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(U.S. House Committee on Transportation) Today, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) announced the Full Committee will hold a hearing titled, “Examining How Federal Infrastructure Policy Could Help Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change.” The hearing will examine the role the transportation sector plays in
Transportation
February 21, 2019
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by Ryan Beene (Bloomberg) Trump administration seeking to roll back Obama-era standards; Cars are a flashpoint in tension between Trump, California — Talks between California and federal officials on vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards have broken down without a deal, three people familiar with the matter said. The Environmental Protection Agency and
February 20, 2019
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by Doug Sombke (South Dakota Farmers Union and Farmers Union Enterprise/Biofuels Digest) … The reality is that the RFS is going backwards, we have effectively capped the use of corn ethanol in the United States, and the EPA continues to play lip service to the President they work for and the public
February 13, 2019
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by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) For the National Association of Convenience Stores, selling E15 is a matter of giving consumers plenty of fuel options. “We like the optionality of being able to have lots legal choices and really sell what the consumer wants to buy,” said Paige Anderson, NACS’s director
February 7, 2019
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, earlier this week the National Transportation Safety Board announced its 2019–2020 Most Wanted List of transportation safety improvements. The Most Wanted List (MWL) was developed from safety recommendations that we’ve issued but that haven’t been acted on acceptably. The NTSB’s investigations have shown that moving
February 7, 2019
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(Office of Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA 6th)) Today (February 5, 2019), Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) led 19 of her House Energy & Commerce Committee colleagues in introducing the Clean and Efficient Cars Act of 2019, which would preserve fuel economy and vehicle emissions standards that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save
February 6, 2019
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by Andy Foster (Capital Press/Aemetis Inc.) … With the election behind us and new leadership in the House, it’s time to take another look at the IPCC warnings and examine bipartisan solutions that Congress can work toward — immediately. High on the list are biofuels, which offer low-cost energy without
February 6, 2019
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by Ryan Beene, Jennifer A Dlouhy, and David R Baker (Bloomberg) Wheeler, Nichols signal little progress on auto MPG agreement; State shouldn’t have authority on C02 emissions, Wheeler says — U.S. and California officials agreed Monday on one thing about auto emissions standards: they’re still miles from an agreement, with a crucial deadline
February 5, 2019
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by Gino Grandoni (Washington Post) … Nominally, the hearing was convened to consider the nomination of former coal lobbyist and ex-Senate aide Andrew Wheeler to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. … In the past six months alone the EPA under Wheeler has proposed relaxing emission limits on power plants and freezing them for
January 18, 2019
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by Steven Higashide (TransitCenter/The Hill) … Missing from these efforts, however, is a whole-hearted stab at cleaning up transportation, the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. To do that requires efforts to reduce driving, which would mean reversing the current course of federal policy. … Bigger roads haven’t solved congestion; they’ve just allowed
January 16, 2019
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) Executives at the major U.S. automakers are pressing the Trump administration and California to agree on standards for fuel efficiency and carbon emissions through 2025, as risks increase that a deadline for setting national standards will pass without a deal. Automakers are already entering the time frame when
January 16, 2019
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(Bergeson & Campbell) On January 10, 2019, Representative Roger Williams (R-TX) introduced a bill (H.R. 431) that would repeal the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. CAFE standards are set by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) and EPA. President Trump last year proposed to freeze CAFE standards at
January 16, 2019
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by Hiroko Tabuchi (New York Times) When the Trump administration laid out a plan this year that would eventually allow cars to emit more pollution, automakers, the obvious winners from the proposal, balked. The changes, they said, went too far even for them. But it turns out that there was a hidden
December 14, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A wide array of federal incentives supports the development and deployment of alternatives to conventional fuels and engines in transportation. These incentives include tax deductions and credits for vehicle purchases and the installation of refueling systems, federal grants for conversion of older vehicles to newer technologies,
December 5, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) THROTTLED: An administration official told Pro’s Zack Colman that EPA and NHTSA would reduce its projection for saved lives in its forthcoming finalized fuel economy rule. The reason: The agencies are revising estimates for how quickly motorists would ditch their cars and how many
December 4, 2018
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) California clean air regulators will hold talks next Tuesday with their federal counterparts and the White House over Trump administration efforts to stop Sacramento from adopting tighter vehicle emissions rules than Washington, a spokesman for the state confirmed on Thursday. The video conference meeting will be the
November 9, 2018
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by Robinson Meyer (The Atlantic) The administration’s clean-cars rollback is riddled with errors. In one case, it forgot to divide by four. In another, it accidentally deleted 700 billion miles of driving. … The mistakes range in scope from the comical to the bizarre, from the obviously accidental to the
November 6, 2018
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by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) … Automotive manufacturers are expressing interest in raising the minimum octane level of the U.S. gasoline pool as a low-cost compliance option for increasing fuel efficiency. Until now, all MPG gains in the passenger vehicle fleet have been accomplished through engine and vehicle
November 2, 2018
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by Dino Grandoni (Washington Post) California is coming out swinging in its official response to one of the Trump administration’s most consequential attempts at rolling back regulations to date — to freeze fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks through 2026. In a 400-page comment on the proposed rule that will be filed
November 1, 2018
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(Renewable Fuels Association) Ethanol-based high-octane, low-carbon (HOLC) fuel blends would enable cost-effective gains in fuel economy and significant carbon dioxide reductions, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) outlined in comments submitted Friday to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). “The agencies should support this transition by developing
October 31, 2018
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by Chris Bliley (Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … Automakers are responding by making smaller, higher-compression engines that demand higher octane. Improved engines are the first step toward achieving mid-level ethanol blends such as E25 and E30. … E30 would improve fuel economy standards, reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and other harmful
October 24, 2018
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(Office of Senator Dianne Feinstein) Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today was joined by 22 senators in calling on the Trump administration to end its challenge of California’s authority to set vehicle emission standards. The senators represent states that follow California’s standards. “The changes you have proposed to this carefully negotiated program are
October 24, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao was also at the White House Tuesday, where she suggested that Democrats in the House want to link a carbon tax to an infrastructure bill being developed, Pro Transportation’s Sam Mintz reports . When it comes to infrastructure, “there are
October 24, 2018
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by Doug Durante and Doug Sombke (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/South Dakota Farmers Union/Biofuels Digest) … However, we may have a unique and perhaps unprecedented opportunity for a do-over with the proposed fuel economy rule. While we take no position on exactly what the mileage standards should be, whatever they are we can
October 11, 2018
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by Betsy Lillian (NGT Journal) A number of fleets across the country have received grants for alternative fueling as part of a funding round from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The FTA is awarding $366.2 million in grants to improve the safety and reliability of America’s bus systems and enhance
October 6, 2018
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by Darius Dixon (Politico’s Morning Energy) The California Air Resources Board on Friday approved a rule warning automakers that they will have to meet the current greenhouse gas emissions standards in California and its allied states, even after the Trump administration rolls back the federal rules. The so-called “deemed to
October 1, 2018
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by Eric C. Evarts (Green Car Reports) Just as the Trump administration moves to roll back fuel economy standards, a new survey shows that Americans are dissatisfied with the fuel economy their cars already get. The American Customer Satisfaction Index survey for cars was released Tuesday, and among the 10 attributes the
September 5, 2018
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by Maxine Joselow and Benjamin Storrow (E&E News) … First came the rollback of clean car rules, an aggressive effort to unravel former President Obama’s program to reduce tailpipe pollution. Then came the Clean Power Plan replacement, another muscular move that dismantles Obama’s signature initiative for curbing emissions from the power sector.
August 24, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy)EPA will no longer hold public hearings in Washington, D.C., Detroit and Los Angeles on the administration’s proposed freeze of Obama-era fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks, Bloomberg Environment reports. Instead the EPA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will hold two public
August 23, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Poltico’s Morning Energy) Does the world have enough oil to go around if 2.5 million barrels of Iranian petroleum is put behind a wall of U.S. sanctions? That’s the questions oil traders are trying to answer after the Trump administration said it would be resuming sanctions on
August 7, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) The Trump administration’s proposed freeze of vehicle fuel efficiency standards sought by the Obama administration and plan to end California’s power to enforce its own rules has placed the spotlight squarely on the state, where its political leaders are vowing an all-out fight . California
August 3, 2018
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(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today welcomed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) request for public comments on how high octane fuels could facilitate engine efficiency improvements and reduced emissions under 2021-2026 fuel economy and tailpipe GHG standards for light-duty automobiles (CAFE/GHG). The solicitation for comments on high
August 2, 2018
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(Environmental Protection Agency) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) propose to amend certain existing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and greenhouse gas emissions standards for passenger cars and light trucks and establish new standards, covering model years 2021 through 2026. Public Comments: The EPA docket
August 2, 2018
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by John Siciliano (Washington Examiner) Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler confirmed to senators Wednesday that the Trump administration this week will release a proposal to weaken Obama-era fuel efficiency standards. Wheeler, in his first testimony before Congress since replacing Scott Pruitt, said he hopes to come up with a “50-state
August 1, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) Fuel economy rules from EPA and the Department of Transportation that were widely expected this week will be delayed, as the feds are adding analysis to give them better odds of surviving an inevitable court challenge, sources familiar with the discussions told ME. The
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy)Mark your calendars, readers. An EPA official told E&E News that the Trump administration will propose its plans for weakening Obama-era clean car standards next week. The plan will provide several options for public comment, but will stop short of revoking states’ ability to set
July 20, 2018
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) California is ready to work with major automakers on revisions to greenhouse gas emission vehicle rules through 2025 and sees a “window” for a deal in the coming months, the state’s top clean air regulator told Reuters on Monday. Air Resources Board chair Mary Nichols said in
July 10, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bottom line, if you’re in the business of financing a renewable fuels project with a loan guarantee in the mix, you’re probably talking with some combination of New Energy Risk, Stern Brothers, Faegre Baker Daniels partner John Kirkwood or Kilpatrick Townsend partner Mark Riedy. They’ve been part
July 9, 2018
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) White House officials will have a new round of meetings with an automakers trade group and California’s “clean air” agency next week before unveiling a proposal to reverse rules aimed at increasing fuel efficiency, participants said on Thursday. The rules, negotiated with automakers by President Barack Obama’s
June 15, 2018
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by Abby Smith (Bloomberg) Lawsuits seek to force consideration of prior data in fuel economy proposal; Automakers expect fuller analysis, data to back up agencies’ proposed options — Lawsuits over the EPA’s April fuel economy determination are more than just a preemptive strike, challengers say: They’re an effort to force the agency to
May 24, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) While the numbers are still making their way through the regulatory process, sources tell Pro’s Eric Wolff, refiners can expect to blend 500 million more gallons of advanced biofuels next year into the nation’s fuel supply than they do currently. Under the proposed rule
May 23, 2018
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by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The Trump Administration is taking a new look at Obama Administration era Co2 regulations. On the transportation side, these include reviewing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards; threatening to take away California’s authority to set their own mileage and pollution controls, including CO2 (carbon dioxide)
by David Shepardson (Reuters) The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to submit a series of options for softening fuel efficiency standards to the White House for approval in the coming week, two officials briefed on the matter Tuesday said. The U.S. Transportation Department has drafted a proposal likely to be
May 16, 2018
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by Camille von Kaenel (E&E News) … The Trump administration’s efforts to weaken vehicle pollution requirements could set up a split U.S. market, concentrating fuel-efficient cars in mostly Democratic states and gas guzzlers in the red states. President Trump’s plans could drastically skew how much consumers pay for the same cars,
May 4, 2018
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) The White House is planning a meeting next week between President Donald Trump and senior leaders of major U.S. and foreign automakers to discuss planned fuel efficiency rule changes through 2026, automakers and administration officials said on Wednesday. The meeting, expected on May 11 with chief executives
May 3, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) The Trump administration plans to argue that California does not have the authority to enforce stringent greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars, despite the Obama administration’s 2009 waiver, according to a source familiar with a forthcoming proposed regulation. The draft, which is a National Highway Traffic
April 30, 2018
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by Evan Halper (Los Angeles Times) The Trump administration is embracing a curious — and some would say dated — argument as it builds its case to weaken federal rules championed by California that require cars and SUVs to average 55 miles per gallon by 2025. It is warning that
April 20, 2018
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by Emily Druckman (Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today encouraged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to strongly consider the role of high-octane fuels and higher compression ratio engines as the agencies embark on a new rulemaking to establish revised fuel
April 2, 2018
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by Eric Kulisch (Auto News) Move applauded by auto industry, denounced by other businesses — EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on Monday announced that aggressive light-vehicle fuel efficiency and emissions limits set under the Obama administration for model years 2022-25 are “not appropriate,” triggering a controversial new rulemaking process to adjust the standards and
April 2, 2018
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by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) At a recent American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers meeting, General Motors executive Dan Nicholson voiced the automaker’s support in raising the minimum octane rating of the U.S. gasoline pool from 87 to 91, or what is currently marketed as premium. Not only would
March 30, 2018
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(U.S. Department of Transportation) NHTSA is publishing in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking titled, “Civil Penalties,” which proposes to keep the penalty rate for violations of the agency’s CAFE program as they currently stand and not adjust them for inflation. This proposed rule follows NHTSA’s July 7, 2017, request for
March 30, 2018
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by Graham Noyes and Doug Durante (Low Carbon Fuels Coalition/Clean Fuels Development Coalition/Biofuels Digest) … While not as entertaining to watch as a Godzilla film with a three-headed flying monster, the current regulatory struggle over national auto standards between the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
March 14, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) Groups representing auto parts makers and pollution control manufacturers will team up today for a new “informal alliance” to push for EPA and the Transportation Department to decide sooner rather than later about vehicle emissions standards through the 2020s. Chris Miller, executive director of the Advanced
March 2, 2018
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by Abby Smith (Bloomberg Environment) Automakers seek consistency in EPA, NHTSA programs as agencies weigh standards’ future; Environmentalists say push is meant to soften vehicle limits — Automakers may already get what they want this spring as the Trump administration eyes lower fuel economy targets—but the industry is also seeking smaller, technical
by Mark Chediak, Dana Hull and John Lippert (Bloomberg) Official sees ‘war’ if state’s rule-setting rights revoked; Air Resources Board planning zero-emissions bus proposal — … The state has special authority under the 1970 Clean Air Act to make its own pollution and greenhouse-gas rules. Allies of President Donald Trump have said
February 5, 2018
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) California and the Trump administration will hold a series of new talks over fuel efficiency rules as the auto industry still hopes for a deal to retain nationwide requirements. Officials from the California Air Resources Board are set to meet in Washington this month for another round
January 17, 2018
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) Senior U.S. government officials held talks in recent weeks with California’s Air Resources Board (CARB) to discuss the goal of maintaining one set of national requirements for automakers, a move that will determine the fate of vehicle emissions rules. … Automakers want the White House and California
January 12, 2018
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(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) To cut petroleum usage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, fuel efficiency standards are set to rise significantly by 2025 under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and greenhouse gas (GHG) standards—jointly administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and EPA. However, the automotive marketplace
December 15, 2017
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by Jessie Stolark (Enviromental and Energy Study Institute) On December 12, the House Energy & Commerce Committee held a hearing, “Update on the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Program (CAFE) and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Motor Vehicles.” At the heart of the debate is whether or not U.S. automakers can meet
December 15, 2017
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) The Renewable Fuels Association has received a $50,000 federal grant to help continue the its ethanol safety training program efforts. The Assistance for Local Emergency Response Training (ALERT) grant, from the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, was awarded to the International Association of
October 18, 2017
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by David Friedman (The Hill/Consumers Union) What if our government rolled back a program that saved consumers over $45 billion on fuel since 2010? What if they did this despite the fact that the industry involved enjoyed record sales and profits at the same time? That wouldn’t make sense, would it?
October 17, 2017
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by Keith Laing (Detroit News) U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, has introduced legislation that would allow automakers to apply credits for gas mileage improvements from model years as far back as 2009 to help comply with emission rules that require them to produce car and truck fleets that average more
October 13, 2017
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy and American Coalition for Ethanol have all submitted public comments to U.S. EPA and National Highway Transportation Safety Administration stressing the benefits of high-octane ethanol fuels in response to the EPA and NHTSA’s reconsideration of the Final Determination of
by Anthony Adragna (Politico’s Morning Energy) Reversing course, DOT told a federal judge in New York in a letter it will publish a regulation requiring states to track emissions from highways and craft reduction goals, Pro’s Alex Guillén reports. Once published, the regulation takes effect immediately. Environmental groups and Democratic attorneys general had sued Federal
September 26, 2017
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by James Ayre (Clean Technica) The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration has announced a new $55 million grant program that will see funding provided to various regional transit organizations for the purchase of low- and no-emissions buses and associated infrastructure. This program — dubbed the “Low or No Emission
September 20, 2017
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Are High Ethanol Blends Going to Be Essential, and Mandatory, for Super High Fuel-Efficient Engines?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Now, war is surely about to break out over E25-E30 blending, now that RFA CEO Bob Dinneen testified in DC in his courtly but adamant manner that a high-octane, low-carbon ethanol blend in optimized engines would be the lowest cost means of achieving compliance with fuel
September 14, 2017
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(Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Growth Energy recently filed comments with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as it prepares an environmental impact statement (EIS) to analyze the potential environmental impacts of new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for model year (MY) 2022-2025 light-duty vehicles. The comments consist largely of study and
August 30, 2017
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by Timothy Cama (The Hill) The Trump administration is delaying enforcement of an Obama administration regulation that would have required state and local officials to measure greenhouse gas emissions related to the use of specific highways. The greenhouse gas reporting requirement was part of a regulation establishing new performance measurement
May 19, 2017
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by Patrick C. Miller (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Is the growth in shale oil production a potential boost for ethanol? The theory goes that because the light crude produced from fracked shale produces lower-octane gasoline, greater oil production from shale will translate into an increased demand for ethanol as an octane booster.
April 24, 2017
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by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters) … But the incident in Iowa underscores the growing risk of another serious accident along with the increasing volume of the biofuel being moved in unit trains that are mile-long with about 100 rail cars – dubbed “rolling pipelines” – to slash freight
March 27, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Good-bye ARPA-E, DOE, Loan Guarantee program, Energy Star, OPIC, USTDA, NEA, and the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program. Even Big Bird gets the guillotine. In Washington, the White House released its budget requests for 2018, a high-level, 62-page overview of President Trump’s strategy for “Making
March 20, 2017
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by Simon Mui (National Resources Defense Council) The California Air Resources Board (ARB) released a soup-to-nuts review of its Advanced Clean Car (ACC) program today. The 658-page report confirms that the popular program, which establishes smog-forming and carbon pollution limits for new cars and trucks, can be met on time, with
January 20, 2017
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) A congressional panel will hold a hearing on Sept. 22 to look at the fate of U.S. fuel efficiency rules through 2025 amid growing concerns from automakers. An auto trade group representing General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co, Toyota Motor Corp, Daimler AG and Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE)
September 19, 2016
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by Tom Ewing (Renewable Energy World) … Section 1413 requires the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to designate, within one year, alternative fuel corridors. These will be publicized segments within the national highway system that include fueling infrastructure — at sufficient locations — for electric passenger and commercial vehicles as well as fueling
September 11, 2016
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by Rebecca Chillrud (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On July 18, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) released their Draft Technical Assessment Report (TAR), providing a midterm evaluation of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for passenger
September 9, 2016
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(The Trucker News Services) NATSO, the national association representing travel plazas and truck stops, has called on the Department of Transportation to work with private, exit-based businesses within the confines of the existing law that prohibits the sale of fuel and other commercial services at rest areas as it seeks
August 31, 2016
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) U.S. regulators late on Monday denied a request by major automakers to extend the comment period on a key environmental analysis to determine whether government fuel efficiency requirements are feasible through 2025. … Automakers had asked to extend the deadline for commenting until at least late
August 23, 2016
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by Zia Haq (U.S. Department of Energy) Renewable biofuel alternatives can help replace conventional petroleum-based jet fuel. — New White House reportoutlines the federal government’s plans to lower the cost of alternative jet fuels. — Bioenergy Technologies Office supports R&D of new technologies and processes that lower the cost of next-generation
August 22, 2016
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(Environmental Protection Agency) Standards address second-largest segment of U.S. transportation in terms of emissions and energy use — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration jointly finalized standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that would improve fuel efficiency and cut carbon pollution
August 16, 2016
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(The Pew Charitable Trusts) … Federal agencies are evaluating the standards that apply to model year (MY) 2022-25 passenger vehicles and will determine whether the auto industry is capable of meeting these long-term criteria. It is imperative that these agencies don’t roll back progress. The EPA and NHTSA need to hear
August 4, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, a new White House report, titled “Federal Alternative Jet Fuel Research and Development Strategy,” sets out prioritized federal research and development goals and objectives to address key scientific and technical challenges that inhibit the development, production, and use of economically viable alternative jet
August 1, 2016
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by Alex Guillén (Politico Pro) U.S. vehicle efficiency rules won’t deliver the carbon reductions or fuel savings President Barack Obama promised in his first term because cheap gasoline has set off a buying spree of gas-guzzling trucks and sport-utility vehicles, according to new government figures released Monday. The National Highway
July 18, 2016
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(U.S. Department of Transportation) The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the California Air Resource Board (CARB) today took the first step in the mid-term evaluation of the National Program for greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy standards for light duty cars and trucks
by Alex Guillén (Politico Pro) Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is optimistic that auto manufacturers can meet the Obama administration’s goal of lifting the nation’s fuel economy standard to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. “I don’t think we should deviate” from the 54.5 mpg target, LaHood said at a
June 30, 2016
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by Alex Guillén (Politico Pro) Lawmakers must raise the gas tax and index it to inflation, or “America’s going to continue to be one big pothole,” former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said today, using one of his longtime favorite zingers about the state of U.S. infrastructure. READ MORE (subscription needed)
June 30, 2016
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by Corinne Young and Michele Jalbert (re:chem/Biofuels Digest) A Billion Ton Bioeconomy. For those of us who have worked in this space for the last decade, the US government’s aspiration to grow the sector to such size and scope is music to our ears. At the Renewable Chemical & Advanced Materials
June 20, 2016
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by Joanna Schroeder (Energy.AgWired.com) Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Tom Daschle, is leading an effort to ensure that high octane, low carbon fuels are part of EPA’s midterm evaluation of the progress of federal fuel economy standards. Daschle was the author of the reformulated and oxygenated fuel provisions of the
June 16, 2016
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by Brittany Hook (University of California San Diego) Harnessing the University of California’s leadership in sustainability and pledge to become carbon neutral by 2025, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Associate Director Bruce Appelgate had a bright idea: What if Scripps Oceanography at UC San Diego began using 100 percent renewable diesel fuel, or
June 14, 2016
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by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Innovation Organization/Biofuels Digest) … The practical and legal constraints on the RFS are mostly of EPA’s own making. As EPA admitted in the final 2014-2016 rule, it set the volume obligations for those years according to “what would have happened in the marketplace absent a rulemaking.”[1]
May 23, 2016
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by Camille von Kaenel (ClimateWire/Scientific American) Pickups trucks and SUVs are not keeping pace, however — A growing number of vehicles are meeting or surpassing federal fuel economy standards, though improvements to cars outpace those to trucks, according to a new analysis by the Consumer Federation of America. The progress means
May 3, 2016
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by Michael Grunwald (Politico) The administration floats a rule governing transportation projects. — Administration officials told POLITICO they are about to propose rules that could force recipients of federal transportation dollars to track transportation-related emissions and set goals for cutting them. There are no plans for federal targets or penalties,
April 25, 2016
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by Dave VanderGriend (Ethanol Producer Magazine/ICM/Urban Air Initiative) We have a tremendous opportunity to make the case in the Midterm Review in what EPA says will be a “data driven and transparent process.” We can show how carbon reductions are indeed possible using ethanol. The industry has a tremendous opportunity in
April 7, 2016
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(US Department of Transportation) Online Resource Offers Responders a Flexible Approach to Pre-Incident Planning for Rail Incidents — The US Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today announced the launch of the web-accessible Transportation Rail Incident Preparedness and Response (TRIPR) training resource, which provides emergency responders with
April 5, 2016
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by John O’Dell (Forbes/Trucks.com) With diesel fuel prices hovering at lows not seen in a decade, the smart money might bet against businesses developing products to replace the diesel engines and technology that keep the nation’s trucks on the road. But entrepreneurs developing new fuels, engines and other green technology insist
March 21, 2016
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Issue Brief: Obama FY2017 Budget Proposal: Sustainable Energy, Buildings, Transportation and Climate
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On February 9, 2016, President Obama released his $4.15 trillion fiscal year (FY) 2017 federal budget proposal, a 5 percent increase over 2016. In his final budget request, President Obama is seeking to increase funding for his top priorities—including clean energy and climate action. The
February 12, 2016
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by David Tracy (Jalopnik) Upset that Volkswagen deceived them into buying a not-so-clean diesel, Marcus Moench and Elisabeth Caspari are driving from Colorado to VW’s headquarters in Virginia to return their Jetta SportWagen TDI and drop off 20,000 petitions. … … You see, Moench and Caspari are activists who really care
January 18, 2016
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by Maegan Murray (WSU Tri-Cities/Washington State University) Researchers at Washington State University Tri-Cities have figured out a way to successfully convert a common wood byproduct into hydrocarbon molecules that could be used as jet fuel. Bin Yang, an associate professor of biological systems engineering, said the hydrocarbons from his new
December 4, 2015
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by Ashley Halsey III (The Washington Post) … The long-sought bill protects funding for transit from those who argued it should be cut loose from the highway bill, increases money for pedestrian and bicycle programs that also have come under attack, and it includes nearly $200 million to speed installation of a critical
December 2, 2015
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(The Washington Post) … But the process apparently isn’t open enough to allow for a vote on the most obvious transportation solution: raising the gasoline tax to pay for the country’s roads and rails. In the past, House leaders weren’t so spineless. They established the Highway Trust Fund in 1956,
November 5, 2015
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(U.S. Department of Transportation/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has announced grants totaling $5.9 million to provide hazardous materials training for volunteer or remote emergency responders. The Assistance for Local Emergency Response Training grants will go to three non-profit organizations which will
(US Department of Transportation) The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is announcing the availability of $22.5 million through the latest round of the Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment Program (LoNo) that will help deploy the next generation of energy-efficient vehicles nationwide. The funds are intended to
by Zia Haq (US Department of Energy) It’s been one year since we at the Energy Department ramped up our efforts to develop renewable jet fuel for the military and commercial aviation industry. The Department’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) joined Farm to Fly 2.0—a partnership with the U.S. Department of
August 27, 2015
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by Fran Flynn (Biofuels Digest/ Fleet Advantage) On the putting green, the golfer who putts last has the advantage of watching his predecessor ‘show him the line. … On June 19, 2015 the Secretary of the Department of Transportation, Anthony R. Foxx, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Gina
August 27, 2015
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(Diesel Technology Forum) Success depends on fuel-neutral approach, nationwide uniformity and harmonization … He (Tom Fulks, representing the Diesel Technology Forum, to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials during today’s hearing on the proposed truck regulations in Long Beach) added that while this proposed rule focuses on
August 18, 2015
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by Ashley Halsey III (The Washington Post) Almost two years after a runaway tank-car train erupted in an explosion that killed 47 people in a Canadian town, the U.S. Transportation Department on Friday announced new standards for tank-car construction, new brake-system requirements and speed limits for trains. … He said
May 4, 2015
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by Keith Laing (The Hill) A bipartisan group of House members has filed legislation to hike the federal gas tax and index it to inflation to pay for a new transportation bill. The measure would increase the gas tax, which has been 18.4 cents per gallon since 1993, to index
April 17, 2015
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Author, Dan Quadros, in Auburn, Alabama. by Danilo Gusmão de Quadros* (Advanced Biofuels USA) After two days (February 2-3, 2015) in “Sweet Home Alabama” at Auburn University, we got overwhelmed with the most recent discoveries of cutting-edge research that were presented there. But which novelties will be applicable to the
by Fawn Johnson (National Journal) Some lawmakers say there needs to be a rebate for low-income families. Others call it a “user fee.” Lawmakers may have finally run out of arcane accounting options to fund the nation’s highways and transit systems. Here’s a key clue: The talk in the
January 16, 2015
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by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A new report prepared by economic research firm The Brattle Group showed that the proposed Department of Transportation rule on rail tank cars could cost the economy as much as $60 billion and projected costs for the ethanol industry will increase by nearly $5.3
December 8, 2014
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(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On October 29, the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium, a U.S. Department of Transportation Center for Excellence, released a peer-reviewed study that examines the emissions profile of a bus fleet run on a biodiesel blend. Their study, Combustion Chemistry of Biodiesel for Use in Urban
November 4, 2014
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by Jerry Perkins (BioFuels Journal) … RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen outlined the issues facing the Washington, DC-based ethanol advocacy organization which has 172 members, including 50 producer members, 79 associate members, 31 supporting members, and 12 members of the allied Advanced Ethanol Council. The state of the ethanol industry is good, Dinneen
October 2, 2014
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by Curtis Tate (McClatchy News Service/Star Tribune) The industry disputes finding that ethanol is more volatile than crude. Ethanol producers are pushing back hard against new rail safety rules after a federal study found that ethanol poses hazards equal to or greater than crude oil in rail transportation. An analysis
October 2, 2014
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by Bob Tita (Wall Street Journal) Thousands of Tank Cars Are Likely to Be Scrapped or Redeployed Under Federal Safety Move … With production capacity for new tank cars about 35,000 cars a year, industry analysts say the railcar industry could have difficulty expanding production fast enough to accommodate the
August 13, 2014
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by Timothy Cama (The Hill) The Obama administration Friday formally published proposals in the Federal Register to strengthen safety rules for trains carrying crude oil and other fuels, kicking off a two-month period in which the public can comment. The proposals were prompted chiefly by the recent increase in oil shipped by rail from
August 4, 2014
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(U.S. Department of Transportation) Releases new data on Bakken crude oil to support increased safety measures The U.S. Department of Transportation today released the details of its comprehensive rulemaking proposal to improve the safe transportation of large quantities of flammable materials by rail – particularly crude oil and ethanol –
July 24, 2014
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On July 7, the National Grain and Feed Association announced it submitted an extensive proposal to the Surface Transportation Board, urging the STB to establish new rules and procedures that captive grain shippers could use to challenge rail freight rates they believe are unreasonable.
July 14, 2014
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(Growth Energy) In response to a recent order by the Surface Transportation Board (STB), which called on specific rail providers to resolve backlogs of rail cars for grain orders, but failed to address the substandard rail service for the delivery of ethanol, Tom Buis CEO of Growth Energy sent a
July 11, 2014
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by Christopher Doering (Des Moines Register) The ethanol industry Monday urged a federal regulator overseeing the nation’s railroads to provide relief for shippers of the renewable fuel who have faced delays. Growth Energy, which represents ethanol manufacturers, told the Surface Transportation Board that producers of the renewable fuel should be
July 9, 2014
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by Paul Waldman (The Washington Post) … The Congressional Budget Office says that starting next year, the fund won’t have enough money to meet its obligations, and keep in mind that means just the projects that are already in progress. New projects would be out of the question, and even the road maintenance
July 7, 2014
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by Tom Curry (Roll Call) Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx says he won’t immediately push Congress to enact a proposal offered by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other mayors for a federal fee to be imposed on shipments of hazardous materials passing through cities. “It’s something that needs to be explored,” but it won’t be
July 2, 2014
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by Cindy Zimmerman (domesticfuel.com) In the last couple of weeks there have been two derailments of trains carrying crude oil, one in Virginia on April 30 and one in Colorado on May 9. These incidents are just the latest in a string of accidents that began last summer when a
(Government Accountability Office) The federal government supports the development and use of alternative jet fuels through both broad and targeted initiatives. Broad national strategies promote the development of a variety of alternative fuels—including alternative jet fuel—to help achieve national goals, such as securing energy independence, fostering economic development, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In
May 22, 2014
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(Renewable Fuels Association) Today (April 23, 2014), Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), testified before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) forum on Rail Safety: Transportation of Crude Oil and Ethanol. In his testimony, Dinneen focuses on the safety record of ethanol shipments via the DOT-111A
April 24, 2014
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) On March 28, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the results of biofuel testing completed onboard the training ship State of Michigan. The tests compared operational, vibration and air emissions differences between regular ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD) and a 76/33 blend of ULSD and
April 4, 2014
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by Blake Sobczak and Amanda Peterka (E&E Publishers Energy Wire) Orlando, Fla., was home to a rare occurrence last week: The oil and ethanol industries, usually at each other’s throats, publicly agreed on something. Addressing an ethanol industry conference there, American Petroleum Institute Downstream Director Bob Greco and Renewable Fuels
February 28, 2014
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by Tim Devaney (The Hill Reg Watch) … The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced Wednesday it is considering a new rule that would require car manufacturers to indicate which vehicles can operate on alternative fuels and explain which alternative fuels they can use, such as ethanol, biodiesel, vegetable oil, hydrogen
February 20, 2014
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by Patrick Rucker (TD Waterhouse) Rail safety rules contemplated by U.S. regulators could require multibillion dollar upgrades to a tank car fleet that has helped spur domestic oil production and meet demands of a booming biofuel sector. More flammable liquids such as ethanol and, increasingly, crude oil are carried on
December 6, 2013
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by Ashley Halsey III (The Washington Post) With Congress facing a major shortfall in transportation funding next year, a House bill introduced Wednesday would raise the federal gasoline tax by 15 cents per gallon to close the gap. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) announced the proposal at a news conference, flanked by
December 5, 2013
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(US Senate Finance Committee) This document is the fourth in a series of papers compiling tax reform options that Finance Committee members may wish to consider as they work towards reforming our nation’s tax system. This compilation is a joint product of the majority and minority staffs of the Finance Committee
April 26, 2013
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by Douglas L. Faulkner with contributions from Jacques Beaudry-Losique (Biofuels Digest) …We believe it is time for bioenergy industry leaders to take the initiative and chalk up a new comprehensive game plan, reflecting the new reality of leaner federal funding. … Our first play? Refocus valuable resources on R&D and a
April 26, 2013
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(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The Environmental and Energy Studies Institute (EESI) and the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) held a briefing on the conclusions of the newly released EERE Transportation Energy Futures (TEF) study. The study identifies a combined set of strategies to
April 23, 2013
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …We say that biofuels are “capital-intensive,” mainly to be polite. It’s like saying that Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great or Attila the Hun had “land interests”. …Put it this way. How much capital would you need to build enough capacity to equal just 30 percent of
October 15, 2012
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by Brian Benson (Metro West Daily News) Service plazas along Interstate 90 in Westborough and Charlton now feature the first E85 Flex Fueling stations on the Massachusetts Turnpike, the state Department of Transportation announced…. Transportation Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey said in the release that the new pumps are part
September 7, 2012
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(Environmental Protection Agency/The White House) The Obama Administration today finalized groundbreaking standards that will increase fuel economy to the equivalent of 54.5 mpg for cars and light-duty trucks by Model Year 2025. When combined with previous standards set by this Administration, this move will nearly double the fuel efficiency of
August 28, 2012
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(ACORE) Leaders from across the country in the transportation and renewable energy sectors convened at an American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) forum on Tuesday in Washington to chart a course for expanding the use of renewable energy in the transportation sector. “Because nearly 70% of all oil used in
July 23, 2012
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(Algae Industry Magazine) The Maritime Administration (MARAD) of the U.S. Department of Transportation has released its analysis of a test conducted with algae-based biofuel on one of its large commercial-size vessels. This research used marine engines aboard the Great Lakes Maritime Academy training ship, the TS State of Michigan, to measure
June 7, 2012
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(U.S. Federal Register) The United States Department of Navy (DoN) in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration (DOT FAA), is hosting an industry roundtable with the full complement of participants in the biofuels supply
April 20, 2012
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(GreenAirOnline) A bill introduced into the US upper house by Republican Senator John Thune that would prohibit US aircraft operators from participating in the EU ETS has received backing from Senator Claire McCaskill, a Democrat. As the Democrats hold the balance of power in the Senate this bipartisan approach
March 9, 2012
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(US Department of Transportation) U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today (November 17, 2011) announced that 46 innovative transit projects chosen for their capacity to help cut the nation’s dependence on oil and create a marketplace for 21st century ‘green’ jobs will share $112 million in funding from the Federal Transit
December 9, 2011
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(US Environmental Protection Agency) Next phase in national program for light-duty vehicles will save consumers thousands of dollars at the pump while saving billions of barrels of oil, curbing pollution, enabling long-term planning for automakers Building on President Obama’s historic national program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) MOU covers feedstock readiness, sustainability, data sharing, fuels certification, plus development of new alternative fuel pathways in alcohol conversion, pyrolysis and synthetic biology. Is the agreement, driven by the private sector and formalized by government, a template for agreements to foster aviation biofuels around the
September 19, 2011
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by Ray LaHood (Department of Transportation) …Because of President Obama’s efforts and automakers’ innovations, Americans today have many more options for fuel-efficient vehicles than ever before. And the new labels will help us make sense of those options and take advantage of the new, more energy efficient fleet to save
May 25, 2011
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by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) During a U.S. Senate committee hearing on March 30, Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said that focusing on advanced biofuels for homegrown energy is in the best interest of the United States. “I think that we have heard today, very clearly, that we are making
March 31, 2011
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(Congressional Budget Office) The federal government collects revenues from taxes paid by highway users, mostly from those levied on gasoline and diesel fuel, and credits them to the Highway Trust Fund. Those revenues and others are subsequently used for federal spending on highways and transit and for some other purposes. In fiscal year
March 25, 2011
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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. The new standards, covering model years 2012-2016, and ultimately requiring
May 19, 2009
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Today’s the Day: Comments Are Due
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) Comments are due today on the Trump administration’s proposal to freeze Obama-era fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks. California remains front and center in the fight against the joint EPA-National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposal, vowing to fight the administration over its plan