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by Jennifer M. Latzke (High Plains Journal) … And still, shortly after Trump’s visit, the EPA granted 31 small refinery waivers from the Renewable Fuels Standard in the fall that would have wiped out any traction that year-round E15 approval had gained the industry. Looking back, that was one bump
Environmental Protection Agency
July 6, 2020
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by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has put on hold indefinitely a proposal for the amount of biofuels refiners must blend into their fuel next year, two sources familiar with the matter said. Many anticipated the proposal would come out in late June or early July. The EPA
July 6, 2020
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by Mikkel Pates (Ag Week) Ethanol proponents try to make some political hay with President Donald Trump when he visits Rapid City. They ask that he “tear down that wall” of 10% ethanol blends, and allow ethanol to climb to 30% blends. They say the Environmental Protection Agency should do
July 3, 2020
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(Missouri Soybean Association) Applicants may receive up to 25 percent of the required cash match for federal funding. — Missouri soybean farmers are investing in the future for soy in Missouri through biodiesel with a new infrastructure grant program. A new commitment from the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council and Missouri
July 2, 2020
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(Office of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)) U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today issued the following statement on the nomination of Doug Benevento to be Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): “The price of RINs has more than quadrupled since the beginning of the year, and now sits around
July 2, 2020
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by Robert Kozak* (Atlantic Biomass/Advanced Biofuels USA) I was sad to see an obituary today for the great engineer John J. Mooney. Who was John J. Mooney you ask? He was the co-inventor of both the 2-way and the 3-way motor vehicle catalytic converter. The “3-way cat,” as it is referred
July 1, 2020
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(Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) Strengthening U.S. air quality standards for fine particulate pollution to be in compliance with current World Health Association (WHO) guidelines could save more than 140,000 lives over the course of a decade, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study,
July 1, 2020
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by Amena H. Saiyid with assistance from Sylvia Carignan and Christina Brady (Bloomberg Law) Some who normally use mass transit seek safer commute option; State, local officials watch data for air quality impact — … More cars on the roads in congested urban centers like New York City—the virus epicenter
July 1, 2020
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South Dakota Farmers Union President Doug Sombke points out that Title II of the Clean Air Act requires EPA to reduce toxics in gasoline to the greatest extent possible as new technologies become available. “Higher ethanol blends are that technology, and they are available today. We know that widespread implementation of
June 30, 2020
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(Morning Ag Clips/South Dakota Farmers Union) Broad coalition challenges the Safer Affordable Fuel Efficiency Vehicle Rule; In response to EPA’s failure to credibly consider and advance mid-level ethanol fuel blends as an alternative to conventional fuels, the groups filed a petition for review in the Superior Court of the District
June 30, 2020
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by Jordan Godwin (OPIS/Governors Biofuels Coalition)EPA is expected to propose as early as next month a 250-million-gal increase in the 2021 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) and another 250-million-gal boost in the 2022 RVO to comply with a remand order the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
June 30, 2020
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(House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis) Plan Would Put Americans Back To Work, Save Lives, And Help the United States Reach Net Zero By 2050 — On Tuesday, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Chair Kathy Castor (D-FL), members of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis unveiled a comprehensive plan titled “Solving the
June 30, 2020
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(Mankato Free Press) … Here’s what rural Minnesota does need: It needs clean water and subsidized wastewater systems. It needs good government that gets state and federal subsidies to provide a life that provides a solid base of services but few luxuries. It needs good roads that can support more traffic and
June 29, 2020
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by Glenn Minnis (The Center Square) … The president was there to help industry executives celebrate his administration’s removal of a regulation that up until then prohibited companies from selling gasoline containing 15% ethanol year-round. “It was a terrific event for my company and the renewable fuels industry, drawing nearly
June 25, 2020
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(Renewable Energy Group) Optimus Systems, Paired with 100% Biodiesel from REG, Allows the Department to Easily Achieve Sustainability Goals — The D.C. Department of Public Works (DPW) increased the number of heavy-duty fleet vehicles capable of running on renewable pure biodiesel (B100) by installing Optimus Technologies’ Vector System onto 17
June 25, 2020
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(Renewable Fuels Association/National Biodiesel Board/Farm Progress) Renewable Fuels Association, National Biodiesel Board critical of these petitions, say refiners are trying to circumvent court ruling. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today disclosed that 52 new petitions have been received from small refineries seeking retroactive exemptions from their Renewable Fuel Standard requirements
June 19, 2020
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) Sen. John Thune (R-SD) has introduced legislation, together with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), to approve some advanced biofuel pathways under the Renewable Fuel Standard, which have been delayed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Under the legislation, EPA would also be required to render a decision within 90 days on
June 18, 2020
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(RFD TV) … Both the oil and ethanol sectors are asking the federal government to step in as each one sees a sharp decline in prices and production. Oil groups say that the pandemic pushed the industry over the edge, while it was battling an already downward demand trend. …
June 18, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments on Sept. 25 in a case that could determine whether EPA must deeply curtail its program of exemptions from the RFS. The case mirrors a 10th Circuit case in which the court found that
June 18, 2020
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by Russ Freeman (Modern Rotating Impact Mill Production Company, llc./Biofuels Digest) So how do we choose a GOOD PATH from many alternatives carbon sources? Repurposing carbon in Municipal Solid Wastes could be exceptionally attractive to local government facing a pandemic-driven loss of both income and property tax revenue while also facing a dramatic
June 18, 2020
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(Solutions from the Land) In response to a call for input from the Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis for input on tools, programs, and support useful to address the impacts of severe weather and climate change on their community and business, we have constructed a response …
June 17, 2020
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by Marc Heller (E&E News) If the politics around ethanol seem charged today, just wait two years — that’s when Congress may really step into the fray. READ MORE Grassley discusses SRE gap filings, future of RFS program (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Excerpt from Ethanol Producer Magazine: In the legislation that
June 17, 2020
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by Jordan Godwin (OPIS) EPA is expected to propose as early as next month a 250-million-gal increase in the 2021 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) and another 250-million-gal boost in the 2022 RVO to comply with a remand order the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued
June 17, 2020
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by Steve VanderGriend (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Urban Air Initiative) While much of the industry’s energy has been focused on issues like Reid vapor pressure relief, a new technical paper demonstrates the need to focus on aromatics, and the fact that ethanol can reduce the need for other carcinogenic octane enhancers. …
June 17, 2020
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by Mike Newman (Parhelion Underwriting Inc./Biofuels Digest) … The focus was on renewable fuels in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RINs) and California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS credits). Stakeholders came from all corners of the market, from the refining industry, power utilities and renewable energy sectors, as well as the
June 16, 2020
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(Environmental Protection Agency) Today (June 4, 2020), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposal to improve the rulemaking process under the Clean Air Act by establishing requirements to ensure consistent, high-quality analyses of benefits and costs are provided to the public for significant rules. This proposal, when finalized, will
June 16, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) REFINERS LATEST ETHANOL BLENDING BID: Small oil refiners — still reeling from the pandemic-driven collapse in fuel demand — have petitioned EPA to grant them economic hardship status dating back to 2013 in an apparent move to pave the way for the agency to free
June 15, 2020
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by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) A leading U.S. biofuel trade group said on Thursday it had started conversations with the campaigns of both Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and incumbent Donald Trump to discuss potential policy fixes for the ailing industry. The discussions come as the coronavirus pandemic crushes demand for ethanol
June 12, 2020
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by Steve Vander Griend (Urban Air Initiative/Ethanol Producer Magazine) In a world intent on lowering carbon emissions, any positive steps lowering CO2 should receive credit. Instead, a recent Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) issued by EPA actually proposes to penalize low carbon ethanol in a convoluted approach that would add
June 10, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A 30-day public comment period is now open on the U.S. EPA’s proposal to determine that no additional fuel control measures are necessary to mitigate air quality impacts of required renewable fuel volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The EPA released a pre-publication version of the
June 10, 2020
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(Growth Energy) Growth Energy today said the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new “anti-backsliding” report on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) side-steps the wide body of evidence supporting a clear scientific consensus around the clean air benefits of homegrown ethanol. The study, required by the Clean Air Act and released as part of
June 9, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A group of 44 members of Congress sent a letter to President Trump on June 8 urging him to deny requests filed with the U.S. EPA by several governors seeking a waiver of 2020 Renewable Fuel Standard blending requirements. “We write to express our concern
June 9, 2020
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(Agri-Pulse/Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) Biofuel advocates are asking EPA today to provide more information on requests for retroactive exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard. Citing an appeals court ruling, the Renewable Fuels Association and several other organizations argue in a letter that EPA can’t extend exemptions to any small refineries whose earlier,
June 9, 2020
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(BloombergLaw) The Trump administration is seeking to overhaul the way it calculates the costs and benefits of environmental regulation, with proposed restrictions that could make it harder to justify air pollution curbs. Under a proposal announced Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency would subject all significant Clean Air Act rules to a cost-benefit
June 5, 2020
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) A year ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, at the direction of President Donald Trump, issued a final rule allowing retailers to sell 15% ethanol (E15) gas year-round in all parts of the country. That action created an increase in sales of E15 to more than 450
June 4, 2020
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by Andrew Maykuth (Philadelphia Inquirer) The U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Wednesday approved a settlement allowing Philadelphia Energy Solutions to pay a small portion of the millions of dollars it owes in unpaid renewable energy obligations, clearing a major obstacle facing the bankrupt South Philadelphia refinery’s reorganization. Under the settlement with
June 4, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA as soon as today will release its proposed changes to how the agency calculates the costs and benefits of regulations under the Clean Air Act (Reg. 2060-AU51), sources told ME. Administrator Andrew Wheeler last year declared it time to reform the agency’s long-time analytical practices
June 4, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA’s proposed rule to extend the sales deadline for Step 1 wood heaters, rulemaking to classify biomass as carbon neutral and issues associated with the Renewable Fuel Standard and small refinery exemptions (SREs) were among the topics discussed during a May 20 Senate hearing.
June 2, 2020
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(Environmental Protection Agency) Clean Air Act Section 211(v) requires EPA to complete an “anti-backsliding study” to determine whether the renewable fuel volumes required in the Act adversely impact air quality as a result of changes in vehicle and engine emissions. After considering the results of the study, EPA is required
June 2, 2020
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by Jennifer A Dlouhy and Jeffrey Bair (Bloomberg Green) HollyFrontier’s Cheyenne refinery will no longer use crude oil; Company expects to lose EPA exemption for small refiners — In a sign of changing times, a U.S. oil refining company is converting one of its plants into a producer of clean fuel.
June 2, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) The National Wildlife Federation believes EPA’s Andrew Wheeler should use the agency’s waiver authority to reduce blending requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The green group, one of a handful of enviros to engage in the biofuels program in recent years, said in a
June 2, 2020
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by Joshua Brown, Margaret Rogers, Ellie Valencia, Maha Cristina Husseini (S&P Global/Platts) RVO cost highest since March 2018; USGC WTI MEH margin down $6.45/b on year; US fuel exports fall to two-year low — Fallout from the coronavirus has so disrupted normal refined product economics that a high cost to comply with the
June 1, 2020
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by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) EPA’s release of a so-called “anti-backsliding” study on Friday that calls for no further action to mitigate potential adverse air quality effects from renewable fuels, was met with disappointment by two ethanol industry interest groups. The study is required by the Clean Air Act and
June 1, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA has announced the release of the third edition of AgSTAR’s Anaerobic Digester Project Development Handbook, which includes a compilation of the latest knowledge in the industry on best practices for anaerobic digestion and biogas systems. According to the USDA, the handbook aims to
May 28, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) California and 22 other states sued the Trump administration over its rollback of auto emissions standards and fuel economy rules, Pro’s Alex Guillén reports. The Trump administration’s final Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles rule requires automakers to improve their fuel efficiency at a rate of
May 28, 2020
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by Trevor Hinz (Urban Air Initiative) Good morning, my name is Trevor Hinz, and I am the Director of Urban Air Initiative, Inc., a non-profit focused on developing cleaner fuels to reduce harmful gasoline-related air pollution. I would like to start by praising the rule’s commendable goal of reducing red tape
May 28, 2020
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by Johan Sheridan (News10) The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection awarded $5.8 million to the State University of New York at Cobleskill for its gasifier project, which turns combustible waste into a sustainable, clean-burning fuel. The grant supports creating a mobile unit to complement wildfire reduction efforts by converting woody
May 27, 2020
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(Agri-Pulse) E15, gasoline blended with 15% ethanol, saw modest growth over the last year as President Donald Trump’s order to lift the ban on year-round sales approaches its one-year anniversary at the end of this week. READ MORE
May 27, 2020
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by Marc J. Rauch (The Auto Channel) … The reason I’m contacting you today, in 2020, is because yesterday I received a message from a reader who disagrees with my advocacy of ethanol based upon your article. In my reply to this reader, I said that I could appreciate why he
May 26, 2020
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(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association on Friday urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to deny new petitions submitted by refiners for past-year waivers from their renewable volume obligations. In a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper argued that granting such waivers would be
May 26, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which includes automakers and vehicle parts manufacturers, on Friday moved to defend EPA’s auto emissions rollback — from a libertarian think tank that argues the weakened rule is still too stringent. Increasing the standards’ stringency gives the industry a
May 26, 2020
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by David Vander Griend (Urban Air Initiative/Biofuels Digest) … Whether in New Delhi, Kansas City, New York, or Beijing, less driving has resulted in cleaner air. Vistas that previously were only foggy images have burst through as crystal clear pictures of what clean air actually looks like. If we thought we
May 25, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA on May 21 released updated small refinery exemption (SRE) data, reporting that two additional SRE petitions have been filed with the agency; one for compliance year 2019 and one for compliance year 2020. A total of 27 SRE petitions for compliance year
May 22, 2020
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(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) This action proposes the EPA’s procedures for developing and issuing guidance documents and to establish a petition process for public requests to modify or withdraw an active guidance document. The purpose is to ensure that the EPA’s guidance documents are: Developed with appropriate review; Accessible and transparent
May 21, 2020
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by Valerie Volcovici and Richard Valdmanis (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not yet decided whether to grant requests from the oil refining industry to reduce biofuel blending mandates this year, agency chief Andrew Wheeler told lawmakers in a hearing on Wednesday. The oil industry and several state governors had
May 21, 2020
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(Urban Air Initiative/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Urban Air Initiative sent a letter to the COVID-19 Review Panel within the EPA’s Science Advisory Board asking them to look at the research that shows the impact gasoline additives have on tailpipe emissions and air pollution. The review panel asked the question, does long term exposure
May 20, 2020
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by Jennifer A. Dlouhy (Bloomberg/Yahoo! Finance) The Environmental Protection Agency has drafted a plan to slightly lift biofuel-blending targets next year, while so far skirting potentially controversial decisions about exempting refineries from U.S. mandates to use plant-based fuels, according to three people familiar with the matter. Under a proposed rule now
May 20, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) … EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler will testify before a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee oversight hearing this morning, in his first appearance before the panel since the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. Ahead of the hearing, the top Democrat on the committee, Tom Carper (D-Del.),laid out concerns
May 20, 2020
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(Law360) The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency policy that fuel blenders aren’t responsible for mixing biofuels into gasoline, in a defeat for refiners who claim the EPA is unlawfully giving blenders a free pass. The RFS program requires an increasing amount of renewable
May 19, 2020
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(Urban Air Initiative) Attorneys for a broad alliance of ethanol, agriculture and clean fuel organizations filed their opening brief arguing that EPA regulatory barriers that prevent ethanol from competing for greater market share are illegal. The brief was filed in the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Oral arguments in the case
May 19, 2020
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(Growth Energy) In a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB), Growth Energy urged members of a new COVID-19 Review Panel to examine the impact of toxic gasoline additives on respiratory health, as well as the potential benefits offered by bio-based alternatives like ethanol. “As you explore the human costs of
May 19, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA has delivered its proposed rule to set 2021 renewable volume requirements (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard and the 2022 RVO for biomass-based diesel to the White House Office of Management and Budget. OMB review marks a final stage before a proposed
May 18, 2020
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(Environmental Protection Agency) This action proposes to update the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) existing gasoline, diesel, and other fuels programs to improve overall compliance assurance and maintain environmental performance, while reducing compliance costs for industry and EPA. EPA is proposing to streamline its existing fuel quality regulations by removing expired
May 15, 2020
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) An alliance of ethanol, agriculture and clean fuel organizations led by the Urban Air Initiative is challenging the EPA over regulatory barriers to higher blends of ethanol they say are illegal. An opening brief in the case was filed this week in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and oral arguments
May 15, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Leading the defenses is Joan of Ernst, er, Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa along with Tina Smith of Minnesota, Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. Two Republicans, two Democrats, now urging the Trump Administration to uphold the Renewable Fuel Standard and
May 15, 2020
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by Art Cullen (The Guardian/Storm Lake Times) … “A lot of voters wanted to believe Trump – that out there in Washington it’s all BS, and that a savvy businessman could straighten it out,” (Drake) Custer said. It’s hard for many to admit that it didn’t work out. A tragic comedy
May 12, 2020
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by Steve Davies (Agri-Pulse) Lawyers for EPA and POET Biorefining squared off in court Monday over whether the agency’s guidance for measuring production of cellulosic ethanol is tantamount to a rule containing requirements that are impossible to meet. One of the major issues is whether there exists any type of “representative reference material”
May 12, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Biogenic CO2 Coalition sent a letter to Capitol Hill on May 11 asking lawmakers to direct the U.S. EPA to promptly publish a rule that states neither agricultural biomass nor woody biomass contribute to excess greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. “For over 10
May 12, 2020
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(Office of Senator Joni Ernst) Ernst and her colleagues write, “We urge you to direct the EPA to reject all calls to waive the RFS. The RFS is more important now than ever as farmers, the biofuel sector, and rural America struggle to remain operating amid the COVID-19 crisis.” — U.S.
May 12, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, D.C., two biofuels groups, Iowa Biodiesel Board and Renewable Fuels Assocation, both released notes of thanks to 24 Senators that signed the bipartisan letter to President Trump urging him to uphold the Renewable Fuel Standard and reject the requests for a waiver
May 11, 2020
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by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The Trump administration has offered to place a $10 million cap on Philadelphia Energy Solutions’ biofuel blending obligations, effectively slashing the bankrupt refiner’s regulatory liability by more than 70%, according to a proposed settlement between the two parties dated earlier this week. … It marks the
May 11, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Three dozen Midwestern electric cooperatives and rural electric associations send a letter to 20 federal lawmakers on May 7 asking Congress to provide much-needed economic relief for rural America, which continues to suffer from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. … “Our member-owners have
May 11, 2020
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by Dharna Noor (Gizmodo) This week, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed carbon dioxide standards for the airline industry. Yes, the Trump EPA. The standards would be the first time the federal government has ever regulated the airplane emissions. But let’s be clear, this isn’t exactly cause for celebration. For one, the proposal has yet to be publicly released.
May 8, 2020
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by Jim Talent (The Gazette) … Oil companies have requested special access to a $600 billion lending facility at the Federal Reserve, and the administration seems keen to deliver. The president just announced that the Secretary of Energy and Secretary of the Treasury would make funds available, and the Department
May 7, 2020
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by Alex Snodgrass (Independent Commodity Intelligence Services) US ethanol producer Green Plains said it still expects China to stick to the first phase of the US-China trade agreement that requires ethanol purchases. Green Plains remains optimistic about China and their role in corn and ethanol purchases, it said in an investor
May 7, 2020
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by Isis Almeida (Bloomberg) Ethanol to benefit as people avoid mass transit: Green Plains; For now, biofuel plants have idled as drivers stay home — There’s light at the end of the tunnel for the battered American ethanol market, according to producer Green Plains Inc. For now, coronavirus stay-at-home measures are
May 5, 2020
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(Nexstar Media Wire/Fox40) Midwest lawmakers say biofuel producers should be getting the same support and protection as oil companies. Coronavirus shutdowns have slashed the demand for gasoline, and while the White House is pledging to buy 75 million barrels of oil, ethanol producers say their requests for help have gone ignored. “We’re
May 5, 2020
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by Scott Richman(Renewable Fuels Association) The report “The 2020 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): COVID-19 Impacts” released last week by the Congressional Research Service demonstrates a conflicted understanding of the mechanics of the RFS, leading to vague and erroneous conclusions about whether compliance will be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There are two key
May 5, 2020
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(Bloomberg Law) Scheme to defraud EPA renewable fuel program; Criminal cases made damages easy to calculate e-Biofuels LLC and other defendants face a $70 million liability for violating the False Claims Act by engaging in a scheme to defraud the EPA’s renewable fuel program, an Indiana federal court said. Alexander Chepurko’s
May 4, 2020
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by Chris Bliley (Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … When it comes to transportation emissions, newsrooms around the world generally preserve their biggest headlines for the urgent, high-stakes battle against climate change. Biofuels are a major part of that conversation, and the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that
May 4, 2020
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(Renewable Fuels Association) A coalition of ethanol and farm groups today sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency opposing the American Petroleum Institute’s recent petition requesting reconsideration of the 2020 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) final rule. API claims reconsideration of the 2020 RFS rule is necessary in light of the
May 1, 2020
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by Nick Elger and Vanessa McKinney (BioCycle Magazine) Hot off the “press,” AgSTAR’s updated handbook is a comprehensive compilation of the latest knowledge in the industry on best practices for anaerobic digestion and biogas systems. — For 26 years, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) AgSTAR Program has
April 30, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Missed the recent DigestConnect discussion where The Digest shared the latest on the U.S. goal of 36 billion biofuels gallons by 2022 and where we are now? Check out this slide guide that takes a look at the 15.1 billion gallons in 2019 to date,
April 29, 2020
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by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Pressure is mounting on President Donald Trump to change the Renewable Fuel Standard in light of the economic downturn brought on by COVID-19. A number of tax, environmental and political think tanks sent a letter to Trump on Tuesday asking him to make changes to
April 29, 2020
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(Urban Air Initiative) That is the conclusion of a new peer reviewed technical paper published in the Journal of Air & Waste Management, validating previous research efforts by the Urban Air Initiative that find when ethanol is added to gasoline, it significantly reduces toxic emissions tied to air pollution. The research team leading
April 27, 2020
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by Nigel N. Clark, David L. McKain Jr., Tammy Klein and Terence Higgins (Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association) Emissions levels from current gasoline spark-ignited engines are low, and emissions changes associated with blending of ethanol into gasoline are small and difficult to quantify. Addition of ethanol, with a
April 27, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to consider whether it will review a challenge to the Renewable Fuel Standard point of obligation on May 15. Court documents related to the challenge were distributed to the Justices on April 22. Valero Energy Corp. and the American
April 23, 2020
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by Doug Durante (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/Biofuels Digest) … I want build on the theme that now, when we’ve been knocked down and are on the mat is when we need support, but from an additional angle—to preserve some sense of energy security and to be ready to continue to reduce aromatics
April 23, 2020
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by Mark Abramowitz (Coalition for Clean Air) It was the summer of 1984, and I was a young air quality scientist for CBE, then called Citizens for a Better Environment (now Communities for a Better Environment). I had been an active and critical voice on air quality issues in Los Angeles,
April 22, 2020
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(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to make adjustments to certain laboratory tailpipe emission testing procedures for automobiles, light trucks, and heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans as the result of a test fuel change that was finalized as a part of EPA’s 2014 Tier 3 vehicle emissions
April 22, 2020
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(Oklahoma Farm Bureau) … The Harvard team’s recent findings underscore the need to power more of our transportation system with non-petroleum-based fuels, like ethanol. The research team looked specifically at polluted areas beleaguered by fine particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5). Motor vehicle emissions are a primary source of PM2.5, which are tiny particles
April 21, 2020
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by Rebecca Beitsch (The Hill) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is weighing whether to let oil refineries skip on adding ethanol to their fuels, a move being requested by governors in oil-rich states who say the industry can’t afford the expense of blending in biofuels as oil prices plummet. Oil prices hit
April 19, 2020
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by Laura Sanicola (Reuters) The governors of five U.S. states have asked the Trump administration for a nationwide waiver exempting the oil-refining industry from the nation’s biofuel laws to help it survive a demand meltdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak, according to letters seen by Reuters. The request places Republican President
April 16, 2020
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) … “We are surviving day by day,” Peterson (Chris Peterson, president of Hero BX) said. “All our people are still employed.” According to Peterson, Hero BX owner Pat Black strives to provide stability for his staff to assure them with confidence that, no matter what
April 15, 2020
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by Emily Holden (The Guardian) EPA chief Wheeler says current soot regulations are adequate despite research that shows stricter rules could save thousands of lives — Under the current standard, which was set in 2012, polluters can emit enough soot to measure 12 micrograms per cubic meter. Strengthening the standards to
April 15, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA released a proposed rule on April 13 that aims to streamline and modernize the agency’s existing fuels regulations. In the rulemaking, the EPA said it is proposing “some slight modifications to the Renewable Fuel Standard,” but indicated it does not plan to
April 14, 2020
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by Matt Carr (New Energy America/The Hill) The novel coronavirus pandemic could not have come at a worse time for America’s clean energy industry. After overcoming years of attacks by the Trump administration, the resultant loss of demand is threatening to decimate key companies and technologies, and it seems we will have
April 13, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …Patented new technology uses commodity yellow grease without pre-processing or pre-heating requirements. Replaces #2 heating oil nearly volume for volume. … Yellow Heat biofuel burner operates on locally available yellow grease biofuel. World’s only central heating option that is proven carbon neutral. Zero net carbon footprint.
April 10, 2020
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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
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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
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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
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(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
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(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
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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
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(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
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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
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(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
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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
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“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
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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
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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
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by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday unveiled measures to help oil refineries cope with fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, including waiving anti-smog requirements for gasoline and extending the deadline for small facilities to show compliance with the nation’s biofuels law. The outbreak has touched off
March 30, 2020
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(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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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(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
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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
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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
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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
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(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
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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
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(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
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(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
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(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
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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
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(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
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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
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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
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(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
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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
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“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
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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
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(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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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(Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) Despite challenging conditions in 2019, Minnesota’s ethanol industry contributed $2.31 billion to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) last year, according to a new study by ABF Economics. In 2019, the industry produced 1.31 billion gallons of ethanol, 3.6 million tons of dried distiller’s grains with solubles (DDGS)
March 3, 2020
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by Rebecca Beitsch (The Hill) The Trump administration’s plans for addressing vehicle emissions may not be as good for society as an Obama administration rule, according to a review released Monday by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) independent science board. The analysis from the Science Advisory Board (SAB) found “significant weaknesses
March 3, 2020
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by Andrew Deziel (Lonsdale News Review) A bipartisan group of legislators have introduced a bill that would make Minnesota the first state in the nation to embrace E15, or gasoline with 15% ethanol, as the standard. The bill was introduced Monday in the House by Rep. Jeanne Poppe, DFL-Austin, and in the Senate
March 2, 2020
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by Scott Richman (Renewable Fuels Association) Yesterday (February 27, 2020), a group of senators wrote a letter to President Trump regarding the January 24 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit that found the EPA improperly exceeded its statutory authority in exempting three refineries from the Renewable Fuel
March 2, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) The Agriculture Department is expected to announce today that it aims to cut farming’s environmental footprint in half by 2050 while increasing farm productivity by 40 percent, three sources briefed on the plan told POLITICO’s Catherine Boudreau. The initiative is not expected to specifically
February 20, 2020
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(APNews/BusinessWire/Landi Renzo) Landi Renzo USA, the American subsidiary of Landi Renzo Group, the global leader in eco-fuel systems for the automotive industry, announced an award of $600,000. This corresponds in funding of $300,000 from the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (South Coast AQMD) Clean Fuel Funds and another $300,000 in
February 19, 2020
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by David Vander Griend (Urban Air Initiative) Octane. Mercedes called it the single most important parameter in designing engines. And guess what? Ethanol has the highest octane blending value and the lowest cost of any gasoline additive commercially available. Today’s vehicles adjust to take advantage of octane while improving mileage
February 18, 2020
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Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter on Behalf of the Urban Air Initiative (UAI)
(Urban Air Initiative) On behalf of the Urban Air Initiative (UAI), we appreciate the opportunity to comment on the above Proposed Rulemaking (Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2015-0072). UAI is a not for profit technical organization with a particular focus on automotive emissions and fuel composition. We are disappointed that EPA fails