Federal Agency – Advanced BioFuels USA

Grassley Urging USDA to Aid Ethanol Industry through CCC

(The Hagstrom Report/The Fence Post) Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said today that he will send a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging him to use the Commodity Credit Corporation to help the ethanol industry. Grassley said he did not know exactly how the ethanol industry should

April 8, 2020 Read Full Article

Bio-Restore Workshop Presentations and Workshop Summary Published

(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has released the “Bio-Restore Workshop Summary Report.” This report summarizes the results of a BETO-sponsored public workshop held at Argonne National Laboratory on September 25–26, 2019. The Bio-Restore Workshop brought together experts to

April 8, 2020 Read Full Article

Court Rejects Appeal on RFS Exemptions

by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request by refiners for an en banc hearing of the January case that voided three small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard, Pro’s Eric Wolff reports. READ MORE U.S. court rejects refiners’ challenge in EPA biofuel waivers

April 8, 2020 Read Full Article

EPA, NHTSA Fail to Address High-Octane Fuel in SAFE Vehicles Rule

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA and U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released the final Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles rule on March 31. The rule sets corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) and CO2 emissions standards for model year (MY) 2021-2026 passenger cars

April 7, 2020 Read Full Article

World Energy Doubles Down on Biodiesel Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) “In our space, on a myopic level, we are so used to getting battered around, we’ll get through this too—but on a broader level the dynamics in which we operate will be substantially different,” said Gene Gebolys, founder and CEO of World Energy, one of the

April 7, 2020 Read Full Article

Transparency At EPA Still Missing

(Urban Air Initiative) The EPA is working on another emission testing program, one that will cost $25 million and last five years. This comes on the heels of a previous emissions study funded by the EPA. When the Urban Air Initiative learned about the program, we asked the EPA and Southwest

April 7, 2020 Read Full Article

Making Biofuels Cheaper by Putting Plants to Work

(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Biofuels are an important part of the broader strategy to replace petroleum-based gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels that we use today. However, biofuels have so far not reached cost parity with conventional petroleum fuels. One strategy to make biofuels more competitive is to make plants do some

April 6, 2020 Read Full Article

EcoEngineers Profile: Regulatory Engagement Work with Dane County

(EcoEngineers) EcoEngineers’ Regulatory Engagement services and Dane County due diligence resulted in a large win for the renewable natural gas (RNG) industry. We are happy to announce USEPA’s green light to allow the Dane County offloading station to accept biogas from multiple upstream facilities and inject RNG into the commercial natural gas

April 6, 2020 Read Full Article

How Badly Is COVID-19 Slamming Biofuels Industry? 30% Reduction of Ethanol Production Capacity, Nearly Half Offline in Coming Weeks?

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … RFA told The Digest that about 4.4 billion gallons of capacity has come offline since March 1, plus what was already idle, the total is about 5.2 billion gallons idle – that’s approximately 30% of the industry’s total. Growth Energy told The Digest

April 6, 2020 Read Full Article

Biofuels Industry Seeks Bailout to Weather ‘Collapsing Demand’

(Reuters/NewsMax Finance) The U.S. biofuel industry has asked the Trump administration for funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Credit Corporation to help it survive a demand slump triggered by the coronavirus outbreak, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The funds could be used to offset a portion

April 6, 2020 Read Full Article

Solicitation of Input From Stakeholders on Agricultural Innovations DEADLINE August 1, 2020

(U.S. Department of Agriculture/Federal Register) The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting comments and suggestions on objectives and opportunities leading to research goals and informed product goals to facilitate transformative breakthroughs to enable U.S. agriculture to meet the Department’s goal of increasing agricultural production by 40 percent to

April 3, 2020 Read Full Article

USDA, DOE, SBA Programs for Biofuels, Biopower, Biochem: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Federal Programs Supporting Commercial Scale Development

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Earlier this week we shared the latest federal programs supporting demonstration concept and today our focus is on federal programs supporting commercial scale development for biofuels, biopower, biochemicals and biobased projects. Check out this slide guide from Bill Hagy at Lee Enterprises Consulting, for details

April 3, 2020 Read Full Article

Notice Provides Update of MSW Landfill Gas Emissions Guidelines

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA published a notice on March 12 announcing 42 states and territories failed to submit state plans under the 2016 emissions guidelines for existing municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. The March 12 notice represents the start of a 2-year deadline under which the EPA

April 3, 2020 Read Full Article

Ace Approved to Generate D3 RINs from Corn Kernel Fiber Ethanol

(BBI International/Ethanol Producer Magazine) In late March, U.S. EPA approved Ace Ethanol’s Part 80 registration for the new D3MAX facility at Ace Ethanol LLC, in Stanley, Wisconsin. To participate in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program and generate renewable identification numbers (RINs), renewable fuel producers must meet the registration requirements in

April 2, 2020 Read Full Article

EPA Loses Case Seeking Modeling behind Obama Mileage Rollback

by Rebecca Beitsch (The Hill) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was wrong to withhold information about how it devised its new fuel efficiency standards, a panel of judges ruled just a day after the Trump administration rolled back Obama-era mileage standards. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday sided with

April 2, 2020 Read Full Article

Scaling Algae for Carbon Capture and Biofuels

(Boss Magazine) … What else algae can suck up, though, is carbon dioxide. When harnessed for carbon capture, algae could become a force in combatting climate change. … Like other plants, algae take in carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. In fact, really all that’s required for algae to thrive are CO2,

April 1, 2020 Read Full Article

EERE Program Information Center Launches Application Submissions Pilot

(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (EERE) will launch a new website to replace eXCHANGE for funding opportunity announcements and application submission. We are looking for volunteers to pilot the new process. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2021, organizations interested in responding to EERE

April 1, 2020 Read Full Article

Lower Ethanol Demand Could Impact Planting Decisions

by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) USDA’s 2020 Prospective Plantings report released Tuesday estimates planted acres for corn this year at 97.0 million acres, up 8 percent or 7.29 million acres from last year. But when farmers were surveyed a month ago, coronavirus had yet to have the impact it is now having on ethanol

April 1, 2020 Read Full Article

QUOTE OF THE WEEK — Geoff Cooper and Renewable Fuels Association

“EPA’s rule assumes that electric vehicles have no “upstream” greenhouse gas emissions related to their use; in other words, the agency completely ignores emissions related to producing electricity from coal, natural gas, and other sources and distributing the electricity to the vehicle. … This rule should have established the roadmap

April 1, 2020 Read Full Article

Trump Administration Cuts Fuel Economy, CO2 Standards with Final Regulations

by Sean Szymkowski (Road Show) The changes, wrapped into the SAFE Vehicles Rule, will result in less stringent CAFE improvements through 2026. — The SAFE Vehicle Rule, announced by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, lowers required fuel economy and CO2 improvements to 1.5% each year

April 1, 2020 Read Full Article

Pre-Commercial Programs Supporting Biofuels, Biopower, Biochem: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Federal Programs Supporting Demonstration of Concept

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Last week we shared the latest federal programs in the R&D space and this week we focus on the federal pre-commercial programs supporting biofuels, biopower, biochemcials and biobased products. Check out this slide guide from Bill Hagy at Lee Enterprises Consulting, for details on the

March 31, 2020 Read Full Article

Trump Administration to Finalize Weaker Mileage Standards, Dealing a Blow to Obama-Era Climate Policy

by Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis (Washington Post) The new rule will improve the U.S. car and light truck fleet’s efficiency by 1.5 percent a year, versus nearly 5 percent under current law. The new rule will improve the U.S. car and light truck fleet’s efficiency by 1.5 percent a year,

March 31, 2020 Read Full Article

RFA: EPA Stall Tactic on Tenth Circuit Decision Just Delays the Inevitable

(Renewable Fuels Association) As part of a package intended to “protect the nation’s gasoline supply in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced it intends to wait until “appeals have been resolved and the court’s mandate has been issued” before developing “an appropriate implementation and enforcement response to

March 30, 2020 Read Full Article

Focus Forward from Challenge to Opportunity: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to RFA’s 2020 Ethanol Industry Outlook

y Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Renewable Fuels Association released its 2020 Ethanol Industry Outlook, an annual publication that provides policymakers, regulators, consumers, the media, and renewable fuel advocates with key statistics, trends, insight, and analysis on the latest developments in the U.S. renewable fuels industry, as well as commentary

March 30, 2020 Read Full Article

The Algae Foundation — Looking Back and Moving Forward

by Ike Levine, Tiffany Cannis and Marissa Nalley (Algae Industry Magazine) In these turbulent times, when many educational programs are in limbo, we wondered what is happening to algae education? For a perspective, we asked leaders of the Algae Foundation how they are tracking the past and planning for the

March 30, 2020 Read Full Article

Upgrading Biomass with Selective Surface-Modified Catalysts

(Brookhaven National Laboratory/Phys.Org) Scientists have designed a catalyst composed of very low concentrations of platinum (single atoms and clusters smaller than billionths of a meter) on the surface of titanium dioxide. They demonstrated how this catalyst significantly enhances the rate of breaking a particular carbon-oxygen bond for the conversion of

March 27, 2020 Read Full Article

Senate Passes Emergency Package without Green Provisions

by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) SENATE PASSES RELIEF PACKAGE: The Senate last night unanimously passed a mammoth $2 trillion coronavirus rescue package, POLITICO’s Melanie Zanona, Sarah Ferris and Heather Caygle report. The measure, which is the biggest economic rescue package in U.S. history, passed by a 96-0 vote. The bill now

March 26, 2020 Read Full Article

Top Democratic Law Firm Helps Oil Companies Dodge Climate Regulations

by Donald Shaw and David Moore (Sludge) Perkins Coie, a law firm with deep ties to the Democratic Party, is lobbying for fossil fuel clients to win exemptions from a federal program to limit greenhouse gas emissions. — … The primary focus of Perkins Coie’s fossil fuel lobbying in recent

March 26, 2020 Read Full Article

UPDATE 1-U.S. Ethanol Plants Cutting Output Due to Crashing Demand -Trade Group

by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) U.S. ethanol producers are on track to shut about 2 billion gallons of annualized output by the end of this week because of a slump in demand for fuel, the head of the Renewable Fuels Association trade group said on Monday. Biofuel producers are feeling the impact

March 26, 2020 Read Full Article

Biodiesel’s Green Footprint for Fleets: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to the National Biodiesel Board’s Biodiesel Industry – Part 2

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Check out Part 2 of the National Biodiesel Board’s slide guide that focuses on biodiesel’s on-road heavy-duty emission benefits, why they consider biodiesel as “liquid solar energy”, how 3 billion gallons of biodiesel used in the U.S. would reduce carbon emissions by more than 25

March 26, 2020 Read Full Article

The Secret Sauce: Industry Partnerships Key to Advancing Bio-Based Chemicals and Fuels

by Asanga Padmaperuma (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) … Today, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories study the development of chemicals and fuels with the use of cost-effective, renewable carbon sources, while working closely with the bioenergy industry. In support of the DOE mission, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) experts in

March 25, 2020 Read Full Article

Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines: A Transportation Future with Science in the Driver’s Seat Mapping a Viable Route Forward for Affordable, Efficient, and Clean Fuels and Engines

by John Farrell, Robert Wagner, Chris Moen and Dan Gaspar (U.S. Department of Energy) … For the past four years, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been funding the CoOptimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative, focused on identifying fuel properties and engine parameters that impact engine efficiency with the

March 25, 2020 Read Full Article

Renewable Fuels Coalition Welcomes Administration’s Decision Not to Seek Re-Hearing of Tenth Circuit SRE Ruling

(Renewable Fuels Association) Ethanol and farm groups today welcomed the Trump administration’s decision not to seek a re-hearing of a recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit that struck down certain small refinery exemptions (SREs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard. On Jan. 24, a panel of

March 25, 2020 Read Full Article

Fewer Refineries Able to Get Biofuel Waivers Under Trump Plan

by Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg) Administration will not appeal court ruling curbing exemptions; Officials directed to look for other ways to help oil refiners — The Trump administration doesn’t plan to challenge a federal court ruling that dramatically curbs its ability to exempt oil refineries from biofuel-blending requirements, according to three

March 22, 2020 Read Full Article

Grassley Asks White House for Biofuel Support as SPR Fill Helps Oil Industry

by Meghan Gordon (S&P Global) US Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican-Iowa, urged the Trump administration Thursday to help the US biofuel industry weather plunging fuel prices and demand, just as the White House was seen as supporting domestic oil producers by filling up the government’s emergency crude stockpile. “Fuel consumption has

March 20, 2020 Read Full Article

Biomass, Food and Ag, Small Business R&D: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Federal R&D Programs for Biofuels, Biochem

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There are several federal R&D programs out there supporting biofuels, biopower, biochemcials and biobased products. If you don’t know what they are, check out this slide guide from Bill Hagy at Lee Enterprises Consulting and who has 45 years of experience at USDA and as

March 20, 2020 Read Full Article

The Competitive Edge: Vertimass LLC

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Vertimass seeks to commercialize novel catalytic technology for low cost conversion of ethanol into hydrocarbon fuels to overcome obstacles that limit ethanol use in gasoline for light duty vehicles and open up new ethanol markets for aircraft and heavy-duty vehicles as well as for chemicals. Vertimass

March 20, 2020 Read Full Article

ICCT: Potential Biomass-Based Diesel Production in the United States by 2032

by Tammy Klein (Future Fuel Strategies) One of the biggest issues I’ve been working on in my consulting practice over the last year is related to the scale up of renewable diesel (RD also known as hydrogenated vegetable oil or HVO). Who is investing? Where are the facilities going to be

March 19, 2020 Read Full Article

Renewable Fuels Coalition Launches Campaign Calling for EPA Not to Appeal 10th Circuit Decision

(Renewable Fuels Association) With the need for a decision only days away, the coalition that successfully won a unanimous court decision against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continued its call for the agency to not appeal the decision by launching a new social media campaign aimed at encouraging policymakers and the

March 19, 2020 Read Full Article

PNNL Brews Up Batch of Biocrude Oil

by Asanga Padmaperuma (U.S. Department of Energy/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) … Spent grain is also an attractive feedstock for producing high quality biocrude oil that can be refined into transportation fuel. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) researchers recently achieved a Department of Energy milestone by producing 10 liters of biocrude

March 18, 2020 Read Full Article

House Democrats Warn against Oil Industry Bailout

by Rebecca Beitsch (The Hill) A growing number of Democrats are voicing concern that the White House may pursue broad relief for the oil and gas industry amid sinking prices and the coronavirus pandemic. Twenty House Democrats sent a letter to President Trump on Tuesday cautioning against dolling out further funds to the

March 18, 2020 Read Full Article

Ethanol Prices Hit All-Time Low, Unconfirmed Reports of Plant Shutdowns

by Jerry Perkins (Successful Farming) … The downturn in demand for ethanol, which is blended at a 10% rate in almost every gallon of gasoline consumed in the U.S., is coming at a time when ethanol plants were already economically challenged by the Small Refinery Exemptions granted by the Trump

March 18, 2020 Read Full Article

RFA Calls on Trump Administration to Help Struggling Biofuels Industry

by Ken Anderson (Brownfield Ag News) … With many ethanol plants on the verge of shutting down, we implore the Trump Administration to take action that equitably supports all liquid fuel industries—including ethanol producers—during this time of unprecedented market uncertainty and unrest,” RFA CEO Geoff Cooper said in a new release.

March 18, 2020 Read Full Article

Reality EV: Let’s Not Overlook Biofuels

(Clean Fuels Development Coalition) The widespread introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) as a means of reducing carbon emissions presents a far greater challenge than the public is being led to believe, according to new research by the Clean Fuels Development Coalition (CFDC). This conclusion is presented in Reality EV, a new Issue Brief

March 18, 2020 Read Full Article

Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science COMMENTS DUE April 17, 2020 EXTENDED to May 18, 2020

(Environmental Protection Agency/Federal Register) This supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) includes clarifications, modifications and additions to certain provisions in the Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science Proposed Rulemaking (“2018 proposed rulemaking,” Ref. 1), published on April 30, 2018. This SNPRM proposes that the scope of the rulemaking apply to influential

March 18, 2020 Read Full Article

EIA Analysis Shows How Carbon Fees Would Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions in the Near Term

(U.S. Energy Information Administration) As part of its most recent Annual Energy Outlook, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) conducted three alternative policy cases on how carbon fees affect emissions from fossil fuel consumption. In the short term, even relatively modest carbon fees reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, especially in the electric power sector

March 17, 2020 Read Full Article

Carper Asks EPA IG to Open Investigation into Process Irregularities and Potential Illegalities Associated with the SAFE Vehicles and Secret Science Rules

(Office of U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-DE)) U.S. Senator Tom Carper, top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inspector General (IG) to open an investigation into potentially unlawful efforts and procedural problems related to the preparation and review of both

March 17, 2020 Read Full Article

Researchers Building Stronger, Greener Concrete with Biofuel Byproducts

(Kansas State University) Kansas State University civil engineers are developing the right mix to reduce concrete’s carbon footprint and make it stronger. Their innovative ingredient: biofuel byproducts. — “The idea is to use bioethanol production byproducts to produce a material to use in concrete as a partial replacement of cement,” said Feraidon

March 17, 2020 Read Full Article

Department of Energy Announces $25 Million for Plastics Recycling R&D, Launches Upcycling Consortium

(U.S. Department of Energy) Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $25 million in funding for plastics recycling research and development (R&D). The funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is part of the Department’s Plastics Innovation Challenge, a comprehensive program to accelerate innovations in plastics recycling technologies. “The Trump

March 16, 2020 Read Full Article

Trump Pulled Back into Oil-Ethanol Fight

by Kelsey Tamborrino (Poltico’s Morning Energy) JUST WHEN HE THOUGHT HE WAS OUT:The president is once again caught in the middle of a spat between oil refiners and ethanol producers centered around small refinery exemptions under the RFS, Pro’s Eric Wolff reports. The White House is trying to set up

March 16, 2020 Read Full Article

EPA Announces Grant Opportunity Supporting Innovative Solutions for Reducing Pollution DEADLINE April 30, 2020

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking grant applications through the Source Reduction Assistance Grant Program from states, federally recognized tribes, universities, local governments, and other groups to support innovative solutions for source reduction or pollution prevention (P2) through research, education, training, or certain other methods.

March 13, 2020 Read Full Article

Why a Good Ethanol Education Program is Needed Now, More Than Ever

by Marc J. Rauch (The Auto Channel) U.S. DOE and EPA are Screwing America (And No One Cares – Do You?) +VIDEO — … So, I did a Google search of his name (Daniel R. Simmons) along with the word “ethanol.” There was only one pertinent search return involving Simmons and

March 13, 2020 Read Full Article

California Wins First Round of Cap-and-Trade Fight

by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) A federal judge ruled against the Justice Department on Thursday in the first round of a lawsuit between the Trump administration and California over the state’s cap-and-trade program with Quebec, Pro’s Debra Kahn reports. Judge William Shubb of the U.S. District Court for the

March 13, 2020 Read Full Article

Grassley Doubts Administration Will Appeal 10th Circuit Ruling on SRES

by Ken Anderson (Brownfield Ag News) Earlier this week the Trump Administration was granted a two-week delay in deciding whether to appeal a court ruling on small refinery exemptions. Does that mean an appeal is likely? Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley doesn’t think so. “No, I read it as just the opposite,” Grassley

March 13, 2020 Read Full Article

Trump, EPA to Appeal Ethanol Blending Decision

(Kallanish Energy) President Donald Trump and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have agreed to appeal a federal appeals court decision on ethanol blending, Kallanish Energy reports. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had invalidated three small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The ruling covered blending waivers granted to Wynnewood Refining

March 11, 2020 Read Full Article

Farm Groups Focus on Trade, Biofuels at Commodity Classic

by Michelle Rook (AgWeek) Leaders of the nation’s top commodity organizations were focused on trade, biofuels and the upcoming crop season at this year’s Commodity Classic in San Antonio. — …U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told farmers at Commodity Classic that the agency is not working on a third round of

March 10, 2020 Read Full Article

White House Likely to Pursue Federal Aid for Shale Companies Hit by Oil Shock, Coronavirus Downturn

by Jeff Stein, Will Englund, Steven Mufson and Robert Costa (Washington Post) … The White House is strongly considering pushing federal assistance for oil and natural gas producers hit by plummeting oil prices amid the coronavirus outbreak, as industry officials close to the administration clamor for help, according to four people

March 10, 2020 Read Full Article

Biomass Fuels Can Significantly Mitigate Global Warming

(American Associates/Ben-Gurion University of the Negev/EurekAlert!) Biomass fuels derived from various grasses could significantly mitigate global warming by reducing carbon, according to a long-term field study by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Michigan State University (MSU). In a new paper published in Environmental Science and Technology, the

March 10, 2020 Read Full Article

EIA Projects U.S. Biofuel Production to Slowly Increase through 2050

(U.S. Energy Information Administration) The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 2020 (AEO2020) projects that U.S. biofuel production will slowly grow through 2050, primarily driven by economic and policy factors. In the Reference case, which reflects current laws and regulations, biofuels production in 2050 is 18% higher than 2019 levels. However,

March 10, 2020 Read Full Article

Call for White Papers: Directed Funding Opportunity for Collaboration with National Laboratories DEADLINE: April 19, 2020

(Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative) The Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative focuses on developing new high-performance fuels that, when combined with advanced combustion approaches, can boost engine efficiency and cut emissions. To accelerate adoption of new fuels and blendstocks from renewable resources which enable higher efficiency and

March 9, 2020 Read Full Article

USDA Rural Development, BioPreferred Program and More: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to USDA’s Bioproducts to Market Efforts

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) USDA made a big announcement recently on targeting 30% biofuels by 2050, but did you know there are many ways they have been adding value to agricultural products to help the rural economy? Did you know the USDA continues to collect royalties from McDonald’s sale

March 9, 2020 Read Full Article

QUOTE OF THE WEEK — Joni Ernst

“So, the President, his point to me was, Joni, it’s not going to be overturned. It’s not going to be overturned. And this way, let Ted Cruz and the oil buddies feel good about what they are doing, but he said it’s not going to be overturned,” said Senator Joni

March 9, 2020 Read Full Article

Trump’s Biofuel Plan Triggers Fallout in U.S. Farm Country

by Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg) Appeal would be ‘a stunning betrayal’ of farmers, groups warn; Move allows EPA to keep waiving refineries from biofuel quotas — President Donald Trump’s decision to defend the U.S. government’s power to broadly exempt oil refineries from biofuel-blending requirements is triggering a backlash in Iowa and

March 9, 2020 Read Full Article

Seeing New Markets Clearly in 2020

by Ron Lamberty (American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … Straight-ahead, black and white vision tells us updated Reid vapor pressure (RVP) rules mean more E15 sales in 2020. No question. However, to move significant new ethanol volume in E15, we need additional perspectives to have a fuller picture. We

March 7, 2020 Read Full Article

Notice of Request for Public Comment on Updates to Technical Guidelines for Quantifying Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions and Carbon Sequestration at the Entity-Scale for Agriculture and Forestry COMMENTS DUE April 20, 2020

(U.S. Department of Agriculture/Federal Register) In accordance with Section 2709 of the 2008 Farm Bill, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed technical guidelines and science-based methods to quantify greenhouse gas sources and sinks from the agriculture and forest sectors at the entity-scale. In the report, Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in

March 7, 2020 Read Full Article

North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance Sends Recommendations to Capitol Hill

(North America Climate Smart Agricultur Alliance) The North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance (NACSAA) – a wide range of voices, focuses, and viewpoints from across the North American agricultural industry – submitted to the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis (HSCCC) today (March 5, 2020) a series of recommendations

March 6, 2020 Read Full Article

Ethanol Blog: Inhofe Amendment Would Cap Biofuels Credits Price at 10 Cents

by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Sen. James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, has offered an amendment to an energy bill to cap the price of Renewable Identification Numbers, or RINs, at 10 cents, as time is running out on the EPA to make a decision on possible changes to the small-refinery exemptions program.

March 6, 2020 Read Full Article

2019 EPA Automotive Trends Report: Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Fuel Economy, and Technology since 1975

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) … EPA has collected data on every new light-duty vehicle model sold in the United States since 1975, either from testing performed by EPA at the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan, or directly from manufacturers using official EPA test procedures. These

March 6, 2020 Read Full Article

Trump Plans to Appeal Ruling that Imperils Refinery Biofuel Waivers

by Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Mario Parker (Bloomberg News/The Eagle) President Donald Trump has decided to appeal a federal court ruling that jeopardized the U.S. government’s ability to widely exempt refineries from requirements to use renewable fuels. The decision follows an intense pressure campaign by oil-state senators, including Ted Cruz, a

March 6, 2020 Read Full Article

Rural Climate Action in the U.S. and China

(Wilson Center) In China and the United States–the top two emitters of greenhouse gasses–most climate policies and civil society campaigns have focused on reducing fossil fuels.. At this China Environment Forum (CEF) meeting, speakers will instead shine a light on the need for rural climate action that helps farming communities become

March 6, 2020 Read Full Article

UPDATE 2-U.S. EPA Mulls Ways to Stabilize Biofuel Costs for Refiners, with Waiver Program at Risk

by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday it is mulling new measures to help oil refiners cope with the cost of complying with the nation’s biofuel policy, as the agency faces a sweeping legal challenge to a waiver program worth a fortune to the industry.

March 5, 2020 Read Full Article

New Diesel Engine Powered by Ethanol ClearFlame Engines Can Cut Diesel Emissions Burning Straight Ethanol

by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) When ClearFlame Engines CEO B.J. Johnson told ethanol industry representatives about the potential ethanol market for the company’s all-ethanol diesel engine, those at the recent National Ethanol Conference in Houston could have kissed him. While concerns continue about the future of the Renewable Fuel Standard

March 5, 2020 Read Full Article

EPA: 23 SRE Petitions Now Pending for Compliance Year 2019

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA released updated small refinery exemption (SRE) data on Feb. 21, reporting that two additional SRE petitions have been filed under the Renewable Fuel Standard for compliance year 2019. A total of 23 SRE petitions for compliance year 2019 have now been filed, up from 21

March 4, 2020 Read Full Article

POSTPONED Leveraging Existing Bioenergy Data Workshop — POSTPONED from April 14-15, 2020 to TBD — San Francisco, CA

On April 14–15, 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) will host a workshop in San Francisco, CA to discuss how to collect and valorize underused datasets and associated knowledge, with the goal of making this information public on existing

March 4, 2020 Read Full Article

Congresswoman Pingree Introduces the Agriculture Resilience Act to Promote Farmer-Driven Climate Solutions Legislation Sets Goal of Reaching Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions in U.S. Agriculture by 2040

(Office of Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine)) Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today introduced the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), comprehensive legislation that sets a bold vision of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in U.S. agriculture by the year 2040. “Farming has always been a risky business, but unpredictable, extreme weather patterns are creating

March 4, 2020 Read Full Article

OPINION: HBIIP Funds Can Ease Transition to Higher Ethanol Blends

by Cassie Mullen (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … USDA announced it will offer $100 million in biofuel infrastructure grants under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP). Transportation fueling and biodiesel distribution facilities will be able to apply for funds to help install, retrofit, and/or upgrade fuel storage, dispensers,

March 4, 2020 Read Full Article

Most Efficient Source of Fuel May Be Tiniest Organism

by Shelley Schlender (VOA) … The tiny single-celled, plantlike organisms known as algae are more efficient than other organisms at converting sunlight and carbon dioxide into the raw materials needed for foods, products and fuels. And not just a few specialized fuels. At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado,