White House – Advanced BioFuels USA

Biden Prepares Sweeping Order on Climate-Related Risks

by Lorraine Woellert (Politico) In a draft executive order, President Joe Biden reaches into all corners of the federal government with plans that would touch every sector. — President Joe Biden is preparing to instruct federal agencies to take sweeping action to combat climate-related financial risks to government and the

April 16, 2021 Read Full Article

Oil Industry Games in the Delaware Valley Are Played out | Opinion

by Jan Koninckx (USA TODAY Network/Delaware Online) Every few years, leaders like Sen. Tom Carper and Sen. Chris Coons are on the receiving end of lobbying blitz by area petroleum refiners seeking to roll back the Renewable Fuel Standard. The 2005 law requires oil refiners to blend a modest, but growing

April 9, 2021 Read Full Article

Grassley Says Biden Infrastructure Plan Doesn’t Do Enough for Rural America

by Mark Dorenkamp (Brownfield Ag News) U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says President Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan is lacking in many areas important to rural America. During his weekly call with ag reporters Tuesday, the Iowa Republican singled out biofuels. “Unfortunately despite the emphasis on environment, biofuels don’t even appear to

April 8, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden Seeks $2.5T in Corporate Tax Hikes to Fully Pay for Infrastructure

by Naomi Jagoda (The Hill) … The White House is also proposing to eliminate tax preferences for fossil fuel companies and expand tax incentives for clean-energy production. Treasury said in the report that its estimates indicate that eliminating subsidies for fossil fuel companies would raise federal revenue by more than

April 7, 2021 Read Full Article

Biofuels Producers, Farmers Not Sold on Switch to Electric

by Scott McFetridge (Associated Press) The president and auto industry maintain the nation is on the cusp of a gigantic shift to electric vehicles and away from liquid-fueled cars, but biofuels producers and some of their supporters in Congress aren’t buying it. They argue that now is the time to increase

April 7, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden Wins CAFE Penalty Court Dispute

by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York has sided with the Biden administration in a lovers’ quarrel with green groups, blue states and Tesla over the Trump administration’s delay of a fuel economy penalty increase. A late-Trump rule (Reg.

April 7, 2021 Read Full Article

Fossil Fuels Get Too Many Government Handouts. Biden Wants to Cut Them off.

by Lili Pike (Vox) The American Jobs Plan proposes taking away major tax breaks for the fossil fuel industry. — One of the great ironies of climate politics is that America continues to subsidize — to the tune of billions of dollars a year — the very industries that are most

April 6, 2021 Read Full Article

The Biofuels Industry Seeks Spot in Infrastructure Discussion

(Red River Farm Network) … Renewable Fuels Association Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Troy Bredenkamp wants biofuels to also have a place in the infrastructure discussion. “It’s disappointing to see what came out from the Biden administration in terms of the role they think biofuels should play. It’s very

April 6, 2021 Read Full Article

Barasso: Innovation, Not Regulation, Is the Best Way to Improve Our Country’s Mobility

(Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources) Today (March 16, 2021), U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), delivered the following remarks at a full committee hearing on transportation technologies. … “Too often regulation raises costs, punishing people who can

April 6, 2021 Read Full Article

Will Biden’s $2.3 Trillion Infrastructure Plan Usher in Era of the EV?

by Sebastian Blanco (Car and Driver) While not targeting gas-powered cars for extinction, the plan intends to bring electric cars fully into the mainstream by spending $174 billion to promote EVs and build charging stations. — … There are a lot of things packed into President Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure proposal,

April 5, 2021 Read Full Article

How Green Are Electric Vehicles? In Short: Very Green. But Plug-in Cars Still Have Environmental Effects.

by Hiroko Tabuchi and Brad Plumer (New York Times) Here’s a guide to the main issues and how they might be addressed. — … But a lot depends on how much coal is being burned to charge up those plug-in vehicles. And electric grids still need to get much, much

April 5, 2021 Read Full Article

Opinion: Scrap the Renewable Fuel Standard

by Andrew Quinlan (Center for Freedom and Prosperity/Washington Examiner) Plummeting demand due to reduced travel during the COVID-19 pandemic compounded the many flaws with the Renewable Fuel Standard and strained some in the petroleum industry to the breaking point. … The RFS has not brought promised environmental benefits. A large

April 2, 2021 Read Full Article

Clean Fuel for Planes

by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) Airlines for America, the main U.S. trade group for the industry, is pushing for more fuel credits to be added to Biden’s multitrillion dollar infrastructure plan. The group is backing a sustainable aviation fuel blender’s tax credit of up to $2 per gallon, as

April 2, 2021 Read Full Article

Electric Vehicles and Biofuel: Pentagon Poised to Go Greener under Biden

by Lara Seligman and Bryan Bender (Politico) “Where the military goes, the civilian world often follows,” says one influential player helping to shape the policy. — The Pentagon is weighing a series of proposals to make the military more energy efficient, from mandating all-electric vehicles to weaning trucks, ships and aircraft

April 1, 2021 Read Full Article

Exclusive: White House Asks EPA to Study How EVs Can Generate Renewable Fuel Credits

by Jarrett Renshaw, Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The White House has directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to study how using renewable fuels to power electric vehicle charging could generate tradeable credits under the nation’s biofuels program, two sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters. … If the program were expanded

April 1, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden Releases $2 Trillion Jobs and Infrastructure Plan

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) President Biden on March 31 released a $2 trillion infrastructure and jobs plan, officially titled the American Jobs Plan. Biofuel/bioproducts and carbon capture and storage (CSS) are each briefly addressed in the plan. One provision of the American Jobs Plan calls for the U.S. to

April 1, 2021 Read Full Article

Auto Industry Urges Biden to Back ‘Comprehensive’ EV Plan

by David Shephardson (Reuters) … “Neither the current trajectory of consumer adoption of EVs, nor existing levels of federal support for supply- and demand-side policies, is sufficient to meet our goal of a net-zero carbon transportation future.” The White House did not immediately comment on the letter. John Bozzella, who heads

March 30, 2021 Read Full Article

Ag Wary of Biden’s Carbon Bank

by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) The Biden administration is facing skepticism on one of its most ambitious climate change initiatives: A multibillion-dollar bank to pay farmers to capture carbon. While some environmentalists view it as a positive sign of the administration’s climate commitment, other parts of the agriculture industry

March 29, 2021 Read Full Article

QUOTE OF THE WEEK — Brian Ross

“Holy moly. How on Earth are you going to get people not coming with pitchforks and tar to these siting meetings?” Brian Ross, a vice president at the St. Paul, Minn.-based Great Plains Institute upon reviewing a map representing the required renewable power growth for an “electrify everything” future. Quoted

March 26, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden’s Dilemma: Land for Renewables

by Peter Behr and Jeffrey Tomich (E&E News) Picture an area of land equal to the combined territories of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. That’s the space that could be required to site the massive deployments of renewables needed to fulfill President Biden’s clean energy

March 26, 2021 Read Full Article

Carbon Capture Coalition Applauds Introduction of Bipartisan Senate Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage Tax Credit Amendments Act

(Carbon Capture Coalition) Robust Legislation Addresses Top Two Coalition Priorities from New Federal Policy Blueprint — The Carbon Capture Coalition today endorsed the bipartisan Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage Tax Credit Amendments Act. The bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate today by a strong cohort of carbon management champions led

March 26, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden’s High-Cost Plan To Accelerate U.S. Adoption Of Electric Vehicles

by David Blackmon (Forbes) With electric vehicles making up just 2% of U.S. auto sales in 2020, achieving a rapid “energy transition” to an all-electric vehicle fleet in the coming 15 years will be a huge endeavor, one that President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats in congress are determined to aggressively

March 25, 2021 Read Full Article

Regan: EPA to Get RFS Back on Track What the Broader Economy Can Learn From Climate Work Done in Agriculture

by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) One day after EPA granted deadline extensions to refiners to comply with the Renewable Fuel Standard, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the Biden administration will be working to get the RFS back on track this year. On Tuesday, EPA announced it would extend deadlines for

March 25, 2021 Read Full Article

Banks Poured $3.8B into Fossil Fuel Companies since Paris Agreement

by Natasha Lasky (Our Daily Planet) A new report, published Wednesday found that the world’s largest commercial and investment banks have altogether put $3.8 trillion into fossil fuels from 2016 to 2020. This report — a collaboration between the Rainforest Action Network, Bank Track, Indigenous Environmental Network, Oil Change International, Reclaim Finance, and Sierra

March 25, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden’s EV Pledge Bumps Against Realities of Bureaucracy, Market

by Courtney Rozen (Blooomberg Law) … President Joe Biden’s call for the federal government to stock up on electric vehicles is running headlong into two harsh realities: the marketplace and the bureaucracy. The president, in an executive order aimed at combating climate change, requested a plan by the end of April to

March 24, 2021 Read Full Article

Daily on Energy: Gas Companies, Ttilities, and Labor Unions Push Biden to Support ‘Clean’ Hydrogen

by Josh Siegel and Abby Smith (Washington Examiner) … Natural gas companies, utilities, and labor unions are joining forces to lobby the Biden administration to invest in developing hydrogen as it pursues a historic federal clean energy spending program. The Clean Hydrogen Future Coalition, which launched today with a letter to President

March 23, 2021 Read Full Article

Meeting Emissions Goals Will Save Consumers A LOT of Money — Fact Sheet: Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards

(Consumer Reports) The Biden-Harris Administration has committed to getting the U.S. on a path to a low-carbon economy by 2050, bringing back the Obama-Biden vehicle standards, and setting new, ambitious ones. Meeting those commitments will require steady progress on gasoline vehicle fuel economy and zero emissions vehicle market share. Consumer Reports

March 23, 2021 Read Full Article

Happy National Agriculture Day, March 23, 2021! Learn More!

A post-fossil carbon world will rely on four things: Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry (including wastes and residues), Waste Management (circular economy) and Minerals/Chemicals (like hydrogen, captured carbon, rare earth metals). On National Agriculture Day, we bring attention to the people who make the agriculture parts happen day after day, today

March 22, 2021 Read Full Article

World to Biden: Stop Financing Coal, Oil and Gas Abroad

by Han Chen (NRDC) NRDC and hundreds of other organizations around the world have just submitted a letter calling on the Biden Administration to immediately end all US public financing for fossil fuels, including “natural” gas. The letter asks the Biden Administration to make good on its climate executive order, which directed agencies to

March 18, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden Administration Wants the Financial Sector to Face up to Climate Risk

by Steven Mufson and Juliet Eilperin (Washington Post) The Commodity Futures Trading Commission aims to create a new Climate Risk Unit, joining initiatives at Treasury, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Reserve — A growing number of federal regulators are pushing corporate America to reckon with the cost

March 18, 2021 Read Full Article

Mess with Texas: Time for a 2nd Look at Electric Vehicles

by Burl Haigwood (Clean Fuels Development Coalition) … Imagine it is 2050 and Texas gets hit by another winter storm, flood, heat wave, or God forbid, a physical or cyber terrorist attack on a vulnerable electric power system. As news cameras roll with footage of citizens lined up to evacuate, or

March 18, 2021 Read Full Article

USDA Seeks Public Input on Climate-Smart Ag and Forestry Strategy DEADLINE April 30, 2021

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The USDA on March 15 announced it is opening a 45-day public comment period to gather input on its climate-smart agriculture and forestry strategy, including several topics focused specifically on biofuels, bioproducts and renewable energy. The agency said the notice soliciting public comments represents an

March 16, 2021 Read Full Article

Automakers Push for Lower Emissions Standard

by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) Automakers are proposing a vehicle emissions standard lower than both the Obama administration’s rates and the deal that California set with five automakers, the Associated Press reports. The standards would be above the Trump administration’s 1.5 percent annual improvement requirement, but would fall short of

March 15, 2021 Read Full Article

Electric Cars Are Coming. How Long until They Rule the Road?

by Brad Plumer, Nadja Popovich and Blacki Migliozzi (New York Times) These vehicles represent the 250 million cars, S.U.V.s, vans and pickup trucks on America’s roads today. The vast majority run on gasoline. Fewer than 1 percent are electric. Automakers are now shifting to electric vehicles, which could make up one-quarter of

March 15, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden Team Races to Assemble New Climate-Change Strategy

by Andrew Restuccia and Timothy Puko (Wall Street Journal) The administration is enlisting agencies across the government as it aims to unveil in April a revised target for U.S. emissions reductions — The Biden administration is racing to complete a wide-ranging climate-change strategy next month, enlisting agencies across the government to

March 9, 2021 Read Full Article

Bipartisan Senators Call on USDA for Biofuels Relief

by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) A bipartisan group of 10 senators is pressing the Biden administration to use authority under the CARES Act to provide targeted relief to the biofuels industry, which is still reeling from the pandemic that collapsed fuel demand. In a letter Monday to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the Midwestern

March 9, 2021 Read Full Article

SEC Unveils ESG Task Force

by Matthew Choi and Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) The commission is setting up a climate and ESG task force in its enforcement division as the financial industry faces growing pressure to be more proactive on ESG disclosures, particularly regarding climate risk. Goldman Sachs announced Thursday it would offer more

March 5, 2021 Read Full Article

How the Oil Lobby Learned to Love Carbon Taxes

by Jennifer A Dlouhy and Leslie Kaufman (Bloomberg) The American Petroleum Institute may come out in favor of a carbon price, a sign of Washington’s dramatic move toward climate-friendly policy. … But the policy itself has a number of silver linings for polluters. For starters, unlike regulations restricting drilling or

March 4, 2021 Read Full Article

Renewable Diesel Boom Highlights Challenges in Clean-Energy Transition

by Rod Nickel, Stephanie Kelly and Karl Plume (Reuters) … Refiners can produce renewable diesel from animal fats and plant oils, in addition to used cooking oil. Production capacity is expected to nearly quintuple to about 2.65 billion gallons (63 million barrels) over the next three years, investment bank Goldman Sachs said

March 3, 2021 Read Full Article

John Kerry Has a Warning for Big Oil

(CNN/ABC 17 News) John Kerry had some tough talk for the leaders of Big Oil. The message: embrace clean energy or get left behind. “You don’t want to be sitting there with a lot of stranded assets. You’re gonna wind up on the wrong side of this battle,” Kerry said Tuesday at the energy

March 3, 2021 Read Full Article

House Democrats Unveil Sweeping Climate Legislation to Transform Country’s Energy Mix

(Aken Gump) On Tuesday, March 2, Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee introduced a sweeping climate proposal—the Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act—an amended version of draft legislation released last year in the 116th Congress. The measure, which authorizes $565 billion in spending

March 3, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden’s Trade Rep Pick Says She Will Fight Chinese Trade Barriers, Including Censorship

by Andrea Shalal and David Lawder (Reuters) President Joe Biden’s U.S. trade representative nominee, Katherine Tai, said on Monday she would work to fight a range of “unfair” Chinese trade and economic practices and would seek to treat Chinese censorship as a trade barrier. … In a nod to the U.S.

March 2, 2021 Read Full Article

Can the Future of Electric Vehicles Destroy the Ethanol Industry?

by Nick Weig (CBS2Iowa) America is in the early stages of a shift from combustion engine cars and trucks to all-electric vehicles, or EV. Electric cars are quiet, sporty and cost a fraction to charge than it costs to gas up their traditional counterparts. But as more motorists reach for

March 1, 2021 Read Full Article

More States Follow California’s Lead on Vehicle Emissions Standards

by Rachel Frazin (The Hill) An increasing number of states are looking to follow the precedent set by California and adopt stricter vehicle emissions standards as the Biden administration appears poised to green light those efforts. The Virginia legislature this past week passed legislation to toughen its emission rules, and similar

March 1, 2021 Read Full Article

Airline CEOs Urge White House Support for Greener Aviation Fuel

by David Shepardson and Tracy Rucinski (Reuters) The CEOs of American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines and other airline officials met virtually with White House officials Friday to discuss tackling aviation pollution and urge U.S. support for greener aviation fuel. United Chief Executive Scott Kirby made clear the carrier was

March 1, 2021 Read Full Article

US Aerospace Industry Calls on New Administration to Provide Immediate Support to Reach Climate Goals

(GreenAir Online) US aircraft and engine manufacturers have called on the new Biden administration to provide sustained government support to help achieve its climate goals. In an open letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson, Climate Envoy John Kerry and National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, the US Aerospace

February 26, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden Is Hiking the Cost of Carbon. It Will Change How the U.S. Tackles Global Warming.

by Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis (Washington Post) President Biden on Friday dramatically altered the way the U.S. government calculates the real-world cost of climate change, a move that could reshape a range of consequential decisions, from whether to allow new coal leasing on federal land to what sort of steel is

February 26, 2021 Read Full Article

Biofuels Can Contribute Now to a Cleaner Energy Future

by Tom Daschle (Roll Call/The Daschle Group) Smart agriculture policy that has a role for ethanol can help advance Biden’s agenda on all fronts — Growing up in South Dakota, agriculture has always been in my blood. For nearly three decades, I had the honor of representing South Dakota — where

February 26, 2021 Read Full Article

Ethanol and Biomass-Based Diesel RIN Prices Approaching All-Time Highs

by Sean Hill (U.S. Energy Information Administration) The prices of renewable identification number (RIN) credits—the compliance mechanisms used for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—have been steadily rising in recent months and are approaching their highest nominal levels in the history of

February 24, 2021 Read Full Article

U.S. Postal Service Awards Contract to Launch Multi-Billion-Dollar Modernization of Postal Delivery Vehicle Fleet

(U.S. Postal Service) … Under the contract’s initial $482 million investment, Oshkosh Defense will finalize the production design of the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) — a purpose-built, right-hand-drive vehicle for mail and package delivery — and will assemble 50,000 to 165,000 of them over 10 years. The vehicles will be

February 24, 2021 Read Full Article

Joni Ernst: Radical Policies from Coastal Elites Hurt Rural America

(Office of Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)) Just last month, President Biden raised eyebrows when he took executive action to begin transitioning federal government vehicles to electric vehicles. It followed a similar move spearheaded by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who last September, fully embraced the Green New Deal and implemented a move

February 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Social Distance, Meet Social Carbon

by Zack Coleman (Politico’s Morning Energy) The White House is expected to sharply raise the government’s calculation of how much greenhouse gases will cost the U.S. in the future, a policy change that will make it easier for his administration to justify more stringent regulations as he seeks to green

February 19, 2021 Read Full Article

POET Urges Biden Climate Team to Grasp E15 Philosophy

(Biofuels International) POET has urged the new Biden administration to embrace E15. The world’s largest biofuels producer, based in Sioux Falls in South Dakota, has also welcomed the new President’s leadership in making climate a top priority. … Rob Walther, vice president of Federal Advocacy at POET, said each member

February 19, 2021 Read Full Article

Carper Dishes on Climate, Environment Landscape

by Zach Coleman (Politico’s Morning Energy) Even if Biden’s regulations fall short of environmentalists’ wishes, the U.S. is poised for success reducing greenhouse gas emissions given the trajectory of “market forces” in the power and utility sectors, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Tom Carper (D-Del.) tells Pro’s Anthony

February 18, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden-Harris Administration Launches American Innovation Effort to Create Jobs and Tackle the Climate Crisis

(White House) White House Forms Climate Innovation Working Group, Outlines Innovation Agenda; U.S. Department of Energy Announces $100 Million Climate Innovation Research Opportunity — … As the opportunity for American leadership in climate innovation is vast, the Administration is outlining key planks of an agenda the Climate Innovation Working Group will help

February 17, 2021 Read Full Article

Grassley Urges McCarthy to Visit Iowa, See Renewables in Action

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, sent a letter to White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy on Feb. 16 inviting her to visit Iowa and learn about the state’s leadership in renewable fuel production and sustainable energy. McCarthy, who served as administrator of the U.S. EPA

February 17, 2021 Read Full Article

RFA’s Cooper: Ethanol Provides Essential Energy for Meeting Global Challenges

(Renewable Fuels Association) Just as ethanol has played an essential role in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, the low-carbon fuel will also serve as essential energy for combatting climate change, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper said today at the 26th annual National Ethanol Conference. “As COVID cases began to

February 17, 2021 Read Full Article

Reversing Trump: How Biden’s Priority On Climate Change Can Create Jobs

by Steve Melink (Melink Corporation/Biofuels Digest) … The economic aspect of the new administration’s climate-change plan focuses on generating millions of well-paying jobs in renewable energy fields. Though much work remains to be done in that regard, Biden is creating big possibilities through his early environmental actions that reversed moves

February 17, 2021 Read Full Article

Carbon Tax Meets New Washington Politics

by Annie Snider (Politico’s Morning Energy) President Joe Biden has revived the idea of a carbon tax, but climate hawks on Capitol Hill hope he will give them time to work through the tricky politics of the issue. — … THE TRICKY POLITICS OF A CARBON TAX: The Biden administration’s sweeping climate

February 16, 2021 Read Full Article

Growing Interest in Carbon Markets Coming from All Sides

by Rhiannon Branch (Brownfield Ag News) Interest and growth in carbon market programs is booming. A recent ecosystem markets webinar hosted by the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership had more than 1600 participants registered with more than 600 questions submitted ahead of time. Speaker Kari Hernandez, Global Head of Carbon Operations and Offer Marketing with Indigo

February 15, 2021 Read Full Article

Governor Walz Sends Biofuels Letter to President Biden

(Red River Farm Network) Minnesota Governor Tim Walz sent a letter to President Biden on Wednesday asking him to support the biofuels industry and reverse the Trump administrations actions in supporting small refinery exemptions. Walz wants the Biden administration to issue an executive order to ban the use of aromatics

February 12, 2021 Read Full Article

Will the Biden Administration Fund our Clean Transportation Future?

by Joe Annotti (ACT News/GNA) … While there is clear momentum mounting in support of electrified fleets by the incoming administration, the commercial maturity for zero emission vehicle technologies is still developing, leaving CapEx costs higher than conventionally fueled vehicles. Therefore, a diverse portfolio that leverages other low emission vehicles and

February 8, 2021 Read Full Article

Spend Biden Climate Money Where It Will Do the Most Good, Quickly, for the Longest Time—Infrastructure for Renewable Fuels in Disadvantaged Communities

by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Part of the Biden Administration’s climate change funds for disadvantaged communities that have suffered from pollution and crumbling infrastructure should be used to ensure that people in those communities can have the cleanest, greenest fuel for the vehicles that they will be driving for

February 5, 2021 Read Full Article

Biden Team in Talks with Utilities, Car Companies about Emissions: Climate Adviser

by Jeff Mason and Valerie Volcovici (Reuters) U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has started discussions with the utility and automobile sectors about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, White House domestic climate change adviser Gina McCarthy told Reuters. … The White House has met some major automakers – including General Motors Co –

February 4, 2021 Read Full Article

Regan Faces Senate Committee Wednesday: EPA Nominee Regan Tells Grassley Biofuels Part of Biden Climate Plan

by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley said he wants regulatory stability in agriculture when considering the Biden administration’s nominee to head the EPA, Michael Regan. In a recent conversation with Regan ahead of his Wednesday hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Grassley said

February 3, 2021 Read Full Article

EPA Races to Draft Interim Auto Standards for CO2

by Maxine Joselow (E&E News) President Biden’s EPA is expected to draft interim auto emissions standards based on an agreement last year between California and five car companies, according to sources following the matter. EPA is poised to unveil the interim standards and notify the auto industry by April 1.

February 3, 2021 Read Full Article

Toyota, Fiat Chrysler Drop Support for Trump Effort to Bar California Emissions Rules

by David Shepardson (Reuters/Yahoo!Finance) Toyota Motor Corp, Fiat Chrysler and other major automakers said on Tuesday they were joining General Motors in abandoning support for former President Donald Trump’s effort to bar California from setting its own zero emission vehicle rules. The automakers, which also included Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi

February 3, 2021 Read Full Article

Growth Energy Battles in Court to Reverse Demand Destruction

(Growth Energy) On Friday, January 29th, Growth Energy, along with others in the biofuels industry, filed an opening brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (Case No. 20-1046) challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) failure to properly establish 2020 biofuel blending targets under the Renewable Fuel

February 3, 2021 Read Full Article

Two Biden Priorities, Climate and Inequality, Meet on Black-Owned Farms

by Hiroko Tabuchi and Nadja Popovich (New York Times) The administration has pledged to make agriculture a cornerstone of its plan to fight warming, but also to tackle a legacy of discrimination that has pushed Black farmers off the land. — … The administration has promised to make agriculture a cornerstone

February 1, 2021 Read Full Article

Electric Cars Are Coming, and Fast. Is the Nation’s Grid Up to It?

by Brad Plumer (New York Times) GM’s decision this week to phase out gasoline vehicles is the latest in a major shift that will mean drastic new demands on electric utilities. Here are four things that will need to happen. … Generate More Juice If every American switched over to

February 1, 2021 Read Full Article

Trump Left Biden a $30 Billion Fund Used for Trade Wars. Biden Has Other Plans for It.

by Liz Crampton (Politico) A Depression-era financial institution was used by the Trump administration to dole out billions to farmers. Now the Biden team has their own ideas about how the money should be spent. The Trump administration used it to bail out farmers suffering from its trade wars. Now

February 1, 2021 Read Full Article

How Joe Biden Can Cut Off the Fossil Fuel Industry’s Federal Funding

by Alexander E. Kaufman (Huffington Post/Yahoo! News) … The 11-page Evergreen Action memo highlights the limits of what the Biden administration can do unilaterally. At least a dozen ideas proposed in the document require Congress to act, including nearly all steps to cut off financial benefits to fossil fuel producers.

January 29, 2021 Read Full Article

John Kerry’s Climate Plan, in His Own Words: In an Interview with Amanda Little, He Promises a “Total Rethink” and Trillions in Global Investment as He Works to Speed the Shift from Fossil Fuels.

by Amanda Little (Bloomberg Opinion) As President Joe Biden’s Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry will play perhaps the most critical role internationally in managing a planetary crisis. … AL: Yet progressive climate activists have said that “climate delay-al” is the new climate denial and that 2050 is too far

January 29, 2021 Read Full Article

Can This Unlikely Duo Revive Rural America and Help the Planet? Joe Biden and Tom Vilsack Plan to Take Swift Action on Climate Change Proposals.

by Art Cullen (Storm Lake Times/New York Times) … Few took carbon sequestration seriously during his previous tenure, a time when “resilient agriculture” had not yet entered the vernacular. But the fundamental conversation in the corridors of power and along gravel roads has changed. Extreme weather, a pandemic jolt to