chartered Science Advisory Board will hold a teleconference Sept. 26 to address several issues, including a new draft SAB review of EPA’s Framework for Assessing Biogenic CO2 Emissions from Stationary Sources. Efforts by the EPA and SAB to develop a
September 18, 2018 Read Full Article
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Minnesota, Reuters reports that Green Plains is mothballing its ethanol production plants in Superior, Iowa and Lakota, Iowa as well as running its Fairmont, Minnesota plant at half capacity as President Trump’s trade war takes a bite out of demand from China. Together, the three facilities produced
September 18, 2018 Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Idaho, researchers at Idaho National Laboratory have have cut the modeled cost of harvesting, storing, transporting, and preprocessing biomass from $149.58/dry ton to $82.86/dry ton. As INL’s Kevin Kenney explained, “when applying least-cost formulation and blending strategies in an analysis of data from DOE’s 2016 Billion-Ton
September 18, 2018 Read Full Article
by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Just a few blocks from the commotion and crowds at the Global Climate Action Summit, biofuel advocates gathered Thursday to champion more low-carbon fuel standards that could take the country’s biofuels industry in new directions. While the climate summit focused on all the various
September 17, 2018 Read Full Article
(University of Minnesota) A team of energy researchers from the University of Minnesota and University of Massachusetts Amherst has discovered that molecular motion can be predicted with high accuracy when confining molecules in small nanocages. Their theoretical method is suitable for screening millions of possible nanomaterials and could improve production of
September 17, 2018 Read Full Article
by Scott Irwin (FarmDocDaily) Small refinery exemptions (SREs) represent the latest controversy to engulf the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). When the U.S. Congress first created the RFS in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58) it included a temporary exemption for small refineries from the mandate through 2011. Under the
September 17, 2018 Read Full Article
by John Mosheim (Clean Energy Business Network) … Currently, electricity generated from the combustion of cellulosic biogas under the RFS is an approved pathway for RIN generation.[1] In July 2014 EPA approved this pathway for RIN generation from electricity derived from biogas feedstock from a variety of anaerobic digesters. In
September 14, 2018 Read Full Article
by Jesse McCurry (Wichita Eagle/Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission & Producers Association) … Our grains reach markets around the world and feed production at a dozen Kansas ethanol plants that produce nearly 500 million gallons of clean, renewable biofuel each year. Ethanol production alone supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across the
September 14, 2018 Read Full Article
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Department of Energy has announced it will award 42 projects a total of $80 million to support advanced vehicles technologies research. Approximately $10.1 million of that funding will support six projects focused on the co-optimization of engines and fuels. “Improving the affordability of
September 14, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Department of Energy) It powers nearly every aspect of our daily lives, but in low- to middle-income countries, more than one billion people live without electricity. The issue is particularly overwhelming in sub-Saharan Africa where, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development, 600 million people — an estimated 70
September 14, 2018 Read Full Article
(Urban Air Initiative) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has refused to acknowledge it used faulty science and blending practices to paint an inaccurate picture of ethanol emissions in a long-awaited response to the Urban Air Initiative (UAI). In January 2017, UAI, the states of Nebraska and Kansas, and the
September 13, 2018 Read Full Article
by Tammy Duckworth (Quad City Times) … Time and again, he’s (Judge Brett Kavanaugh) chosen Big Oil over everyday Americans, serving as the lone dissenter in decisions that have pitted the fossil fuel industry against our farmers. In a recent case, Grocery Manufacturers Assoc. v. Environmental Protection Agency, he proved
September 10, 2018 Read Full Article
by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) While EPA remains in an impasse on requests to reallocate biofuels gallons lost to small refinery waivers of the Renewable Fuel Standard, a bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would require the agency to reallocate those gallons. The EPA granted a
September 10, 2018 Read Full Article
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) : Incoming RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper addresses the small refiner exemptions issued by the U.S. EPA last year, and how they affect the ethanol market — The U.S. EPA remains committed to meeting the statutory deadline for finalizing the 2019 Renewable Fuel
September 7, 2018 Read Full Article
by Kelly Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA’s small refinery waivers under the Renewable Fuel Standard could cost the ethanol industry 4.6 billion gallons of domestic demand and close to $20 billion in sales revenue over the next six years, according to a recently updated analysis by the University of Missouri’s
September 7, 2018 Read Full Article
by Julie Stewart (University of Delaware) A group of bacteria best known for causing stomach trouble could also be a source of sustainable energy. The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded Eleftherios (Terry) Papoutsakis a three-year, $1.5 million grant to study the production of clostridium bacteria as platforms for biofuels. Papoutsakis,
September 7, 2018 Read Full Article
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Argentina, while exports are dropping, domestic consumption is seen rising this year to an all-time high of 1.48 billion liters, and for the first time since the policy was put in place in 2014, the blending rate will be above the mandated 10% at 10.3%. Some
September 7, 2018 Read Full Article
by Steve Vander Griend (Clean Fuels Development Coalition) Adding ethanol to gasoline improves it in every way. It lowers carbon, reduces common air pollutants for smog formation, lessens CO2 emissions, reduces sulfur content, and provides clean octane as a replacement for toxic aromatics. In short it makes gasoline significantly better
September 6, 2018 Read Full Article
by David Vander Griend (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Urban Air Initiative) Dave VanderGriend, president of Urban Air Initiative, doesn’t mince words in his column this month, calling out EPA for what he says is collusion with the oil industry. — … The 15.8 billion gallons of ethanol we produce and the economic benefits it
September 5, 2018 Read Full Article
by Eric C. Evarts (Green Car Reports) Just as the Trump administration moves to roll back fuel economy standards, a new survey shows that Americans are dissatisfied with the fuel economy their cars already get. The American Customer Satisfaction Index survey for cars was released Tuesday, and among the 10 attributes the
September 5, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Department of Energy) Today, the U.S. Department of Energy announced the selection of 36 projects totaling $80 million to support early-stage bioenergy research and development (R&D). This R&D will enable cost-competitive, drop-in renewable hydrocarbon fuels, bio-based products, and power from non-food biomass and waste feedstocks. This work supports the Department
September 4, 2018 Read Full Article
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy today filed a lawsuit in federal district court, alleging that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) have improperly denied agency records requested by RFA, Growth Energy, and others under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
September 4, 2018 Read Full Article
by Brian Jennings (American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … Consider this a blueprint for restoring the trust EPA has broken with farmers and rural America. 1. Make good on the president’s promises to allow E15 use year-round. Trump has made three or four public promises to allow E15 use year-round and
September 3, 2018 Read Full Article
by Robert Rapier (Forbes) … To recap, gasoline must meet a specific requirement called the Reid vapor pressure (RVP). If the vapor pressure of gasoline is too high, it evaporates too quickly and contributes more to smog formation. … Pure ethanol has an RVP of 2 psi. If the mixing was
September 3, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces the newest members of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The TAC provides advice and makes recommendations to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the DOE concerning the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI), an interagency program that
September 3, 2018 Read Full Article
by Bernadette Christina Munthe, Jamie Freed, Cindy Silviana and Fransiska Nangoy (Reuters/EuroNews) Indonesia has asked for its companies to be allowed to build palm oil jet fuel plants in the United States and France as a condition for its airlines to buy Boeing Co <BA.N> and Airbus SE <AIR.PA> planes, its trade
September 3, 2018 Read Full Article
(University of Arkansas) A University of Arkansas biologist is developing methods that could make the production of biofuel — ethanol and diesel made from sources such as plant material — more efficient and environmentally sound. Ruben Michael Ceballos will use a protein derived from microorganisms that live in acidic geothermal pools
September 3, 2018 Read Full Article
by Joshua Pedrick (S&P Global/Platts) The US Environmental Protection Agency is likely to set the 2019 cellulosic waiver credit (CWC) at $1.77 for each credit, down from $1.96 in 2018, according to S&P Global Platts Analytics. “The most important variable in the calculation of the CWC is the bulk sales price
September 3, 2018 Read Full Article
Notice of Solicitation of Applications for the Rural Energy for America Program for Fiscal Year 2019
(U.S. Department of Agriculture/Federal Register) The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (the Agency) Notice of Solicitation of Applications (NOSA) is being issued prior to passage of a final appropriations act to allow potential applicants time to submit applications for financial assistance under Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for Federal Fiscal Year (FY)
September 3, 2018 Read Full Article
by Mikkel Pates (Forum News Service/Bismark Tribune) Now more than ever, farmers who believe in the future of ethanol need to speak up for it, says Gerald Bachmeier, president of the North Dakota Ethanol Producers Association. Bachmeier, who also serves as chief executive officer of Red Trail Energy LLC, in
September 3, 2018 Read Full Article
by Sarah Huddle (Old Dominion University) … Cutting-edge research in the Batten College of Engineering and Technology at Old Dominion University is fueling the bioeconomy through the discovery of useful applications for algae as well as a proprietary process that can make these applications scalable for commercialization through partnerships with the private
September 3, 2018 Read Full Article
by Nick Sobczyk (E&E News) Democrats have long billed themselves as the party of climate science, and if they take back the House in November, they want to put global warming back on the congressional calendar. “It’s the 800-pound gorilla,” said Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), co-chairman of the Safe Climate Caucus.
September 3, 2018 Read Full Article
SD Mines Researcher Receives $2.2 Million DOE Grant to Turn Biorefinery Waste into Valuable Products
(South Dakota School of Mines and Technology) Rajesh Shende, Ph.D., associate professor in the chemical and biological engineering department at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology has received a $2.16 million grant from the Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office to research and demonstrate cost-effective ways to turn waste from biorefineries,
September 1, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Energy Information Administration) Six states accounted for 72% of U.S. fuel ethanol production in 2016, according to the most recent estimates from EIA’s State Energy Data System. Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, and South Dakota collectively produced 265 million barrels of fuel ethanol out of the U.S. total of 367 million
September 1, 2018 Read Full Article
(Algae Biomass Organization) The USDA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, a competitive program that encourages domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D), has opened a new opportunity that could support algae production systems. The SBIR Aquaculture topic area funds research projects that can improve the production efficiency
August 31, 2018 Read Full Article
by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Two leading ethanol interest groups and one of the nation’s largest ethanol producers asked a federal court on Thursday to force two federal agencies to hand over records related to the issuance of small refinery waivers to the Renewable Fuel Standard. In a lawsuit
August 31, 2018 Read Full Article
(National Corn Growers Association) The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) today said plans unveiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide aid to farmers negatively impacted by trade tariffs and ongoing trade uncertainty would be insufficient to even begin to address the serious damage done to the corn market
August 31, 2018 Read Full Article
by Bruce Lieberman (Yale Climate Connections) They think nutrients in farm runoff could feed algae for biofuel. — When fertilizer and pesticides run off farmland, they can contaminate waterways with nutrient pollution. Davis: “A classic example is the Mississippi Basin.” That’s Ryan Davis of Sandia National Laboratories. He says a lot of
August 30, 2018 Read Full Article
(Algae Biomass Organization) … Algae are fast becoming a significant component in food and health products, and it is time that this new crop was afforded the support by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that other crops have seen for decades. Thanks to outreach by ABO and its members, a number
August 30, 2018 Read Full Article
(Nebraska Corn Board/KTIC) The Nebraska Corn Board is committed to expanding corn markets for farmers and offering motorists a greater selection of clean-burning, home-grown fuel options. The Board recently allocated funds in its 2018-2019 fiscal year budget to help further develop the renewable fuel infrastructure in the state. Through this grant
August 28, 2018 Read Full Article
by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Federal Agencies Disagree on Accounting for Small-Refinery Waivers in 2019 — EPA has made clear it is not considering public comments on small-refinery waivers and how they affect the Renewable Fuel Standard. But a USDA memorandum sent to EPA on Aug. 15 disputes the EPA’s
August 28, 2018 Read Full Article
by Helena Bottemiller Evich, Catherine Boudreau and Liz Crampton (Politico) The Trump administration on Monday detailed how it will dole out $6.3 billion in aid to assist farmers stung by retaliatory tariffs — and it’s already sparking backlash from some sectors where industry leaders say growers won’t get their fair share.
August 28, 2018 Read Full Article
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On Aug. 17, the owners of nearly 60 anaerobic digestion (AD) projects sent a letter to President Trump asking him to tell the U.S. EPA to prioritize the development of an electric pathway under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The letter cites efforts by members of
August 28, 2018 Read Full Article
by Tim Pearce (Daily Caller) The owner of a New York-based renewable fuels trading company was sentenced to over five years in prison and fined roughly $26 million Monday for his role in a massive biofuel fraud scheme, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Ohio resident Gregory Schnabel used his company GRC
August 28, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Department of Justice) A federal grand jury sitting in the District of Utah has returned an indictment, which was unsealed today, charging the CEO and CFO of Washakie Renewable Energy (WRE), a Utah-based biodiesel company, and a California businessman with laundering proceeds of a mail fraud scheme, which obtained over
August 28, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Department of Energy/Phys.Org) … To learn more about glucose, the sugary feedstock of biofuel refineries, scientists want to know where a polymer of glucose, mixed-linkage glucan (MLG), resides in grasses as grass species are a major potential renewable biomass feedstock. Scientists from the center demonstrated that MLG is present primarily
August 27, 2018 Read Full Article
by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) A bipartisan group of nearly 40 U.S. Senators led by Patty Murray (D-WA), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have sent a letter urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to increase volume obligations for biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuel and ensure any small refiner economic hardship exemptions
August 24, 2018 Read Full Article
(American Farm Bureau Federation) Though pleased with EPA’s proposal to increase renewable fuel volumes, the American Farm Bureau Federation warned that the agency’s excessive use of small refinery waivers diminishes the likelihood that volume targets will be met. “EPA’s excessive use [of small refinery waivers] will undermine the goals that were
August 24, 2018 Read Full Article
by Maxine Joselow and Benjamin Storrow (E&E News) … First came the rollback of clean car rules, an aggressive effort to unravel former President Obama’s program to reduce tailpipe pollution. Then came the Clean Power Plan replacement, another muscular move that dismantles Obama’s signature initiative for curbing emissions from the power sector.
August 24, 2018 Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The 2019 proposed US Renewable Fuel Standard proposed volumes attracted a major raspberry from the ethanol industry. As the American Coalition for Ethanol noted: “Unfortunately, EPA continues to take actions which undermine the letter and spirit of the statute and harm the rural economy. While refiners
August 24, 2018 Read Full Article
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy)EPA will no longer hold public hearings in Washington, D.C., Detroit and Los Angeles on the administration’s proposed freeze of Obama-era fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks, Bloomberg Environment reports. Instead the EPA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will hold two public
August 23, 2018 Read Full Article
(Joint Genome Institute) … A diverse group of plant-produced organic compounds, terpenes play key roles in plant growth, defense, and environmental interactions. Terpenes are also economically important because of their use in industrial materials, pharmaceutical products, and as biofuel precursors. Collectively, hundreds of terpene compounds have been characterized from eucalypts, a
August 22, 2018 Read Full Article
(American Coalition for Ethanol) The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) announced the official release of a White Paper today (August 17, 2018) entitled “The Case for Properly Valuing the Low Carbon Benefits of Corn Ethanol,” coinciding with a general session panel at the 31st annual ACE conference in Minneapolis which highlighted the
August 22, 2018 Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of invention and change is just too strong, we’ve realized, to highlight annual or even quarterly or monthly rankings and summaries of significant product and service advances. For now, we’re going to be tracking these on a weekly basis to keep pace with the
August 22, 2018 Read Full Article
(National Biodiesel Board) NBB also proposes multiple solutions to accounting for small refinery exempted volumes — Today, the National Biodiesel Board filed comments on the proposed Renewable Fuel Standards for 2019 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2020. NBB’s comments respectfully urge the Environmental Protection Agency in the final rule to increase the
August 17, 2018 Read Full Article
(University of Idaho National Biodiesel Education Program) The goals of the Biodiesel Fuel Education Program as originally established in Sec. 9004 of the Farm Security Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8104) were to stimulate biodiesel consumption and to stimulate the development of a biodiesel infrastructure. The information and outreach activities
August 17, 2018 Read Full Article
by O. Kay Henderson (RadioIowa) Republican Congressman Steve King today said the best thing the Trump Administration could do to alleviate farmers’ angst about the trade war would be to allow higher percentages of ethanol to be blended into gasoline year-round. “Let the market determine what that blend could be It could
August 17, 2018 Read Full Article
Earnings Season: as Novozymes, DSM, Amyris, Gevo, Corbion, and Aemetis Report, Who’s up, Who’s down?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In today’s Digest, let’s look at trends driving the industry’s results at scale — and while money is not the measure of all progress, it is the ultimate yardstick and especially for companies that have reached industrial scale. So, let’s look at Q2 earnings statements now
August 17, 2018 Read Full Article
by Patty Judge (Des Moines Register/Focus on Rural America) … Many of the political elites on the coasts have argued that progressives should simply write off the rural Midwest because it is too white, too old and too conservative to ever support a progressive national candidate. In 2017 Focus on Rural
August 16, 2018 Read Full Article
by Tonya S. Grace (Kentucky New Era) Bill Northey talked ethanol and hemp while stopping in Christian County on his way to Missouri. Northey, confirmed in February as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new under secretary for farm production and conservation, visited the local community on Wednesday with U.S. Congressman James
August 16, 2018 Read Full Article
by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) More than 15 billion gallons of ethanol flows into the U.S. fuel supply each year, big business for midwestern corn farms and a drag on oil refineries in Texas. But with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency now exempting smaller refineries from the federal mandate they blend
August 16, 2018 Read Full Article
(Urban Air Institute) A paradigm shift is needed in Washington, and it’s up to Rural America to push for change. “We need to join together and demand access to cleaner burning ethanol, which will help American farmers and improve the air our entire nation breathes,” according to Urban Air President Dave VanderGriend.
August 16, 2018 Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ReadiJet contains the same molecules and has the same performance as petroleum jet fuel, all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It meets Jet-A, Jet-A1, JP-5, JP-8 fuel specifications without the need for blending with petroleum. ReadiJet is undergoing ASTM certification for commercial use and MILSPEC certification
August 15, 2018 Read Full Article
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Aemetis Inc. released second quarter financial results on Aug. 9, reporting increased revenues and gross margins. The company also reported process being made with its Riverbank cellulosic ethanol plant, including engineering, environmental permitting and EPC project milestones. “Record gasoline demand in the second quarter helped
August 15, 2018 Read Full Article
by Seth Boyes (Dickinson County News) Steffes Company in Milford played host to U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley on Monday Aug. 6. … “If you’re a member of Congress, you can’t keep your mouth shut if you think the president’s hurting your people,” he said. He went on to say the president seemed
August 15, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Department of Energy/Phys.Org) To improve biofuel production, scientists must understand the fundamental interactions that lead to the expression of key traits in plants and microbes. To understand these interactions, scientists are using different layers of information (about the relationships between genes, and between genes and phenotypes) combined with new
August 15, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Department of Energy) Today, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry announced the selection of 28 projects totaling $38 million to support early-stage research and development of innovative hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. The Secretary is in Golden, Colorado touring the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. “As an energy
August 15, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Grains Council/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Grains Council and ethanol industry partners added an octane enhancer to the USDA’s Agricultural Trade Mission to Indonesia in July, led by USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney. The Council delegation joined the larger mission to Indonesia to follow-up on
August 14, 2018 Read Full Article
(U.S. Department of Energy) Purpose of Meeting: To develop advice and guidance that promotes research and development leading to the production of biobased fuels and biobased products. Tentative Agenda: Agenda will include the following: Update on USDA Biomass R&D Activities Update on DOE Biomass R&D Activities Presentations from national laboratories and federal agencies
August 14, 2018 Read Full Article
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Pacific Ethanol Inc. released second quarter financial results on Aug. 9, reporting a slight increase in net sales. The company also discussed how current trade barriers and the U.S. EPA’s administration of the Renewable Fuel Standard are reducing short-term demand for ethanol. “Even with
August 14, 2018 Read Full Article
by John Siciliano (Washington Examiner) … On top of that, a senior Senate aide close to the pro-ethanol camp led by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said “there is debate” over whether it will take legislation to enact the changes Trump seeks. “We view it as a technical correction,” the aide
August 14, 2018 Read Full Article
by O. Kay Henderson (RadioIowa) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s acting administrator met privately with Iowa commodity group leaders at the Iowa State Fair today — but Andrew Wheeler told reporters afterwards there is no decision yet on regulations that would allow a higher blend of ethanol to be sold year-round.
August 14, 2018 Read Full Article
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA wants 14 months to finish up an air quality study of the Renewable Fuel Standard, saying in a court filing Monday that the timeline “is the most expeditious one for the agency to complete the anti-backsliding study.” The study could ultimately lead to
August 14, 2018 Read Full Article
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RFA Testifies in Support of High Octane Low Carbon Fuels at EPA/NHTSA Hearing
by Rachel Gantz (Renewable Fuels Association) A high-octane, low-carbon fuel containing 20-40% ethanol used in optimized engines would be the lowest cost means of achieving compliance with fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for model year 2021-2026 and beyond, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Kelly Davis will testify today