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by Anna Simet (Ethanol Producer Magazine) … While “accelerate” was the theme of the American Coalition for Ethanol’s 34th annual conference—market growth being vital—the myriad policy, investment and operational issues explored at the event orbited largely around the industry’s overarching low-carbon ambitions. And with the rise of electric vehicles (EVs)
Environmental Protection Agency
by Melissa Anderson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Defour Group’s Dean Drake, a former GM public policy analyst, says liquid fuels have a shared future with electric vehicles if ethanol blending methods, engine technology and policy can align. His plan involves match blending mid-level blends. … Drake, however, says we should
September 25, 2021
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(Common Dreams/Center for Biological Diversity) Coalition blasts EPA delays on replacing do-nothing Trump rule. —One hundred environmental, community and public-health groups called on the Biden administration today to set strong standards to cut airplane pollution and avoid industry-promoted biofuel greenwashing. As today’s letter notes, the Biden administration has yet to announce any efforts to
September 23, 2021
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by Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is considering big cuts to the nation’s biofuel blending requirements, according to a document seen by Reuters, a move triggered by a broad decline in gasoline demand during the coronavirus pandemic. If adopted, the proposal would be
September 22, 2021
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(Growth Energy) During Growth Energy’s virtual fly-in, 87 Growth Energy members sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to stand behind his promise to take clear action on climate change by supporting low-carbon biofuels and upholding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) through strong biofuel blending targets. The signers represent Growth Energy’s diverse membership of
September 22, 2021
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(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) The OIG plans to begin fieldwork on an audit of the EPA’s oversight of the Renewable Fuel Standards Renewable Identification Number, known as RINs, market. READ MORE The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to begin fieldwork on an audit of
September 21, 2021
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by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The key to cleaner and more affordable energy for American consumers lies not in the oil fields of Saudi Arabia and Russia, but in the farm fields of our nation’s heartland. Our leaders in Washington should be looking to American farmers for
September 21, 2021
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by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) Democratic members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation are calling on the Biden administration to alter the Renewable Identification Number credits markets to protect union jobs at independent refineries, who typically purchase the credits to meet biofuel obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard. They write that current
September 20, 2021
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(GrainNet) Thursday (Sept. 16), the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) delivered a letter to Michael Regan, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), renewing a request made in May 2021 to meet and discuss the findings of a new study, Assessment of Health Benefits from Using Biodiesel as a Transportation Fuel. The study from Trinity Consultants quantifies at a community level
September 17, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA on Sept. 8 issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking public comments to assist in the potential development of regulations for pyrolysis and gasification units that are used to convert solid or semi-solid feedstocks into useful products, such as energy, fuels
September 15, 2021
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(American Chemical Society) The American Chemical Society (ACS), in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announces the call for nominations for the 2022 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards to recognize businesses, academic institutions and nonprofits for innovative green chemistry solutions and products. “The Green Chemistry Challenge Awards is an opportunity
September 10, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association on Aug. 27 issued open letters to Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas. The letter to Sanders urges him to rethink his support for the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act, while the letter to Cruz asks him to revisit his
September 10, 2021
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by Tom (KOWA Radio) A key Senate ethanol backer says the Biden EPA’s threat to lower 2020 biofuel volume requirements on top of rumored cuts to levels for this year and next, would severely damage biofuel and corn producers. Senate Ag Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa says any move to further
September 10, 2021
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Thursday denied a petition for rehearing regarding the recent American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, et al. vs. EPA decision, in which the court vacated a 2019 regulation allowing year-round sales of a fifteen percent ethanol fuel blend (E15). Petitioners the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy
September 10, 2021
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(White House) New Actions Aim to Produce Three Billion Gallons of Sustainable Fuel, Reduce Aviation Emissions by 20% by 2030, and Grow Good-Paying, Union Jobs — Today (September 9, 2021), President Biden is taking steps to coordinate leadership and innovation across the federal government, aircraft manufacturers, airlines, fuel producers, airports, and
September 10, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The White House Office of Management and Budget has scheduled 12 meetings with interested parties to discuss a proposed rule to set renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The U.S EPA on Aug. 26 delivered a proposed rule to set RFS RVOs to the
September 8, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) Last night, the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association, National Biodiesel Board, American Coalition for Ethanol, and National Farmers Union opposed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) motion to remand but not vacate the 31 small refinery exemptions (SREs) the Trump Administration granted in August 2019. The
September 8, 2021
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(NGVAmerica/NGV Journal) NGVAmerica President Dan Gage provided testimony at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) hearing on the Biden administration’s notice of proposed rulemaking to revise the greenhouse gas emission standards for light-duty vehicles for Model Year 2023 and later. The much-expected action proposes to restore emission standards back to levels that
September 6, 2021
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by Camila Domonoske (NPR) The final holdout, Algeria, used up the last of its stockpile of leaded gasoline in July. That’s according to the U.N. Environment Programme, which has spent 19 years trying to eliminate leaded gasoline around the globe. “The successful enforcement of the ban on leaded petrol is a
August 31, 2021
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by Jeff Mower (S&P Global) Waiver valid through Sept. 15, 2021; Ida brings down roughly 2.2 mil b/d refining capacity; NYMEX RBOB prices edge lower — The US Environmental Protection Agency has issued a temporary waiver to federal RVP requirements for gasoline in Louisiana and Mississippi to address fuel supply
August 31, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) With Hurricane Ida impacting the nation’s liquid fuel supply and distribution, the Renewable Fuels Association today urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take two quick and simple steps that can extend fuel supplies and reduce price spikes expected at the retail fuel pump. The requested actions relate to pump
August 31, 2021
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(Inside EPA) EPA is asking a federal appeals court to voluntarily remand Trump-era decisions that granted 31 small refinery waivers from renewable fuel standard (RFS) compliance and denied a smaller number of waiver requests, opening the door for the Biden administration to overhaul the agency’s waiver policies in light of
August 30, 2021
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(Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition) Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition was awarded a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant through the 2021 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program. In partnership with the DC Department of Public Works and DC Water, this grant will be used to support the purchase of
August 27, 2021
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by Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recommended retroactively lowering biofuel blending mandates for 2020, two sources familiar with the matter said, after the agency on Thursday sent a proposal on the mandates to the White House for review. The move could provide immediate
August 27, 2021
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by Jeff Barber (OPIS) After four years of the Trump administration’s often-chaotic approach to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), many in the biofuels industry were hoping President Joe Biden would bring a level of stability and support to the program. While the new administration has provided renewable fuel producers with some
August 26, 2021
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by Doug Durante (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/Biofuels Digest) The release of the highly anticipated revision of the Safe Affordable Fuel Efficient Vehicle (SAFE) proposed rule this month was, for the biofuels industry, yet another poke in the eye as the EPA totally ignored reality and continued their long history of taking
August 26, 2021
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(Growth Energy) Today, Growth Energy’s Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley testified before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during its hearing on the proposed rulemaking, Revised 2023 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards. Earlier this month, the EPA and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) proposed greenhouse
August 25, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) In a hearing today on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed greenhouse gas emissions standards for 2023-2026 light-duty vehicles, the Renewable Fuels Association is spotlighting the role high-octane, low-carbon fuels like ethanol can and must play in increasing fuel efficiency and reducing GHG emissions. “If our nation is to reach
August 25, 2021
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(Office of Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA)) U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and 16 of his colleagues sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan urging the EPA to mitigate the harm imposed on consumers and refiners by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)’s unachievable mandates. In their letter, the
August 25, 2021
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“Here’s what the future-of-fuel narrative should be: petroleum industry vs. electric vehicles and renewables, including biofuels. For obvious political reasons, Republicans want to keep ethanol tethered to the dying petroleum industry in the public debate. But with the political will, there is a future for biofuels independent of the petroleum
August 23, 2021
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by Matt Russell and Robert Leonard (Fern’s Ag Insider) … The GOP has framed the shift Biden seeks as a zero-sum game, pitting ethanol and the petroleum industry against electric vehicles. If Biden and Democrats are for electric vehicles, their argument goes, they must be against biofuels. “President Biden’s short-sighted stance
August 23, 2021
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by Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters/Capital) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to recommend to the White House reducing federal biofuel blending mandates for 2021 to below 2020 levels in what would be a blow to the biofuels industry, two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.
August 23, 2021
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(Solutions from the Land) Earlier this month, the EPA published in the Federal Register a rule proposing its Revised 2023 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards. Seeking public comment through Sept. 27 (a public hearing is set for next Wednesday, Aug. 25), the agency aims to reverse the weakened emissions requirements adopted
August 20, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA published updated small refinery exemption (SRE) data on Aug. 19, reporting that there are currently 59 SRE petitions pending under the Renewable Fuel Standard, down from 64 that were pending as of mid-July. The data shows EPA has not acted on any
August 20, 2021
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, Koole Tankstorage Botlek B.V. (Koole) and Neste Oyj (Neste) asked the Envrionmental Protection Agency to approve a pathway for the generation of biomass-based diesel (D-code 4) renewable identification numbers (RINs) for renewable jet fuel and renewable diesel bottoms produced from renewable diesel through a fractionation process,
August 19, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy and the National Corn Growers Association filed a petition for rehearing with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the recent American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, et al. vs. EPA decision, in which the court vacated a 2019 regulation allowing year-round sales of a fifteen percent
August 17, 2021
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(Strategic Biofuels/Business Wire) Successful sequestration test well significantly de-risks the project while demonstrating carbon dioxide can be safely stored underground–Strategic Biofuels LLC, the leader in developing negative carbon footprint renewable fuels plants, announced today that its Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Test Well Program was successfully completed at the company’s
August 12, 2021
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by Laura Sanicola (Reuters) … The companies (Exxon and Chevron) are looking into how to process bio-based feedstocks like vegetable oils and partially-processed biofuels with petroleum distillates to make renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable gasoline, without meaningfully increasing capital spending. Commercial production of renewable fuels is costlier than
August 12, 2021
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(Dakota Ag Energy) Speaking to the 14th Annual Bioenergy Conference hosted by Brazilian government and industry stakeholders, the founder of the U.S. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) charged U.S. EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) bureaucrats with a “shocking miscarriage of their environmental justice responsibilities” and for defying a
August 10, 2021
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(Gevo) Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO), is extremely pleased to announce today that its wholly-owned dairy manure-based renewable natural gas (“RNG”) project company located in northwest Iowa, Gevo NW Iowa RNG, LLC (“NW Iowa RNG”), has signed binding, definitive agreements with BP Canada Energy Marketing Corp. and BP Products North America Inc.
August 9, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) President Biden on Aug. 5 signed an executive order that sets a target to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emissions vehicles. Representatives of the ethanol industry, however, say biofuels can make meaningful greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions now. … Zero-emissions vehicles
August 6, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA on Aug. 5 released a proposed rule to set light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards through 2026. Despite calls from government officials and industry trade groups, the rule does not address biofuels or a high-octane standard. The proposed rule aims to
August 6, 2021
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(Environmental Protection Agency) Today (August 5, 2021), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to set robust federal greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for passenger cars and light trucks to secure pollution reductions through Model Year (MY) 2026. The proposal, which revises standards set by the previous administration, also outlines the Agency’s
August 6, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) President Biden today announced a plan to greatly expand the production of clean cars and trucks, including a goal for electric vehicles to comprise 50% of new vehicle sales by 2030. The following is a statement from Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper: “We agree with the Biden
August 5, 2021
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by Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) The president will sign an executive order to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 “zero-emission” vehicles, including battery, fuel-cell and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The executive order also will set new long-term fuel-efficiency and emission standards “to save consumers money, cut pollution,
August 5, 2021
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by Ben Foldy and Katy Stech Ferek (Wall Street Journal) General Motors, Ford and Stellantis executives with union leaders are expected to join President Biden in announcing voluntary targets — Auto makers including General Motors Co. , Ford Motor Co. and Jeep maker Stellantis NV will aim to make electric
August 5, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) The recent D.C. Circuit Court decision overturning EPA’s approval of year-round E15 sales could have a strongly negative impact on the rural economy and environment in the coming years unless action is taken to allow unimpeded sales of E15 all year long, the Renewable Fuels Association reported in a new analysis
August 5, 2021
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by Trevor Smith (U.S. Department of Energy) … But new fuel blendstocks from biomass and waste resources, combined with advanced engine designs, are bringing us ever closer to a vision of clean transportation. Achieving this vision is critical for meeting our nation’s renewed goals for reducing greenhouse gases in the
August 4, 2021
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by Adam Willis (Forum News Service/Twin Cities Pioneer Press) For some of North Dakota’s legacy industries, like coal power, the future could depend on the capacity of companies to deliver on bold promises around carbon capture. The pricey and so far sparsely used technology has nonetheless elevated the ambitions of North
August 3, 2021
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by Sarah Main and Shailesh Sahay (Foley Hoag) … On July 16, 2021, the D.C. Circuit issued a decision that resolved several challenges to its 2019 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVO) rulemaking. … Renewable fuel producers challenged the volume requirements set in the 2019 RVOs as too low; petroleum groups challenged the 2019
August 3, 2021
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(Growth Energy) Today marks the four-year anniversary of the July 2017 ruling in Americans for Clean Energy v. EPA. The 2017 ruling required EPA to address its improper waiver of 500 million gallons for 2016 renewable fuel blending requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). To date, EPA has failed to reconsider the 2016 RVO and
July 30, 2021
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(Office of Senator John Thune R-SD) U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today led several of his colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden requesting a meeting with him and representatives of his cabinet to discuss the Renewable Fuel Standard and promote biofuels as a key solution for America’s energy and climate agenda. The
July 29, 2021
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by Juliet Eilperin and Dino Grandoni (Washington Post) When it comes to meeting President Biden’s climate goals, the math is clear: Half of all cars and SUVs sold in 2030 need to be electric. Next week, the president, major carmakers and the nation’s largest auto union plan to promise to
July 29, 2021
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(American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE)) The Biden administration can soon undo the damage of President Trump’s clean car rollback, but only by setting more stringent standards to make up for lost progress. In the face of recent climate change-related extreme heat and flooding events, the administration can’t afford to lose this
July 26, 2021
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(Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) High-Octane Ethanol Should Replace Carcinogenic Gasoline Aromatics — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem sent a letter to the Biden Administration pointing out the role that higher-octane ethanol could play in meeting the Administration’s climate and public health goals. Governor Walz is the chair and Governor
July 23, 2021
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(Biomass Power Association/Biomass Magazine) The Biomass Power Association on July 17 expressed concern over a D.C. Circuit decision allowing the Environmental Protection Agency to delay crediting cellulosic fuel in a challenge to the agency’s 2019 Renewable Volume Obligation rule. The case is Growth Energy v. EPA, No. 19-1023. The RFS Power
July 21, 2021
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by Stephanie Kelly, Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The White House has delayed an annual process meant to decide how much ethanol and other biofuels U.S. oil refiners need to blend into their fuel each year, as it seeks a solution for an issue that pits refinery workers against corn farmers, two sources
July 21, 2021
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by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) The Renewable Fuels Association is planning to petition the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia for a rehearing of an E15 case that could jeopardize the year-round sale of the 15% ethanol blend of gasoline starting next year. The RFA may be
July 21, 2021
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(Office of Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE)) … The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, which I reintroduced with Sen. Amy Klobuchar in response to the ruling, offers a common-sense solution to this problem. Our bill would reinstate the waiver that allowed high-ethanol blends like E15 to be sold all year.
July 20, 2021
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(South Dakota Farmers Union) South Dakota Farmers Union is among a coalition of agriculture and biofuel groups urging the administration to propose a higher octane fuel standard as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updates its greenhouse gas emissions standards for passenger vehicles and light duty trucks. “It’s been a long-standing position
July 19, 2021
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by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday denied a biofuels group’s challenge to EPA’s inaction on restoring 4.3 billion gallons to the Renewable Fuel Standard lost to small-refinery exemptions between 2016 and 2018. The court, however, sent back the
July 19, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association today welcomed the D.C. Circuit Court’s outright rejection of arguments from oil refiners that the Renewable Fuel Standard causes them economic hardship and therefore the Environmental Protection Agency should have waived their 2019 RFS obligations. The court’s rebuke of the refiners’ arguments was part
July 19, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA released updated small refinery exemption (SRE) data on July 15, reporting that six SRE petitions have been withdrawn in the past month. There are now 64 SRE petitions pending, down from 70 in June. One SRE petition was withdrawn for each of the
July 16, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) Low-carbon ethanol’s “brightest and sunniest days remain ahead” despite recent judicial setbacks and a growing policy push on electric vehicles, RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper said in keynote remarks today at the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop and Expo. Even after two recent disappointing court decisions, “The ethanol
July 15, 2021
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(Office of U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (D-MN 2nd) Craig and Smith’s Legislation has been endorsed by Growth Energy, the Renewable Fuels Association and the National Corn Growers Association — Today, U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (D-MN) and Adrian Smith (R-NE) led Co-Chairs of the Congressional Biofuels Caucus in introducing the Year-Round Fuel Choice
July 14, 2021
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(Clean Fuels Development Coalition) Dozens of agricultural, ethanol, automotive, and manufacturing organizations are calling for higher octane in gasoline to help automakers increase vehicle fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gases. In a letter to President Joe Biden, signed by a range of agriculture and ethanol interests, they pointed to the
July 14, 2021
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by Stuart Parker (Inside EPA/Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) A coalition of biofuels and farm groups, led by former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), is poised to press White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials to include a high-octane standard to boost fuel economy in EPA’s upcoming light-duty vehicle rules
July 13, 2021
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Cindy Axne (D-IA-3rd) Key funding would help reduce carbon emissions and reliance on foreign energy while investing in Iowa’s rural communities — Investments in biofuels infrastructure represent the best of all worlds as we chart a path to an energy economy that allows us to reduce carbon emissions and be less
July 12, 2021
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by Josh Siegel (Washington Examiner’s Daily on Energy) Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stressed the importance of strict fuel economy standards to clean up the transportation sector because, even as the U.S. shifts to more electric vehicles, gas-powered cars will still be on the roads for some time. “No matter how good we get
July 12, 2021
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Bentley’s Continental GT3 Pikes Peak racecar proved to be fastest racecar running on renewable fuel at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 2021, beating out all other sustainability-focused entrants (like Tesla’s Model S and an Acura NSX). Another car manufacturer, BMW, invested $12.5 million into Prometheus
July 12, 2021
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by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) The nixing of EPA’s E15 rule that allowed year-round sales has in many respects taken the ethanol industry back to square one. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit last week tossed out the Trump administration’s rule that had been widely celebrated
July 9, 2021
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by Mark Dorenkamp (Brownfield Ag News) Iowa Republican Randy Feenstra tells Brownfield he had a great conversation with Administrator Michael Regan a few weeks back when Regan visited his district. … Feenstra is also worried about biofuels under Regan’s watch. “When he talks, it’s always about having renewable fuels for
July 9, 2021
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(National Association of Farm Bureaus/NewsDakota.com) Last week’s D.C. federal court ruling does not mean retailers must stop selling 15-percent ethanol-blended gas immediately. The court ruling was another setback for the ethanol industry, discouraging future blending pump investments if it sticks, and coming on the heels of a Supreme Court ruling also unfavorable
July 8, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) Review points to fewer toxic chemicals in ethanol-blended gasoline emissions — A newly published review of top scientific literature suggests that ethanol-blended fuels widely available at gas stations as E10, E15, or E85 result in less toxic emissions from vehicles and present a lower risk to human health than
July 8, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) Reps. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, and Angie Craig, D-Minn., on July 2 introduced the Small Refinery Exemption Clarification Act of 2021, a bill that aims to clarify the definition of “extension” in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 25 ruling on small refinery exemptions (SREs). The
July 7, 2021
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by Collin Peterson (Minneapolis Star Tribune/Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) … According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), agriculture accounts for just 10% of U.S. CO2 emissions, with livestock accounting for just 4%. On a net basis, agriculture and forestry actually eliminate more emissions than they produce, removing some 729 million metric tons
July 7, 2021
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by Chuck Abbott (Successful Farming) Despite losing two high-profile cases in seven days, the ethanol industry says the future is bright for the corn-based biofuel that it promotes as a low-carbon alternative to gasoline and a tool to slow global warming. “We view both decisions as only temporary setbacks but neither
July 7, 2021
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(Growth Energy) The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a 2019 rule by the Environmental Protection Agency that lifted outdated restrictions on the sale of a fifteen percent ethanol fuel blend (E15). The case, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, et al. vs. EPA, was a challenge by oil refiners to the rulemaking
July 2, 2021
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by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA and the Transportation Department soon will propose a rule boosting federal tailpipe standards almost to Obama-era levels, with an eye toward more aggressive requirements later this decade to goose electric vehicle sales, the New York Times reports, citing unnamed sources. The proposal, anticipated
July 2, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) he Renewable Fuels Association today thanked Reps. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Angie Craig (D-MN) for introducing legislation that reinforces the intended meaning of the term “extension” as it relates to the Renewable Fuel Standard’s small refinery exemption provisions. The bill stipulates that a small refinery may petition for an exemption
July 2, 2021
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by Chuck Abbott (Successful Farming) … Farm and ethanol groups said they were confident the EPA will approve few exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard, but they urged the agency on Monday to state how it will run the program in the wake of last week’s Supreme Court ruling on waivers.
June 30, 2021
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by Larry Lee (Brownfield Ag News) Biofuels supporters remain opposed to President Biden considering relief for oil refiners from biofuel blending requirements. Jonathan Gibbs with the Wisconsin Soybean Board tells Brownfield Biden’s planned Tuesday visit in Wisconsin would be a good opportunity for the President to show farmers he still supports
June 29, 2021
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by Steve Lang (Vital) E15 compatible with nearly all existing fuel infrastructure — For the 2,300 C-stores across the country that currently carry E15, it’s the fuel’s bottom-line positives that have given those owners an advantage over their competitors. E15—often marketed at fuel stations as Unleaded 88—costs less (often three
June 29, 2021
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by Neal Kemmet (Wisconsin State Farmer) President Biden is expected to discuss the farm economy during a trip to Wisconsin this week. It’s an exciting visit that will showcase the state’s leadership in the field and across the broader agricultural supply chain. It’s also a rare opportunity for our state’s leaders
June 28, 2021
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by Andrew Chung and Stephanie Kelly (Reuters/Yahoo!) The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday bolstered a bid by small oil refineries to win exemptions from a federal law requiring increasing levels of ethanol and other renewable fuels to be blended into their products, a major setback for biofuel producers. The 6-3
June 25, 2021
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by Doug Durante (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) Commends Daschle HOLC Alliance Fight for National Higher Octane Gasoline Standard in SAFE-2 Rule — The Clean Fuels Development Coalition (CFDC) called a recent letter from automakers in support of high octane low carbon fuels further validation that ethanol has a key
June 25, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Biden administration has signaled its intent to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking to develop post-2022 Renewable Fuel Standard regulations before the end of 2021. A proposed rule to set annual RFS renewable volume obligations (RVOs) for 2021 and 2022 is expected to be
June 22, 2021
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(Growth Energy) Today, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor participated in the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy hearing titled “Renewable Energy – Growth and Opportunities for our Rural Economies”. In the hearing, Skor spoke on biofuels’ ability to drive economic growth using data from a
June 22, 2021
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by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) The Senate Agriculture Rural Development and Energy subcommittee meets today on renewable energy opportunities in rural areas. Subcommittee Chair Tina Smith plans to use the hearing to highlight biofuels’ role in emissions reductions, particularly in hard-to-electrify industries like aviation, according to a copy of her opening remarks shared
June 22, 2021
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by Lauren Quinn (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) … For corn ethanol, most greenhouse gas emissions can be mapped to the fuel’s production, transportation, and combustion, but a large portion of the greenhouse gas calculation can be traced right back to the farm. Because of privacy concerns, however, scientists can’t access individual
June 18, 2021
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(National Biodiesel Board/Biodiesel Magazine) While welcoming federal support for domestic SAF on par with support for biodiesel and renewable diesel, the NBB wants Congress and the Biden Administration to understand how all three fuels support the nation’s climate and clean air priorities. The Biden administration delivered some positive news to
June 17, 2021
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(Office of Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)) U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) led a bipartisan letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan urging the Biden administration to address languishing applications under the renewable fuel standard (RFS) program, including moving forward with allowing renewable electricity made from biomass to
June 17, 2021
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by Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Kim Chipman (Bloomberg/Yahoo!) The Biden administration is developing targets for biofuel that are likely to be relatively flat or even lower as it seeks to balance the interests of blue-collar refining workers and advance a clean-energy agenda. The Environmental Protection Agency is set to propose renewable
June 16, 2021
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by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA air officials said Tuesday they’re in the early stages of additional regulations related to conventional and greenhouse gas emissions from tailpipes. The agency says it is on track to propose new federal light-duty standards sometime next month to replace the Trump rollback, but the
June 16, 2021
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by Mikkel Pates (AgWeek) Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., talks about corn ethanol opportunities in the Biden administration and reflects on the recent passing of Orrie Swayze, a farmer and former Marine fighter pilot from Wilmot, S.D., who Daschle described as a “mentor” in his passion for an
June 15, 2021
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(Inside EPA) EPA Administrator Michael Regan says he is aiming for an “electric future” for road transportation, though he sees a useful role for near-term measures to reduce diesel exhaust, greenhouse gases and other air emissions from vehicles, statements that may heighten tensions with the oil and biofuels industries who
June 11, 2021
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by Anthony Adragna (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA announced Thursday it would take another look at one of the agency’s most sweeping and important public health regulations that the Trump administration opted to leave alone last year, Pro’s Alex Guillén reports. The agency said it’s reconsidering the National Ambient Air Quality
June 11, 2021
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by Chet Thompson (Real Clean Energy/American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers) … AFPM members make approximately 10 percent of the ethanol produced in America, and over the last year U.S. refiners announced eight new renewable diesel projects. This focus on sustainability is also why for several years AFPM has advocated for
June 8, 2021
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by Dave VanderGriend (Urban Air Initiative/Biofuels Digest) … Carbon emissions include not just CO2 but a range of unburned hydrocarbons that are criteria pollutants that form ground level ozone, or summertime smog. Fine and ultra-fine particulates from toxic aromatics in gasoline present a host of negative health impacts as they enter
June 8, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA is seeking nominations for its Mobile Sources Technical Review Committee, including nominations for individuals who have experience working with agricultural producers, distillers, processors and shippers of biofuels; renewable fuel producers; and clean energy producers. MSTRS is a federal advisory committee that provides
June 4, 2021
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by Matthew Daly (Associated Press) Officials from California, New York and other states urged the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday to allow California to set its own automobile tailpipe pollution standards, an action that would reverse a Trump administration policy and could help usher in stricter emissions standards for new passenger
June 3, 2021
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by Rod Nickel and Karl Plume (Reuters) … Botanists, businessmen, farmers and federal lawmakers, they all gathered to peer at the waist-high plant usually considered a pest and uprooted on sight because of its foul odor, toxicity and the grim taste it leaves in the milk of grazing cattle. This was
June 2, 2021
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by Sean Hill and Matthew French (U.S. Department of Energy Energy Information Administration) The prices of renewable identification number (RIN) credits—the compliance mechanism used for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—sharply increased through April of this year, and they are now higher than at any
June 2, 2021
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(Our Daily Planet) The Biden administration released its detailed budget proposal on Friday and it contained $36 billion in total for climate, a huge increase in climate-related spending. According to the budget justification, the increase of more than $14 billion compared over current spending invests “in resilience and clean energy, enhancing U.S. competitiveness, and
June 1, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Reps. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa; Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa; and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, sent a letter to President Biden on May 25 urging him to uphold his promise to support biofuels. The letter urges the Biden administration to include
May 26, 2021
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(Office of Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE)) U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) introduced the bipartisan RFS Integrity Act of 2021. This legislation would provide more certainty for rural America by bringing transparency and predictability to EPA’s small refinery exemption process.
May 26, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Following last week’s decision by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate and remand three small refinery exemptions granted by EPA to Sinclair Oil Corp. on the eve of President Biden’s inauguration, the Renewable Fuels Association on Monday asked both the Tenth and D.C. Circuit
May 26, 2021
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by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) Over 75 environmental groups are writing to EPA administrator Michael Regan today urging him not to include electricity generated from burning wood biomass, factory farm gas and landfill gas in renewable fuel standard credits for electric vehicles. The groups argue the fuels contribute to
May 25, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA on May 20 published updated small refinery exemption (SRE) data, reporting that two additional SRE petitions have been filed for Renewable Fuel Standard compliance year 2020. The agency also changed the status of three previously filed SRE petitions. There are now 70
May 21, 2021
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by Patrick Newkumet (OPIS) Alternative low-carbon fuel producers would receive tax credits for reaching net-zero emissions under a U.S. Senate bill introduced last month, but biofuel industry stakeholders are concerned they will find it difficult to reach that target by 2030 unless the government revises its count of the carbon intensity
May 21, 2021
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by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Wall Street Journal) The Renewable Fuel Standard deserves credit for reducing pump prices and saving Americans billions each year. — Regarding your editorial “The Ethanol Gasoline Tax” (May 15): The 16-year-old law requiring oil refiners to blend renewable fuels with gasoline has nothing to do with recent higher
May 20, 2021
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by Jarrett Renshaw and Stephanie Kelly (Reuters/AgWeb) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s biofuel blending mandates for this year and next are likely to be in line with those of 2020 as the agency accounts for weaker fuel demand since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, three sources familiar with the matter
May 20, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association today hailed an order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit vacating three small refinery exemptions granted by EPA to Sinclair the day before President Joe Biden was inaugurated. The court’s decision came promptly after EPA petitioned for the vacatur and remand of
May 20, 2021
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by Lisa Whitley Coleman (EHS Daily Advisor) The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) ends its current phase in 2022. The EPA has asked the oil, corn, and biofuels industries for input on the next phase of the biofuel policy, according to Reuters. … “The original intent of the law was to enhance
May 19, 2021
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) University of Nebraska Researchers have proven E30 is safe for long-term use in non-flex fuel vehicles. The findings could bolster the push for state- and federal-level low-carbon fuel legislation. — Two researchers from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are eager to continue sharing their results
May 19, 2021
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The stalled U.S. EPA approval of corn kernel fiber-to-ethanol pathways could be having a $1 billion impact on a 15-billion-gallon-per-year ethanol industry, says Jim Ramm, director of engineering for EcoEngineers. That’s assuming 3% of overall production could be from fiber and a $2 premium.
May 19, 2021
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by Lloyd Ritter (Green Capitol LLC/Biofuels Digest) The aviation industry is currently responsible for less than 3% of total global carbon emissions, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). But with air travel expected to increase by more than 60 percent (compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels) by mid-century,[1] emissions will continue rising
May 19, 2021
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by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The RFS creates competition that lowers fuel prices and reduces carbon emissions. Yet, refiners still complain. — … Indeed, at their request, the RFS includes provisions allowing refiners to comply without ever physically blending a drop of biofuel. As an alternative to
May 12, 2021
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by Jarrett RenshawStephanie Kelly (Reuters) … The electric car maker is one of at least eight companies with a pending application at the Environmental Protection Agency tied to power generation and renewable credits, the sources said. The EPA produces a list of pending applications with some details, but not companies’ names.
May 12, 2021
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by Tyne Morgan (AgWeb) … Renewable fuels groups are offering up a solution that could help ease supply pressures. Both Growth Energy and Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) are now calling on EPA to take immediate steps to allow low-carbon ethanol to fill the void on the East Coast. In a letter to EPA Administrator
May 12, 2021
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(Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor kicked off the event with a speech that framed the future of biofuels by addressing three key priorities to drive biofuel demand: building out access to higher blends nationwide, positioning biofuels as a climate solution in policy discussions, and expanding consumer
May 10, 2021
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by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is handing over to the Government Accountability Office information on oil refiners that petitioned for exemptions to biofuel blending mandates, in an effort to help the government watchdog investigate the exemption program. The move shows the Biden administration’s willingness to help scrutinize
May 6, 2021
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by O. Kay Henderson (KBOE) The administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spent much of Tuesday in Iowa. It’s the first solo trip Administrator Michael Regan has taken since he was sworn into office. Regan toured an ethanol plant in Nevada and he told reporters the EPA’s announcement on biofuels
May 5, 2021
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by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters/NASDAQ) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed a motion on Friday to vacate three waivers given by the previous administration to Sinclair Oil Corporation refineries that exempt them from biofuel blending mandates. In the motion, the EPA said that the agency under the Trump administration did not analyze
May 5, 2021
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by Hope Yen and Tom Krisher (Associated Press) A top Senate Democrat is urging U.S. anti-pollution standards that would follow a deal brokered by California with five automakers and then set targets to end sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, a goal that reaches farther than President Joe Biden’s climate plan.
May 1, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) In separate comment letters submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Renewable Fuels Association explained how expanded ethanol production and use can support the administration’s “climate-smart” agriculture goals and encouraged USDA to use the Rural Energy Pilot Program to support research into the use of ethanol for
April 30, 2021
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by Spencer Chase (Agri-Pulse) … On the issue of biofuels, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, pressed (Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael) Regan on the administration’s views on the future of ethanol, expressing her concern about the fact that advanced biofuels are commonly the first technology referenced in conversations on the subject
April 29, 2021
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) Agri-Pulse is investigating how the biofuels industry has changed and where it’s headed in season two of the farm policy news outlet’s Deep Dive podcast series. … The first episode – “Running on E” – focuses on the history of biofuels and the policy surrounding the Renewable Fuel
April 28, 2021
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Cenex to Offer E15 through Rock Rapids Terminal, Making It More Accessible to Cenex Retail Locations
by Scott Van Aartsen (KIWA Radio) An area pipeline terminal will be helping to get more E15 fuel into our part of northwest Iowa. CHS, formerly known as Cenex-Harvest States is expanding access to higher ethanol blend fuels by offering E15 through 10 additional fuel terminals starting soon. In early 2021, CHS
April 28, 2021
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(Diesel Technology Forum) On eve of the 51st anniversary of Earth Day the Diesel Technology Forum issued the following statement: “President Biden has brought a new emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tackling the climate challenge. Meeting this challenge will not have simple one-size fits all solutions, nor uniform timetables. Even
April 27, 2021
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by Dan Carden (NWI.com) Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb has vetoed legislation that would have required fuel blends containing between 10% and 15% ethanol, also known as E15, be prominently labeled on Indiana fuel pumps. Senate Enrolled Act 303 proposed mandating a label be placed next to the selection button on
April 27, 2021
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by Emily Hammond (SCOTUSBlog) On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in HollyFrontier Cheyenne Refining, LLC v. Renewable Fuels Association. The case presents an issue of statutory interpretation involving the Renewable Fuel Standard program — a part of the Clean Air Act that calls for incorporating renewable fuels into transportation
April 27, 2021
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by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) The EPA on Monday said it will reassess the Trump-era rule preventing California from setting stricter car pollution standards than the federal government after a similar move last week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If California is free to set its own
April 27, 2021
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by Rachel Frazin (The Hill) … The Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed a withdrawal of its part of a Trump-era rule that preempted states from setting their own standards. Early next week, the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to take action on its piece of the issue:
April 23, 2021
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(BioCycle Magazine) The U.S. EPA’s AgSTAR program updates its online database of livestock anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities twice a year. Its latest update was in March 2021. In addition to details on AD facilities, AgSTAR also summarizes associated data and trends, including the latest status of existing or planned projects. Here
April 21, 2021
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by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA’s technical experts were largely shut out of the rulemaking process when the Trump administration rolled back tailpipe greenhouse gas standards, according to a report by the agency’s internal watchdog. OIG’s review could help the Biden administration in reversing the Trump-era move and bolstering
April 21, 2021
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(TOM/Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network/KIWA Radio) Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley recently said he’s encouraged the Environmental Protection Agency is siding with the ethanol industry in a case that goes before the Supreme Court later this month. The industry and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals say the EPA can only grant ethanol
April 20, 2021
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by Tom Doran (AgriNews) … The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers urged Regan, who was confirmed as EPA administrator on March 10, to “take swift action” on the Renewable Fuel Standard by extending compliance deadlines and “setting achievable targets” for the current and coming years. … In response to the
April 19, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association today responded to proposed changes by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to E15 fuel dispenser labeling requirements and underground storage tank regulations to accommodate the safe storage of E15 and other higher blends. “RFA is supportive of many of the changes proposed by EPA,
April 19, 2021
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by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has asked industry groups for their input on the future of the nation’s biofuel policy after it ends its current phase in 2022, four sources familiar with the matter said. The consultations will provide a new opportunity for the oil, corn and
April 16, 2021
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EPA Emission Standards Require Improvements in Fuel Quality Public Comment DEADLINE September 27, 2021
(Solutions from the Land) The EPA is proposing to revise the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for light-duty vehicles for 2023 and later model years to make the standards more stringent. As part of an executive order issued in January by President Biden, the EPA has been ordered to consider whether to suspend,