by Deepak Rajagopal, G. Hochman, and D. Zilberman (Science Direct) A common assumption in lifecycle assessment (LCA) based estimates of greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits (or costs) of renewable fuel such as biofuel is that it simply replaces an energy-equivalent amount of
by David Zilberman, Gal Hochman, and Deepak Rajagopal (AgBioForum) Concern about the possible effects of biofuels on deforestation have led to assigning biofuel producers with the responsibility for the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the indirect land-use changes (ILUC) associated
by Stephen Lacey (Renewable Energy World) No one knows. And that's what scares some people. ...Tom Allnut, the senior vice president of R&D at the algae start-up Phycal, believes some of the concerns about engineered algae are valid. Given that algae are
(US Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting applications from states, tribes, regional governments, and communities that are interested in the development of renewable energy on current and formerly contaminated properties. The opportunity is offered
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) ...On March 24, the EPA sent a letter to leading stakeholders in the gasoline and ethanol industry to clarify what is legal and what isn’t legal at this time regarding the sale of E15 blends.
by Rick Barrett (Journal Sentinel) Briggs & Stratton Co. and other engine manufacturers want the government to ensure that current grades of gasoline will remain available when fuel with a higher ethanol content - which could damage engines - is
(Novozymes) The United States has a lot riding on the success of its biofuel industry – energy independence, job creation, and environmental stewardship. But really, how far is the country in achieving its goals? There is no definitive answer to
(American Soybean Association) The American Soybean Association (ASA), joined by other U.S. oilseed producer and industry organizations, has expressed serious concerns to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk about the requirements
(American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) With oil prices now in triple digits and gas prices averaging 75 cents higher than last year, some are calling for oil to be released from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a way to
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Tom Buis, CEO, Growth Energy: “Anyone who blames ethanol for pain at the pump simply hasn’t looked at the market, where ethanol is historically cheaper than gasoline. In fact, ethanol is the cheapest motor fuel
by Jean Chemnick (Greenwire/New York Times) ...The 2007 energy law requires EPA to consider land-use changes in other countries that result from fuel production when calculating a fuel's carbon footprint. But before he agreed to support the climate change bill
This remains here for historical purposes. See updated and expanded version: https://advancedbiofuelsusa.info/advanced-biofuels-usa-publishes-updated-whats-the-difference-between-biodiesel-and-renewable-green-diesel/ editor's note: We have observed confusion in conversations about biodiesel and renewable diesel. Just as many people ask for a "Kleenex" when they have a cold, many people say
by Rowley Tedlock (Kleinfelder) and Richard Holder (Jason Associates/Renewable Energy World) Detailed environmental evaluations consider alternatives and the effect of developing a cellulosic ethanol plant with a power generation component. The Abengoa Bioenergy Biorefinery of Kansas (ABBK) in Hugoton, Kansas,
by Dar Danielson (Radio Iowa) ...Monte Shaw with the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association wants a brand new protocol for labeling at the pump. “We’ve done a lot of research all over the country and labels are inherently viewed negatively. If
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA has scheduled an independent peer review meeting for March 14 to review a draft report it is preparing for Congress which will detail the current and potential future environmental impacts associated
by Ryan McBride (Xconomy Boston) ...Agrivida also gained attention in July when it showed that its engineered crops could greatly boost the efficiency of the process of extracting sugars from the crops for biofuel production. Michael Raab, the firm’s president and
by Galen Moore (Boston Business Journal) Stealthy cleantech startup Novogy Inc. of Cambridge, Mass. has raised $750,000 more from venture backers General Catalyst Partners, according to a regulatory filing posted yesterday - and made comments suggesting the company is working on cellulosic biofuels,
(Growth Energy) Today, as Congress returns to Washington, DC, we are sending lawmakers a timely message through a strategic ad campaign: “Say No to OPEC – Say Yes to America.” The ad campaign includes a display ad in Roll Call and
(Platts) The Environmental Protection Agency is studying a proposal by the US biodiesel industry to allow imports of Canadian canola-based biodiesel into the US. "The question is always of what feedstock the biodiesel is made of," Karl Simon, a representative of
by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) Part II: An Interview with Mike Lynch, Managing Director of NASCAR’s Green Initiative When we met with Mike Lynch last week at Daytona Speedway we spoke with him about some of the controversies, such
(ICIS) The US needs a uniform standard for the roll-out of higher ethanol blends, a government official said on Tuesday, citing rules in several states that cap ethanol blending at 10%. Some states limit blending at 10%, even though the Environmental Protection Agency
by Ayesha Rascoe (Reuters) ..."The fact is the industry has pretty much been built," USDA Chief Economist Joe Glauber told reporters on the sidelines of a Commodity Markets Council conference. "This isn't a question of just saying 'cut it off.'
by Jeffrey Ball (Wall Street Journal/MarketWatch) ...It takes grit to be a greaser: Stalwarts must recruit restaurants as back-alley sources, filter the smelly liquid in the garage or backyard, and modify a vehicle with a diesel engine to burn it.
by Lynn Yarris (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/Renewable Energy World) That is the promise of advanced biofuels and the focus to date has been on the technological challenges of producing high quality biofuels in a way that is both sustainable and
(Des Moines Register) The U.S. House has rebuffed key initiatives to expand the market for corn ethanol, a sign that the industry's once legendary political clout is weakening with the conservative gains in Congress. The Republican-controlled House voted 285-136 early
by Candace Krebs (AgJournal.com) Since Stratton Equity Co-op installed Colorado’s first “blender pump” offering a range of ethanol based fuels last April, interest has slowly been rising, right on track with national ethanol usage overall. “We’ve had a gradual increase in
(National Biodiesel Board/PRNewsWire) The National Biodiesel Conference & Expo wraps up today leaving attendees with many reasons why the future is bright for biodiesel. 2011 promises to set a record pace for biodiesel. Here's why: Record biodiesel sales. Petroleum companies
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...RINs- those pesky Renewable Information Numbers that have so many digits they give 140-character tweets on Twitter a run for their money. The bar code of biofuels – the thing that virtually no one understands,
(Algal Biomass Organization) We support the EPA's effort to quantify the potential for algal biomass to serve as a long term, viable option for low carbon fuel and the potential environmental impacts of algae-to-fuel technologies. The authors of the study focused
by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby (Farm News) ..."I'm very excited that we're going to be racing on ethanol in the Cup Series, the truck series and the Nationwide series," said NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace, who was in Des Moines on Tuesday
by Darren Goode (Politico) With Republicans controlling the House and ramping up oversight and investigations of the Obama administration, focus at least initially in the next Congress will be on the Senate to lay a potential pathway for legislative compromise
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) In compliance with Section 204 of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to report to Congress every three years on the environmental and resource conservation
by Kathie Obradovich (Des Moines Register) Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is mulling a 2012 run for president, called on President Obama to use his State of the Union speech tonight to make the American energy production a “major
by Ben Geman (The Hill/E2Wire) The ethanol industry is quickly attacking a draft EPA study that details a slew of ecological harms that could accompany increased biofuels production. “EPA’s failure to provide this report in any context with the environmental degradation done
(US Environmental Protection Agency) The "Biofuels and the Environment: The First Triennial Report to Congress (External Review Draft)" (EPA/600/R-10/183A) report, prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within EPA’s Office of Research and Development, is the first report
(US Environmental Protection Agency) In response to a request by Growth Energy under section 211(f)(4) of the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has partially granted a waiver to allow fuel and fuel additive manufacturers to introduce into
(Clean Fuels Foundation) The Ethanol Across America education campaign released the latest in its series of Issue Briefs today on the Economic Impacts of Ethanol Production that illustrates the significant benefits of ethanol production to the U.S. economy. The Brief
by Ucilia Wang (Earth2Tech/Reuters) The bad news about the layoffs at cellulosic biofuel maker Range Fuels just got worse. The financially-strapped company plans to shut down its plant in Georgia after making just one batch of ethanol, according to a
by Juliet Eilperin (Washington Post) In another sign that the Environmental Protection Agency is moderating its climate policy, it announced Wednesday it would exempt the biomass industry from limits on greenhouse gas emissions for three years. More than two dozen lawmakers had urged EPA
by Todd Neeley (The Progressive Farmer) ...(P)ressure from rising corn prices at the start of 2011 is expected to test ethanol producers' ability to manage risk. ...Rabobank said ethanol would remain profitable with corn prices above $7 a bushel.
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The American Farm Bureau Federation is supporting a new direction in biofuels policy away from the blenders tax credit and toward increasing infrastructure. “The whole discussion has been evolving within the industry and within the Congress,” said AFBF President
(National Biodiesel Board) Automakers Back Biodiesel, America’s First Commercially Available ‘Advanced Biofuel’ The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit has long been known as THE event of the year for the latest vehicle technologies and innovations, setting the pace
(Renewable Fuels Association) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed label for E15 (15% ethanol/85% gasoline) “will do little, if anything, to promote the successful introduction of a new fuel to the marketplace” the Renewable Fuels Association wrote in comments
(Growth Energy) In formal comments submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday, Growth Energy proposed a new label for E15 (a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline) that will more accurately provide consumers with the
by Christopher Klug (Tiny Green Bubble) ...According to the Renewable Fuels Association data, the United States produced and used approximately 10.6 billion gallons of ethanol in 2009, making the US the largest producer of ethanol in the world. (Renewable Fuels
by Christopher Klug (Tiny Green Bubble) In the United States, domestic ethanol production and motor fuel additives are becoming more and more common. However, a bevy of misinformation campaigns surround the use of resources for these clean energy initiatives. These
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) ...In December 2010, Forisk Consulting released a study titled, “Economic and Regional Impact Analysis of the Treatment of Biomass Energy Under the EPA Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule.” According to NAFO, the study found that the U.S.
by Robin Bravender & Darren Samuelsohn (Politico) ...Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Monday said that the future of transportation fuels shouldn't involve ethanol, the gasoline additive that historically has received billions of dollars in federal subsidies. "Ethanol is not an ideal transportation
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In July, the EPA indicating in a draft ruling that it would specify a range of 6-25 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol, and finalized its mandated volumes at 6.6 million gallons, way, way down from
(US Environmental Protection Agency) Under the Clean Air Act Section 211(o), as amended by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to set renewable fuel standards each November for the following year
(Platts) Eight Brazilian ethanol producers have registered as advanced renewable fuel producers with the US Environmental Protection Agency, easing controls on their exports to the world's largest fuels market, Unica, Brazil's main sugarcane group said Friday. The companies registered are Cargill,
by O.Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa) Two top officials in the Environmental Protection Agency who've never visited an American farm were in Iowa today, at Senator Chuck Grassley's invitation. They toured Grant Kimberly's farm near Maxwell. ... Senator Grassley says he wants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (''EPA'') announces the availability of documents pertaining to the expert peer review record completed on the Renewable Fuel Standard Program (RFS2) Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Analysis. On May 5, 2009, EPA announced proposed revisions to
In a letter to the US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, the Renewable Fuels Association explains that stakeholders are unable to replicate or verify the analysis used by EPA in its international indirect land use change model. The best and most common way for
In a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Governors from Indiana, South Dakota, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin urged increasing the percent of ethanol that can be blended with gasoline from 10% to 15% as
by Senator John Thune (R-SD) (Politico) As Congress, the administration and the private sector look for ways to reduce our consumption of imported oil, we should not overlook the most readily available domestic alternative to imported oil: biofuels. The development
EPA is granting California’s waiver request enabling the state to enforce its greenhouse gas emissions standards for new motor vehicles, beginning with the current model year. ... The first California waiver request was made in December 2005 and was subsequently
by Doug Dollemore, American Chemical Society Fast and green. That's what it takes to get to the winner's circle in a new type of auto racing. Called green racing, it's a meshing of the fast and furious world of auto racing
In Washington, National Biodiesel Board public affairs heard Manning Feraci said that the EISA Act required the EPA to conduct a lifecycle analysis of biofuels as part of the Renewable Fuel Standard’s implementation, but said that “This does not require
Large uncertainties in calculating international land use change effects and associated greenhouse gas emissions remain in the Environmental Protection Agency's life cycle assessment of biofuels for the Renewable Fuel Standard. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today asked EPA to maintain
by Dan Looker. Talking to reporters, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) said he doubts that the final rule from the Environmental Protection Agency on a new renewable fuel standard will have the same use of indirect land use that
Being a standard-bearer requires heroic endeavors, and perhaps inevitably, epic miscalculations as well. This is the situation of the California Air Resources Board (ARB) in its recent announcement of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard for alternative fuels .” For so long the
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing revisions to the National Renewable Fuel Standard program (commonly known as the RFS program). Today’s proposed rule intends to address changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard program as required by the Energy Independence
Thoughts from Joanne Ivancic, Executive Director, Advanced Biofuels USA. There has been a lot of controversy about “indirect land use change” analysis related to figuring out how much greenhouse gas emissions result from the production of biofuels. Looking closely at
The 500+ page proposed renewable fuels greenhouse gas lifecycle rule released by EPA on May 5th and published in the Federal Register on May 26, 2009 (74 Fed. Reg. 24904) has been met with a hail storm of criticism from
EPA is extending the comment period related to a waiver application to increase the allowable ethanol content of gasoline to 15 volume percent. Under the Federal Register Notice, published April 21, 2009, the public comment period was set to end
I applaud your findings that CO2 is one of the 6 key contributors to air pollution and endangers public health and safety. I am also glad that the US Supreme Court ruled, in effect, that EPA now has the authority
On May 5, President Obama announced steps to further his Administration’s commitment to advance biofuels research and commercialization. Specifically, he signed a Presidential Directive establishing a Biofuels Interagency Working Group, announced additional Recovery Act funds for renewable fuel projects, and
Robert Kozak, Atlantic Biomass Conversions, Inc. and Advanced Biofuels USA board member: While the technical information submitted by EPA in support of this NPRM is probably adequate (using the quality of previously EPA submitted technical information on ozone standard setting as
There is a critically important need for our country to address global climate change and to reduce oil consumption. In this context, EPA and DOT currently intend to work in coordination to propose standards for control of emissions of greenhouse
President Obama today – for the first time in history – set in motion a new national policy aimed at both increasing fuel economy and reducing greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks sold in the United States.
... It appears that the EPA, in determining the ghg profile for biodiesel, is penalizing the U.S. biodiesel industry for land use decisions made outside the U.S. that have little if anything to do with the domestic biodiesel production. A
"I'm off the train," Collin Peterson, US House Agriculture Committee chair said May 6 during a strongly worded statement at a hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency's new proposal for assessing indirect effects of ethanol production on greenhouse gas emissions. ...Peterson said,
The EPA published proposed revised statutory requirements which establish new specific volume standards for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel that must be used in transportation fuel each year. The revised statutory requirements also include new
After a thorough scientific review ordered in 2007 by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposed finding Friday, April 17, 2009, that greenhouse gases contribute to air pollution that may endanger public health or welfare. EPA’s proposed
The Environmental Protection Agency, under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, is responsible for revising and implementing regulations to ensure that gasoline sold in the United States contains a minimum volume of renewable fuel. The Renewable Fuel Standard
This plan, published in October 2008, was designed by the Biomass Research and Development Board to help industry achieve aggressive national goals enumerated in the "Twenty in Ten" initiative, the Renewable Fuel Standard of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of
The California Air Resources Board in December 2005 requested a waiver of pre-emption for its greenhouse gas regulations for certain new motor vehicles beginning with Model Year 2009. On March 6, 2008, EPA published a Federal Register Notice Denying a
by Angela Neville (Power Mag) ... In April, the Texas governor jumped into the middle of this debate. Responding to what some observers thought was strong pressure from TSCRA, Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) submitted a formal request to the Environmental
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