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(Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) High-Octane Ethanol Should Replace Carcinogenic Gasoline Aromatics — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem sent a letter to the Biden Administration pointing out the role that higher-octane ethanol could play in meeting the Administration’s climate and public health goals. Governor Walz is the chair and Governor
White House
July 23, 2021
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by Bob Kozak (Atlantic Biomass/Biofuels Digest) Dear President Biden, For someone who says competition is the key to American economic success, “A fair, open, and competitive marketplace has long been a cornerstone of the American economy, while excessive market concentration threatens basic economic liberties, democratic accountability, and the welfare of workers,
July 22, 2021
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by Stephanie Kelly, Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The White House has delayed an annual process meant to decide how much ethanol and other biofuels U.S. oil refiners need to blend into their fuel each year, as it seeks a solution for an issue that pits refinery workers against corn farmers, two sources
July 21, 2021
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by Dan Morgan (The Globalist) Right now, electric cars have the momentum and the “inevitability” narrative on their side. Is the idea of pursuing two paths forward a waste of money? … The Biden administration’s ambitious infrastructure proposal sets aside $174 billion to subsidize electric cars, but little for biofuels. As
July 16, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) Low-carbon ethanol’s “brightest and sunniest days remain ahead” despite recent judicial setbacks and a growing policy push on electric vehicles, RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper said in keynote remarks today at the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop and Expo. Even after two recent disappointing court decisions, “The ethanol
July 15, 2021
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(Clean Fuels Development Coalition) Dozens of agricultural, ethanol, automotive, and manufacturing organizations are calling for higher octane in gasoline to help automakers increase vehicle fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gases. In a letter to President Joe Biden, signed by a range of agriculture and ethanol interests, they pointed to the
July 14, 2021
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by Stuart Parker (Inside EPA/Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) A coalition of biofuels and farm groups, led by former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), is poised to press White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials to include a high-octane standard to boost fuel economy in EPA’s upcoming light-duty vehicle rules
July 13, 2021
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by Josh Siegel (Washington Examiner’s Daily on Energy) Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stressed the importance of strict fuel economy standards to clean up the transportation sector because, even as the U.S. shifts to more electric vehicles, gas-powered cars will still be on the roads for some time. “No matter how good we get
July 12, 2021
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by Mike Stoll (Austin Daily Herald) … During the tour, Klobuchar (Senatory Amy Klobuchar D-MN) learned of the Institute’s research into the role biofuels play in reducing the risk of cancer. A recent study, which was a collaboration between The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, and the Energy Resources Center, University
July 9, 2021
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by Jordan Fabian and Josh Wingrove (Bloomberg) Crude have soared as the two countries argue over production; Psaki says White House ‘encouraged’ by ongoing OPEC talks — Biden administration officials are “encouraged” by ongoing OPEC talks and have spoken with officials in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in hopes
July 7, 2021
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by Chuck Abbott (Successful Farming) Despite losing two high-profile cases in seven days, the ethanol industry says the future is bright for the corn-based biofuel that it promotes as a low-carbon alternative to gasoline and a tool to slow global warming. “We view both decisions as only temporary setbacks but neither
July 7, 2021
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) 2021 so far is better than 2020 in many aspects – like a summer sunflower, things are looking up and opening up again in some parts of the world as vaccines are rolled out, especially in Canada, the UK, Israel, Italy, Germany, and the U.S.
July 6, 2021
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by Rachel Franzin (The Hill) A progressive environmental group plans to focus its advocacy around President Biden’s proposal to create conservation and reforestation jobs, according to a strategy memo obtained by The Hill. The youth-led Sunrise Movement will be pushing for a Civilian Climate Corps (CCC) — similar to the New Deal-era
July 2, 2021
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by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA and the Transportation Department soon will propose a rule boosting federal tailpipe standards almost to Obama-era levels, with an eye toward more aggressive requirements later this decade to goose electric vehicle sales, the New York Times reports, citing unnamed sources. The proposal, anticipated
July 2, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, is encouraging House and Senate leadership to include provisions to help increase the use and production of biofuels in the final language of the upcoming infrastructure legislation. Axne on June 25 sent a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi,
June 30, 2021
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by Molly Beck and Rick Barrett (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) President Joe Biden moved his Wisconsin visit from a family farm in the rolling bluffs of Iowa County to the concrete floor of a city bus garage in La Crosse to promote passage of a $973 billion infrastructure bill just days after a
June 30, 2021
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by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) will unveil a package of bills today with two of her Republican colleagues to boost biofuels infrastructure. Klobuchar and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) will introduce the Biofuel Infrastructure and Agricultural Product Market Expansion Act of 2021 to provide grants for activities that expand the
June 30, 2021
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by Larry Lee (Brownfield Ag News) Biofuels supporters remain opposed to President Biden considering relief for oil refiners from biofuel blending requirements. Jonathan Gibbs with the Wisconsin Soybean Board tells Brownfield Biden’s planned Tuesday visit in Wisconsin would be a good opportunity for the President to show farmers he still supports
June 29, 2021
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by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) The agriculture industry is anxiously waiting to see how the Biden administration intends to enlist more producers to adopt climate-friendly farm practices. But even as corporations are eager to buy offsets from farmers who pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere — and Washington
June 29, 2021
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by Neal Kemmet (Wisconsin State Farmer) President Biden is expected to discuss the farm economy during a trip to Wisconsin this week. It’s an exciting visit that will showcase the state’s leadership in the field and across the broader agricultural supply chain. It’s also a rare opportunity for our state’s leaders
June 28, 2021
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by Andrew Chung and Stephanie Kelly (Reuters/Yahoo!) The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday bolstered a bid by small oil refineries to win exemptions from a federal law requiring increasing levels of ethanol and other renewable fuels to be blended into their products, a major setback for biofuel producers. The 6-3
June 25, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Biden administration has signaled its intent to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking to develop post-2022 Renewable Fuel Standard regulations before the end of 2021. A proposed rule to set annual RFS renewable volume obligations (RVOs) for 2021 and 2022 is expected to be
June 22, 2021
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(Growth Energy) Today, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor participated in the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy hearing titled “Renewable Energy – Growth and Opportunities for our Rural Economies”. In the hearing, Skor spoke on biofuels’ ability to drive economic growth using data from a
June 22, 2021
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by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) … The decision by a Louisiana federal judge Wednesday requiring the Department of Interior to end its pause on oil and gas leasing came as the administration’s plan to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on electric vehicle charging stations and tax credits was looking
June 18, 2021
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(National Biodiesel Board/Biodiesel Magazine) While welcoming federal support for domestic SAF on par with support for biodiesel and renewable diesel, the NBB wants Congress and the Biden Administration to understand how all three fuels support the nation’s climate and clean air priorities. The Biden administration delivered some positive news to
June 17, 2021
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by Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Kim Chipman (Bloomberg/Yahoo!) The Biden administration is developing targets for biofuel that are likely to be relatively flat or even lower as it seeks to balance the interests of blue-collar refining workers and advance a clean-energy agenda. The Environmental Protection Agency is set to propose renewable
June 16, 2021
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by Mikkel Pates (AgWeek) Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., talks about corn ethanol opportunities in the Biden administration and reflects on the recent passing of Orrie Swayze, a farmer and former Marine fighter pilot from Wilmot, S.D., who Daschle described as a “mentor” in his passion for an
June 15, 2021
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by Dania Maxwell (Bloomberg News/Transport Topics) While electric vehicles and alternative fuels contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, their continued adoption forces states to rethink transportation funding sources that currently come from taxes on diesel and gasoline. States already charging fees on alternative fuels and vehicles are concerned the amounts do
June 14, 2021
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by Chet Thompson (Real Clean Energy/American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers) … AFPM members make approximately 10 percent of the ethanol produced in America, and over the last year U.S. refiners announced eight new renewable diesel projects. This focus on sustainability is also why for several years AFPM has advocated for
June 8, 2021
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by Matthew Daly (Associated Press) Officials from California, New York and other states urged the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday to allow California to set its own automobile tailpipe pollution standards, an action that would reverse a Trump administration policy and could help usher in stricter emissions standards for new passenger
June 3, 2021
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(NACS) Renewable Identification Number credits have more of a relationship to fuel demand than you might think. — RINs, RFS and EVs are more than alphabet soup—they all impact the fuels sector. Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) are “a credit that gets attached to every renewable fuel gallon that gets produced
June 3, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The budget includes proposed support for biofuels; biorefinery, renewable chemical and biobased product manufacturing; renewable energy; and sustainable aviation fuel. For biofuels, the budget would allocate $1 billion in support over the 2022-’26 period, including $500 million in 2022, $250 million in 2023 and $250
June 3, 2021
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by Rachel Droze (We Are Iowa) Some Iowa farmers say they feel President Joe Biden isn’t following through on campaign promises made about the ethanol and renewable fuels industry. During his campaign, Biden made a promise to promote biofuels, but in the American Jobs Plan, the president’s infrastructure proposal, the path envisioned
June 2, 2021
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by Timothy Puko (Wall Street Journal) Defense of ventures has helped Biden’s relationships with some Western lawmakers — Biden administration lawyers are defending oil and mining projects approved under the Trump administration, benefiting ConocoPhillips , Rio Tinto PLC, BHP Group Ltd. and others at the expense of environmental and tribal groups
June 2, 2021
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(Our Daily Planet) The Biden administration released its detailed budget proposal on Friday and it contained $36 billion in total for climate, a huge increase in climate-related spending. According to the budget justification, the increase of more than $14 billion compared over current spending invests “in resilience and clean energy, enhancing U.S. competitiveness, and
June 1, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Reps. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa; Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa; and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, sent a letter to President Biden on May 25 urging him to uphold his promise to support biofuels. The letter urges the Biden administration to include
May 26, 2021
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(Battelle) Battelle and Catahoula Resources (“Catahoula”) will jointly develop solutions for the capture, transport and sequestration of carbon dioxide produced at ethanol facilities in Nebraska. The agreement pairs the world’s largest private independent research and development company with a portfolio company of private investment firm The Energy and Minerals Group (“EMG”), one of the
May 26, 2021
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by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) Over 75 environmental groups are writing to EPA administrator Michael Regan today urging him not to include electricity generated from burning wood biomass, factory farm gas and landfill gas in renewable fuel standard credits for electric vehicles. The groups argue the fuels contribute to
May 25, 2021
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by Jarrett Renshaw and Stephanie Kelly (Reuters/AgWeb) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s biofuel blending mandates for this year and next are likely to be in line with those of 2020 as the agency accounts for weaker fuel demand since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, three sources familiar with the matter
May 20, 2021
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(U.S. Department of Agriculture) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today published the 90-Day Progress Report on Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry (PDF, 561 KB). The report represents an important step toward in President Biden’s Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad and shift towards a whole-of-department approach to climate solutions. The
May 20, 2021
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by Rachel Frazin (The Hill) The White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council expressed opposition to nuclear and carbon capture projects as well as projects that expand capacity for fossil fuel production in a report issued Friday. The volunteer advisory council listed such projects as among “examples of the types of projects that will not
May 18, 2021
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(Solutions from the Land) The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry held its first hearing of the 117th Congress this week, drawing attention to the enormous potential in farm productivity and profitability offered by conservation agriculture. The panel also highlighted the increased soil carbon sequestration and reduced greenhouse gas emissions
May 14, 2021
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by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The RFS creates competition that lowers fuel prices and reduces carbon emissions. Yet, refiners still complain. — … Indeed, at their request, the RFS includes provisions allowing refiners to comply without ever physically blending a drop of biofuel. As an alternative to
May 12, 2021
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by Henry M. Paulson, Jr. and Erskine B. Bowles (Washington Post) … A carbon tax, which taxes carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-gas emissions, is a proven means to raise large sums of much-needed revenue while lowering carbon emissions. It is supported by 67 percent of Americans, embraced by a bipartisan consensus of economists and
May 12, 2021
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by Oliver Milman (The Guardian) Joe Biden’s administration, seeking deep cuts to planet-heating emissions, is facing pressure to take a previously unthinkable step: declare the end of the internal combustion engine in the US. Washington state has moved to call time on the age of gasoline and diesel cars, with the legislature
May 4, 2021
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by Richard Ortiz (Fortune) “The shift toward a cleaner future requires CEOs like Elon Musk to invest in me and my skills, instead of interfering with workers who try to come together,” writes former Tesla autoworker Richard Ortiz. … But in my mind, there’s nothing funny about how Tesla has
May 3, 2021
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by Hope Yen and Tom Krisher (Associated Press) A top Senate Democrat is urging U.S. anti-pollution standards that would follow a deal brokered by California with five automakers and then set targets to end sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, a goal that reaches farther than President Joe Biden’s climate plan.
May 1, 2021
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(Solutions from the Land) In his speech to a joint session of Congress tonight, President Biden acknowledged the role of farmers, ranchers and forestland owners in the effort to stem climate change. Among the many steps he said various interests are taking to curb the change in climate are agricultural
April 29, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) President Biden’s plan for re-entering the Paris climate agreement includes low-carbon renewable fuels as a strategy for helping to achieve a 50-52% economy-wide reduction in net greenhouse gas pollution by 2030. The following is a statement from Renewable Fuels President and CEO Geoff Cooper: “We are pleased to see the
April 22, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A group of 50 former House and Senate leaders representing 42 states on April 20 sent a letter to Gina McCarthy, President Biden’s national climate advisor, in support of the administration’s dedication to building back better for a green future. The letter stresses that “truly economy-wide change
April 21, 2021
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by Rhonda Brooks (Farm Journal AgWeb) Agriculture has the potential to play a big role in carbon sequestration. — As U.S. farmers evaluate carbon market opportunities available today, most have more questions than answers. “Farmers aren’t ready to jump in, because it’s the wild, wild west out there,” says Iowa farmer
April 20, 2021
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(TOM/Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network/KIWA Radio) Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley recently said he’s encouraged the Environmental Protection Agency is siding with the ethanol industry in a case that goes before the Supreme Court later this month. The industry and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals say the EPA can only grant ethanol
April 20, 2021
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by Tom Doran (AgriNews) … The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers urged Regan, who was confirmed as EPA administrator on March 10, to “take swift action” on the Renewable Fuel Standard by extending compliance deadlines and “setting achievable targets” for the current and coming years. … In response to the
April 19, 2021
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by Jordan Godwin (OPIS Biofuels News) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) will ask Congress to adopt a national clean fuels policy or low carbon fuels standard (LCFS) that would build upon the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the ethanol industry group said on Friday. In a call with reporters to discuss its
April 19, 2021
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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(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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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“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
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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
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(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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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(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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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(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
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(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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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(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
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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
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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
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(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
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(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
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(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
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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
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(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
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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
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(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
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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
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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
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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
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(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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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(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
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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
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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
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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
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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
January 28, 2021
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(Rhodium Group) … While efficiency improvements and vehicle electrification can cut transport emissions by up to two-thirds by 2050, low-GHG liquid fuels are needed to fill the remaining gap and achieve net-zero emissions in the transportation sector by mid-century. Transportation will continue to be one of the largest sources of
January 28, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) President Biden on Jan. 27 issued an executive order that aims to tackle the climate crisis, create jobs and restore scientific integrity across the federal government. The order addresses the production and sourcing of biobased products and fuels. Section 214 of the executive order focuses
January 28, 2021
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by Jinjoo Lee (Wall Street Journal) In the tug of war for former President Donald Trump’s favors, oil refiners won some surprising victories over ethanol producers. Their fortunes are about to flip under President Joe Biden’s climate-driven administration. The fate of U.S. oil refiners and ethanol are inextricably linked through the
January 28, 2021
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by Jeffrey T. Manuel and Thomas D. Rogers (The Hill) President Biden has placed the Department of Agriculture (USDA) at the center of his administration’s focus on climate change. “We see farmers making American agriculture first in the world to achieve net-zero emissions and gaining new sources of income in the
January 28, 2021
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by John Steppe (The Gazette/SoutherMinn.com) Gov. Kim Reynolds is looking forward to “building those same relationships” with President Joe Biden and his Environmental Protection Agency staff that she had with the Trump administration to protect biofuels, Reynolds said during Tuesday’s virtual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit. … “I will hold this
January 28, 2021
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by Tyne Morgan (AgWeb) Biofuels groups have high hopes a Biden Administration will get the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) back on track. But an announcement just days on the job seems to showcase a Biden Administration’s push for electric vehicles instead. … The news came as a surprise to biofuels
January 28, 2021
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) It’s climate day at the White House. President Joe Biden will unveil executive orders today designed to make climate change a national security priority for years to come, while reshaping the U.S. oil and gas industry. … The new orders will also address “environmental
January 27, 2021
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) Ethanol advocates are pushing for the new Biden administration to boost the portion of each gallon of gasoline that comes from corn. … WHAT WILL BIDEN DO ABOUT BIOFUELS?President Joe Biden’s plan to build out electric vehicle charging infrastructure and speed adoption of EVs will hasten the
January 27, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA’s Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficiency (SAFE) Vehicles Rule is one of the many federal regulations that are set to be reviewed by the Biden administration, according to an executive order issued Jan. 20. “Our Nation has an abiding commitment to empower our workers and communities; promote and
January 26, 2021
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by Cristina Commendatore (Fleet Owner) President-elect Joe Biden has emphasized the importance of achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2050, and the industry will be paying close attention to environmental initiatives that could impact trucking after the Jan. 20 inauguration. READ MORE California governor proposes $1.5B for clean transportation (FreightWaves)
January 22, 2021
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by Bill Tomson (Agri-Pulse) Brazil is making it known that the Bolsonaro administration wants a strong relationship with the U.S., but the friendly words come amid rising U.S. frustration over Brazil’s ethanol tariffs. … But there was no misunderstanding when Brazil reimposed a 20% tariff on U.S. ethanol in December,
January 22, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who are the key bioeconomy players in the new Biden Administration? What recent moves by the outgoing Trump Administration and Congress will set their budget and regulatory framework for 2021. What will the new Administration do, right away and this year? READ MORE 1. New
January 20, 2021
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(Bergeson & Campbell) On December 28, 2020, the House overrode President Trump’s veto and passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (H.R. 6395) by a vote of 322 to 87, and the Senate passed the bill on January 1, 2021, by a vote of 81 to 13. Subtitle E of
January 20, 2021
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by Tom Bryan (Biodiesel Magazine) Biodiesel Magazine’s late-2020 survey of producers tells the story of a resilient, changing industry that’s taken mostly indirect hits from the pandemic. Many producers lowered, but later ramped back up, production in 2020. This publication’s survey of U.S. biomass-based diesel producers, conducted in early December,
January 19, 2021
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by Sara Wyant (Ag Week) The biofuel industry argues that President-elect Joe Biden can also make progress on his climate goals by expanding biofuel usage mandates, embracing a low carbon fuel policy and increasing vehicle emissions standards. Now that Democrats have won control of the Senate, climate legislation is inevitable,
January 19, 2021
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(Agri-Pulse) It’s been an eventful two weeks on Capitol Hill, and the impacts could linger for an extended period of time. Illinois Republican Rodney Davis, a veteran of the House Agriculture Committee and the ranking member of the House Administration Committee, joins Agri-Pulse to discuss the current outlook for Congress
January 19, 2021
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by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The Trump administration is considering requests from the oil refining industry and its backers for a sweeping nationwide waiver to exempt them from their obligations to blend biofuels, a measure they argue would help them weather the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. President Donald Trump’s
January 19, 2021
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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