by Timothy Cama (The Hill)  President Trump is nominating a Department of Energy (DOE) official who previously fought against policies meant to promote renewable energy to lead the agency’s renewable energy office.
Dan Simmons has been serving …

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 …

by Chris Prentice (Reuters)  A week after the White House suspended its bid to reform the nation’s biofuels policy to aid oil refiners, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday dangled a tantalizing prospect …

by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy)  EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is expected to travel to Kansas this morning, where he’ll stop by East Kansas Agri-Energy’s ethanol plant in Garnett. The trip comes a week after the …

(Wisconsin Ag Connection)  A day after a tentative agreement to overhaul U.S. biofuel policy appeared to collapse amid farm-state concerns, EPA chief Scott Pruitt met to discuss the issue with the lead senator pushing for the …

by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy)  ASSUME DEAL DEAD: Sen. Joni Ernst’s decision to lay into embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt over his alleged about-face on ethanol appears to have paid off. Ernst spoke to President Donald Trump …

by Alan Bjerga and Mario Parker (Bloomberg)  EPA chief seen as betraying Trump’s promises on biofuels; Trade tensions put demand for agricultural goods at risk — Even as Donald Trump tweets his support for U.S. agriculture, farmer loyalty for the …

by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy)  The White House is expected to release its final proposal on revisions to the Renewable Fuel Standard today. Pro’s Eric Wolff is hearing from two industry sources that the proposal will …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Ethanol Producer Magazine recaps the many recent attempts to hinder the policy, and looks beyond 2022.  —  … But leaders in the ethanol industry are quick to point out this fight …

by Gary Truitt (Hoosier Ag Today)  … The ethanol industry could provide a home-grown, energy source that lessened our dependence on foreign imports, replaced a cancer-causing chemical as the octane portion of gasoline, and reduced tail …

(Growth Energy)  Tomorrow (June 1, 2018) marks the beginning of the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) restriction on E15 sales across most of the country during the summer driving season – June 1 to September 15. The …

(Growth Energy)  Coalition Petitions EPA to Revise the Way It Calculates Annual Renewable Fuel Obligations; EPA Is Failing to Comply with Statutory Mandate  —  Today a coalition of biofuel and agriculture groups petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) …

(Solutions from the Land)  One of the three pillars of climate-smart agriculture is actions that farmers can take to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and simultaneously improve profitability. A principal means by which the agriculture …

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 …

by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters)  Top officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the departments of Energy and Agriculture plan to meet on Thursday to hammer out details of President Donald Trump’s planned changes to the …

by Tom C. Doran (AgriNews Publications)  It was good news and bad news for corn growers and ethanol proponents after President Donald Trump met with legislators to discuss the Renewable Fuel Standard.
A White House meeting with Sens. …

by John Tsitrian (Rapid City Journal)  … And forgetting about soybeans for a minute, there’s the matter of Trump administration policy on the ethanol mandate, aka the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), a major matter for …

(National Farmers Union/Wallaces Farmer)   NFU President Roger Johnson says year-round use of E15 would have significant benefits for farmers and the economy.  —  NFU President Roger Johnson wrote to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on May 22, …

by Scott DiSavino (Reuters)  China’s interest in reducing its trade surplus with the United States through increased energy imports could advance plans for U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants and ethanol sales, analysts and energy executives …

(WBIW)  Following reports that gas prices are on the rise, U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly today urged President Trump to take an important step towards addressing the price surge by reducing regulatory burdens around the blending of …

by Robert Rapier (Energy Today)  … As U.S. exports increase, high oil prices are turning into less of an economic negative for the country. If the current trends continue, high oil prices may turn into a …

by John Siciliano (Washington Examiner)  The Environmental Protection Agency is meeting with California officials this week in Washington to negotiate the creation of a national fuel efficiency standard after the state sued the Trump administration over …

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 …

Mario Parker and Jennifer A. Dlouhy (Bloomberg)  The Environmental Protection Agency plans to ask for advice on whether — and how — to boost the transparency of an opaque $9 billion market in biofuel compliance credits …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Trump in a pickle: support his beleaguered EPA Administrator over oil refinery bailouts, or rally his Midwestern farm-state base?  —  In Washington, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa tweeted:
“I’ve supported Pruitt but if …

by Meghan Gordon (Platts)  The US Environmental Protection Agency has sent its proposal for the federal biofuel mandate’s 2019 ethanol volumes and 2020 biodiesel volumes to the White House, according to Office of Management and Budget …

by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters)  The Trump administration will scale back the use of biofuels waivers for small refineries and count ethanol exports toward federal biofuels usage quotas as part of a broad overhaul of …

by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) … Simply put, allowing exported ethanol to count toward compliance with an oil company’s RFS obligation would lead to further demand destruction for U.S. ethanol producers and corn growers who …

by Doug Durante (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/Biofuels Digest)  … First of all the export RIN issue does raise trade questions but if RINS go back to pennies then it would be hard for anyone to consider …

by Tom Krisher and Ken Thomas  (Associated Press/Chicago Tribune)  President Donald Trump told leaders of the world’s top automakers on Friday that he wants to see more cars built in the United States as his administration weighs plans …

by Chris Mooney (The Washington Post)  Executives from top car companies arrived at the White House on Friday amid a looming legal conflict between the Trump administration and primarily Democratic-led states over climate rules for automobiles.
“We’ve made …

(Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  E15 retailers from across the country are urging President Trump to ensure the Environmental Protection Agency follows through on his commitment to allow fuel containing 15 percent ethanol to be sold …

by Michael McAdams (Advanced Biofuels Association/Biomass Magazine)  At ABFA, we’ve been keeping our eyes on the U.S. EPA during the first quarter of 2018. The EPA’s actions over the next several months will have ripple effects …

by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) The looming fight between the Trump administration and the state of California over climate change rules for cars will cover some familiar terrain – where the liberal state and …

(Institute for Energy Research)  The Trump administration is considering expanding the ethanol fuel waiver in the Clean Air Act (CAA) to allow E15 fuel (gasoline containing up to 15% ethanol) to be sold year round. The …

by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters)  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s expanded use of waivers to free small refineries from the nation’s biofuels law has saved the industry as a whole hundreds of millions of dollars, according to …

by Jennifer A Dlouhy and Mario Parker (Bloomberg)  Tentative agreement struck during a White House negotiation; Refiners could benefit with biofuel exports allowed for quotas  —  A tentative deal on U.S. biofuel policy struck at the White House would allow year-round …

by Mike Carr (The Hill/New Energy America)  As the drip, drip of Pruitt scandals becomes a deluge, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s supporters continue to claim that he should be protected because he’s “advancing the president’s agenda.” But because …

by Tom DiChristopher  (CNBC)  -Shares of CVR Energy have more than doubled since August, resulting in a $1.4 billion paper gain for Carl Icahn, who holds an 82-percent stake in the company.
-CVR Energy’s stock price …

by Donnell Rehagen (National Biodiesel Board/Biofuels Digest)  The biofuels industry found itself in an unusual position for much of the past 12 months. Typically confined to debates in the trade press, biofuels-related headlines are now splashed across …

by Kelsey Tamborrino  (Politico’s Morning Energy)  A coalition of Midwest biofuels associations sent a letter Thursday to EPA asking it to move administrative time and staff away from Renewable Fuel Standard exemptions and instead toward …

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 …

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 …

by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters/Successful Farming)  The Trump administration has invited a
group of U.S. senators to the White House early next week to discuss biofuels policy, the latest in a series of such meetings aimed at helping refiners cope …

by Raphael Orlove (Jalopnik)  Our emissions standards are probably the biggest booster to automotive performance in the past half century, making our cars not only more eco-friendly but more powerful, too. Trump has been trying to cut it …

by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters)  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted a financial hardship waiver to an oil refinery owned by billionaire Carl Icahn, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, exempting the …

(DTN The Progressive Farmer)  Oil state partisans, including certain refiners, have raged about a credit-trading market within the program that they say causes undue economic pain. The biofuels industry counters that those compliance credits, known as …

by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy)  Despite efforts by President Donald Trump to settle a long-running dispute between ethanol backers and the refining industry, progress on a biofuels deal has stalled. Instead, the administration has taken …

by John Siciliano and Josh Siegel (Washington Examiner Daily on Energy)  …The other big bailout concern is the Environmental Protection Agency’s waivers to big refining companies to let them off the hook from meeting the national …

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 …

by John Siciliano and Josh Siegel (Washington Examiner)   A study showing that U.S. ethanol leader Iowa doesn’t use a lot of its own corn-based fuel is exciting some in the anti-ethanol crowd in Washington.
“Iowa — the number …

by Tom DiChristopher (CNBC) Bipartisan senators on Tuesday asked the EPA to stop issuing waivers that allow oil refiners to avoid obligations to blend biofuels into gasoline. –EPA has reportedly issued 25 of the “hardship” …

by Michael Bastasch (The Daily Caller)  The federal biofuel mandate “has failed to achieve its policy goals while imposing significant other costs on consumers,” according to a new report.
Americans paid out nearly $77 billion in additional fuel …

by Benjamin Storrow (E&E News) … Transportation emissions threaten to undercut blue states’ climate goals, raising questions about their ability to lead U.S. climate efforts at a time when the federal government is rolling back …

(Viking Analytics/Seeking Alpha)  REX consistently outperforms its peers in making ethanol profitably. REX has zero debt, a large cash position, and has announced plans to buy back more shares. Stuart Rose, the Chairman of REX, displays the characteristics …

by Emily Rauhala (The Washington Post)  China announced temporary anti-dumping measures Tuesday on U.S. sorghum, potentially hitting U.S. growers and exacerbating the brewing trade war between Beijing and Washington.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said that starting Wednesday, …

by Jeff Mason (Reuters)  U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration may allow the sale of gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol year-round, which could help farmers by firing up corn demand but faces opposition …

by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters)  The Trump administration is considering allowing the sale of a higher ethanol fuel blend in the summer, a source familiar with the issue said, a move that would placate …

by Mark Chediak, Ryan Beene, and John Lippert  (Bloomberg)  ‘Reason could prevail,’ chair of Air Resources Board says; State is considering a lawsuit to preserve its options  —  California’s top air-quality regulator sees hope for a deal with …

by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters)  The Trump administration will delay any moves to reform the nation’s biofuel policy for about three months, according to three sources briefed on the matter – a decision one of the sources …

by Mario Parker (Bloomberg)  Change to biofuel mandate may mean destruction of corn demand; Growers already dealing with trade concerns, crop gluts  —  Based on his own back-of-the-envelope calculations, Minnesota farmer Kirby Hettver could lose tens of thousands …

by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer)  Details have yet to emerge from a planned meeting at the White House on Monday between President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet regarding possible changes to the …

by Robert Rapier (Forbes)  … Mr. Constantine (Tim Constantine, a spokesperson for Rethink Ethanol) believes that we will soon see an announcement from the White House on the nation’s ethanol program, and it’s probably not going to …

by Mark Dorenkamp (Brownfield Ag News)  The White House plans to hold a Monday meeting to discuss possible changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
Minnesota Corn Growers president Kirby Hettver says it appears EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt …

by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters)  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved the request of 25 small refineries to be exempted from the nation’s biofuels laws, an agency source said on Wednesday, marking a …

by Kelsey Tamborrino  (Politico’s Morning Energy)  The Trump administration escalated trade-war tensions with China on Tuesday, publishing a proposed list of 1,300 Chinese imports that it will hit with retaliatory tariffs in response to China’s intellectual …

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)  On April 2, 2018, the Administrator signed the Mid-term Evaluation Final Determination which finds that the model year 2022-2025 greenhouse gas standards are not appropriate in light of the record before EPA …

by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters)   President Donald Trump is seriously considering abandoning efforts to remake the nation’s biofuel laws after wading deep into an issue that divides some of his core constituencies, according to three sources …

by Srijan Kanoi (Platts)  China’s Ministry of Commerce said Friday that they might impose an additional 15% duty, along with the existing 30% duty, on denatured ethanol imports from the US if both China and US fail …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … According to POET CEO Jeff Broin, there’s a deal on the table — changing almost by the hour, but a deal none the less. A deal on the table to provide year-round E15 …

by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer)   A special assistant to President Donald Trump on agriculture said Wednesday, “the search for a win-win continues” in the debate over how to relieve oil refiners of their obligations …

by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine)  The public comment period opened March 16 after publication in the Federal Register on the proposed consent decree and environmental settlement agreement lodged by the U.S. Department of Justice with the U.S. Bankruptcy …

by Kelsey Tamborrino  (Politico’s Morning Energy)  Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. John Shimkus have some ideas. The two have been working on a bill for well over a year to overhaul the Renewable Fuel Standard, a likely …

by Karl Plume (Reuters)  U.S. agricultural exports could be at risk in any retaliation over tariffs implemented by the White House, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said on Monday.
…
Perdue said that while the United States …

by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters)  The heads of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Agriculture Department are scheduled to meet on Tuesday to winnow down proposals to lower the cost of the nation’s biofuels policy to oil …

by Lacey Johnson (Greentech Media)  The Under Secretary of Energy defends a Trump administration proposal to cut $1.3 billion in funding from the DOE’s renewable energy office.  —  The Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and …

by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters)  A group of senators from U.S. corn states have asked President Donald Trump for a meeting about the nation’s biofuels law, amid expectations the administration will soon act to lower the regulation’s …

by David Ignatius (The Washington Post) … So how can the United States and its closest allies alter (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s behavior, if they’re truly serious about holding Russia to account? The answer, say …

by Alexander Richter (Think GeoEnergy)  An executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump to support mining activities for critical minerals, could present a boost to lithium mining activities in the U.S. and indirectly help some geothermal …

by Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Ryan Beene and John Lippert (Bloomberg Politics)  Pruitt warns California isn’t in driver’s seat on car rules; EPA faces April 1 deadline to decide on current requirements  —  The Trump administration’s chief environmental regulator …

 (Politico’s Morning Energy)  With a settlement between refiner Philadelphia Energy Solutions and EPA in hand and voting in the Pennsylvania special election over, some biofuels observers think the issue may fall off Trump’s radar. A biofuels …

by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle)   EPA chief Scott Pruitt raised the idea Monday of limiting Wall Street’s ability to trade the government-issued credits for ethanol and other biofuels in an effort to aid oil refineries.
…
In a meeting …

by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA will allow bankrupt refinery Philadelphia Energy Solutions to meet only a portion of its outstanding obligation under the Renewable Fuel Standard as part of a settlement filed with …

by Meghan Gordon bankr(Platts)  The White House has postponed a fourth round of talks between refinery and biofuel interests about reforming the US biofuel mandate, according to a refinery source close to the negotiations.
The meeting set …

by Amy Harder (Axios) Lots to discuss: Top oil-and-gas industry executives will meet Thursday with President Trump at the White House, according to sources familiar with the plan.

Why it matters: The meeting arrives amid a rough patch in …

(Agri-Pulse) Oil, biofuels interests were originally set to meet Monday morning. READ MORE
BIOFUELS WHITE HOUSE MEETING SCRAPPED: (Politico’s Morning Energy)
MONDAY WHITE HOUSE MEETING ON RFS CALLED OFF (Brownfield Ag News; includes AUDIO)
Ethanol Interests Shout Opposition …

(Renewable Fuels Association)  Another White House meeting has been scheduled for Monday, March 12, to continue discussions between oil refinery and biofuels interests over the price of Renewable Identification Numbers, or RINs, which were created under …

by Michael McAdams (Biomass Magazine)  This year is setting up to be a long year for the biofuels industry. First on the agenda is the fate of the biofuels tax extenders, including the biodiesel blenders, renewable diesel …

by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters)  The White House has made preliminary plans for a meeting on Monday between rivals in the corn and oil industries to discuss potential changes to the nation’s biofuels policy, two sources familiar …

(National Biodiesel Board)  A new analysis by the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) and the World Agricultural Economic and Environmental Services (WAEES) found that capping the price of conventional biofuels’ Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) will significantly harm …

by Emily Druckman (Renewable Fuels Association)  Any action to artificially cap Renewable Identification Number (RIN) prices in exchange for an RVP waiver allowing year-round sale of E15 would be a bad deal for rural America and …

by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters)  A delegation of workers from U.S. oil refining companies that oppose the nation’s biofuels policy will converge on Washington on Wednesday to lobby lawmakers to find a way to lessen the regulation’s …

by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA)  “A smidgen more hopeful that it has been for a few years,” said one advanced biofuels industry long-timer.  “I don’t understand why it feels so pessimistic,” asked an attendee …

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest)  … On March 1, ABLC 2018 kicked off at the Mayflower Hotel in the heart of D.C. with five Avengers – a superhero bunch who all had a common thread …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, an unplanned on-stage telephone conversation between Senators Amy Klobuchar and Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa was the highlight of ABLC 2018 as high drama at the White House …

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest)  … Starting with the Federal Perspective and Programs Forum first thing in the morning, we heard from Harry Baumes from USDA who announced 5 more projects projecting to achieve financial closing in …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  There was high drama in Washington, DC as the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference got underway and President Trump readies to meet at the White House with a number of biofuels leaders about …

by Steve White (Nebraska TV)  Nebraska farmers grow their own market through ethanol. It creates jobs, but it also provides hometown demand for corn and they’re optimistic Pres. Trump will help the industry.

Farmers like Bill Schuster …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Representatives of the U.S. farming community are speaking out ahead of a Feb. 27 White House meeting on the Renewable Fuel Standard, urging President Donald Trump to avoid seeking change …

by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters)  U.S. President Donald Trump has called a meeting early next week with key senators and Cabinet officials to discuss potential changes to biofuels policy, which is coming under increasing pressure after a …

by Jennifer A. Dlouhy (Bloomberg)  Ethanol industry and oil refiners both feel threatened; Biofuel mandate divides two states that voted for Trump  —  Top Trump administration officials are planning two summits to discuss possible changes to …

by Andy Eubank (Hoosier Ag Today)  … “There are a lot of positives of NAFTA as it relates to agriculture in Indiana; and all throughout the value chain and economy we would feel the impact should …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The USDA’s February 2018 Farm Income Forecast predicts net farm income will decline by or 6.7 percent this year. According to Growth Energy, the expected drop underscores the need for …

by Jeremy Gilpin, Jordan Blanchard, and Cindy Thyfault (National Rural Lenders Association/Biofuels Digest)  There has been a keen focus the last few weeks for President Trump and the USDA with the release of the Task Force on Agriculture …

by Timothy Cama (The Hill)  The Trump administration Monday proposed significantly slashing a handful of controversial loan and research programs at the Department of Energy (DOE).
The cuts to programs meant to help develop innovative energy technologies, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the US Congress passed its budget deal, and among the items in the deal was a retroactive restoration of the $1 per gallon biodiesel tax credit for 2017. The …

by Mike Carr (The Hill/New Energy America)  President Trump has pledged a theme of “energy dominance.” It’s not the first time Washington has had this thought. During the years I worked at the Senate Energy and Natural …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has released a memo produced by his energy policy staff that finds that Renewable Fuel Standard blending requirements and the cost of renewable identification numbers (RINs) …

by Todd Neeley (AGFAX) President Donald Trump set out an agenda during the State of Union address on Tuesday that includes a plan to upgrade the nation’s infrastructure.
…
The Trump plan calls for about $200 billion in …

(The Fence Post/Hagstrom Report)  Jeff Broin, founder and CEO of POET, the South Dakota company that builds and manages ethanol plants, brought his view that the government needs to authorize the sale of E15 blend year-round …

by Jennifer A Dlouhy and Mario Parker (Bloomberg)  Biofuel mandate overhaul mulled by Congress after bankruptcy; Unions and Pennsylvania politicians seek immediate action  —  The bankruptcy of Philadelphia Energy Solutions LLC, the biggest refiner on the U.S. East Coast, has invigorated efforts …

by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com)  President Donald Trump did mention energy in his first State of the Union address, albeit briefly.
“We have ended the war on American energy, and we have ended the war on beautiful clean coal,” …

(Wisconsin State Farmer)  U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will be in Pennsylvania Wednesday, Jan. 24 to roll out the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Bill and legislative principles for 2018.  READ MORE
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue pulls …

by Bob Dinneen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  … This new era of getting our country back on track has and will continue to extend into the biofuels industry, making sure we are providing the cleanest, lowest-cost and …

by John Siciliano (Washington Examiner) … “Sport utility vehicles reached record-high market share, while also achieving record-low CO2 emissions and record high fuel economy,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s report on model-year 2016 vehicles’ …

by Sean Mowbray (Pacific Standard)  While the Trump administration has largely rejected climate change as an issue, the Department of Defense and Congress have identified it as a major potential threat to national security.  —  … On …

by Debra J. Saunders (Tampa Bay Newspapers)  … But now free-market conservative groups and oil-state Republicans are pushing the administration to cut the corn cord.
For Ken Cuccinelli of the conservative group FreedomWorks, it’s a moral issue. …

by Doug Sombke (Argus Leader/South Dakota Farmers Union)  Our esteemed U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released a report of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity. While it is hard to get excited over any government …

by John Wagner (Washington Post)  With President Trump and Congress turning their attention to infrastructure in the coming weeks, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is preparing for an uphill battle: a push to raise the federal …

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 …

by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer)  President Donald Trump’s administration and some members of Congress want oil and ethanol interests to just get along and work out their differences on the Renewable Fuel Standard. But …

by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  … The argument is roughly – increased biofuels mandates lead RINs to spike in cost, translating to billions in compliance costs, particularly for small refiners. While somewhat logical, …

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 …

by Michael McAdams (Advanced Biofuels Association/Biomass Magazine)  Last year was among the most active and interesting years we’ve seen in the biofuels space. The industry has confronted multiple challenges over the past 12 months, culminating in …

by Timothy Gardner  (Reuters)  … Another political flashpoint has been the administration’s waffling over proposed changes to biofuels policy.
Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency initially entertained a plan from oil refiners to upend regulations requiring them to blend …

(Southern Farm Network Today)  Texas Senator Ted Cruz recently proposed to put a cap on the price of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) as a way to control the cost for refiners that blend renewable fuels into …

(North Iowa Today)  Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa marked a series of policy and oversight accomplishments in 2017.  …  Grassley introduced the Food Security is National Security Act of 2017, which would give top U.S. agriculture and food officials …

by Rick Santorum (Washington Examiner/Americans for Energy Security and Innovation)  … But some petroleum companies seem to be taking their influence for granted, and that could prove their undoing with a White House that is known …

by Monty Shaw (Iowa Renewable Fuels Association/Des Moines Register)  About a year ago, an Iowa front group for Big Oil tried to trick former state legislators into signing letters to the editor that sounded “pro-ethanol” but …

by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle)  Attack on federal biofuels mandate provides chance to appeal to base  —  … But for the junior senator, facing re-election this year as Democrats show new swagger in the age of Trump, ethanol …

 New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman became the first New York statewide elected official to back a carbon tax this week, POLITICO New York’s Danielle Muoio reports. “That includes passing legislation to dramatically reduce greenhouse …

by Todd Neeley (DTN/KTIC)  Capping the price of biofuel credits at 10 cents would essentially eliminate the Renewable Fuel Standard mandate for biodiesel and possibly hurt corn-based ethanol, according to an analysis by farmdoc at the …

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest)  2017 was a roller coaster year. There was a paradigm shift in biofuels, technology advancements, innovations abounded, politics chaotic. Some companies shut down and disappeared like the Hobo vanishing in …

by Jennifer A Dlouhy and Jesse Hamilton (Bloomberg)  … In his first year as president, Trump studded his cabinet with people who previously fought to undermine what some see as the traditional missions of the agencies …

by Arianna Skibell (E&E News) An independent government watchdog has agreed to examine how the Trump administration uses the social cost of carbon, the metric used to calculate the impact of greenhouse gas emissions. READ MORE
WATCHDOG …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  President Trump has hosted two meetings in recent weeks with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and others focused on the Renewable Fuel Standard and renewable identification numbers (RINs). Those representing the …

by Juliet Eilperin (Washington Post) President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday instructing his deputies to devise “a strategy to reduce the Nation’s reliance on critical minerals” that are largely imported and used to produce everything from smartphones to weaponry.
…
Interior …

by Howard A. Learner (Crain’s Chicago Business/Environmental Law & Policy Center)  … The recent North American Climate Summit here brought together 50-plus mayors to sign the Chicago Climate Charter, committing to take initiatives to help meet …

by Jarrett Renshaw  (Reuters) U.S. lawmakers from states that produce corn for ethanol plants said on Wednesday they would consider proposals from Senator Ted Cruz of Texas to help the oil refining industry cope with the nation’s …

by Mark Dorenkamp (Brownfield Ag News) Oil interests are intensifying efforts to force changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).  …  “Texas is already blending more than 9.7 percent!  Nationally, we’re blending more than 10 percent.  There’s …

by Richard Valdmanis and Jarrett Renshaw  (Reuters)  President Donald Trump’s administration called two lawmakers from the U.S. corn belt to convince them to join talks about potential changes to biofuels policy to ease the burden on oil refineries, …

by Peter Z. Grossman (Washington Examiner)  … People forget how we wound up with an ethanol mandate worth over $20 billion per year (and that doesn’t include various subsidies). EISA was passed because Americans besieged members of Congress, …

by Susan Cornwell (Reuters)  U.S. President Donald Trump is open to reforming the country’s biofuels policy if it can be done in a way that protects jobs in both the refining and agriculture industries, senators said on …

by Andrew F. Quinlan ( Center for Freedom and Prosperity/The Hill)  … A refiner must earn RIN credits to meet its annual obligation by selling enough gallons of biofuel or by purchasing them — the credits, not the …

by Jarrett Renshaw, Richard Valdmanis (Reuters)  U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to meet with representatives of the oil refining industry and their legislative backers to discuss the nation’s biofuels program, according to two sources briefed on …

by Laura Blewitt (Bloomberg)  With higher blend credit prices come stronger gasoline margins; Refiners likely to pass higher costs at the pump: Wells Fargo  —  … Despite the petroleum lobby’s efforts, the Environmental Protection Agency last week rejected a petition …

by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  With the holiday season in full swing, we know Santa’s working on his list; who’s been naughty and who’s been nice? This is Washington, D.C., so you know …

by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer)  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rejected several petitions to change the point of obligation in the Renewable Fuel Standard in a notice released on Wednesday ahead of a posting …

(White House)  President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration:
Phyllis L. Bayer of Mississippi to be an Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations, Energy, …

(National Biodiesel Board)  NBB’s Governing Board Members Emphasize That Growth in RFS Volumes is Needed  —  Today the executive leadership of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) sent a letter to President Trump regarding the Renewable Fuel Standard …