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by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ‘Essential Energy,’ the theme of the upcoming National Ethanol Conference, is inspired by the inclusion of U.S. biofuel producers on the Department of Homeland Security’s list of critical and essential industries during the onset of the pandemic. As states across the country
Federal Regulation
January 16, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) Members of the House Biofuels Caucus sent a letter to President Trump on Jan. 12 urging him to direct the U.S. EPA to immediately reject any pending small refinery exemption (SRE) requests that do not meet criteria established by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in its January
January 15, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association expressed gratitude today to seven Republican members of the Senate who called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to back down from rumored small refinery exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard. “Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have clearly and forcefully spoken out against last-minute
January 15, 2021
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by Elliott Blackburn (Argus Media) … (President-elect Joe) Biden also campaigned on goals to increasingly electrify the US vehicle fleet and maintain support for renewable fuels, which would erode market share for the petroleum fuel that dominates AFPM membership’s output. But chief executive Chet Thompson expects to find common ground
January 15, 2021
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by Marc Heller (E&E News) To Sen. Chuck Grassley, only one prospect may be scarier than putting the politics of ethanol before the Supreme Court: letting his colleagues in Congress vote on it. READ MORE
January 15, 2021
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(Federal Register/Environmental Protection Agency) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that no additional measures are necessary pursuant to Clean Air Act (CAA) section 211(v) to mitigate the adverse air quality impacts of the renewable fuel volumes required under CAA section 211(o). … CAA section 211(v) requires EPA to take
January 15, 2021
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by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday it would propose to extend deadlines for refiners to prove compliance with biofuel laws, but signaled it would not decide on a slew of pending waiver requests submitted by the industry. The agency’s proposal represented mixed news for
January 15, 2021
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by Jerry Perkins (Successful Farming) Weaker demand is the main factor now, the $5 corn market could delay the industry’s recovery. — Higher corn prices are roiling the U.S. ethanol industry, but the full impact of the corn price spike might not be felt for weeks. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA)
January 15, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A group of six democratic senators sent a letter President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 11 urging his administration to support U.S. farmers and the biofuels industry by restoring the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard. The letter, signed by Sens. Tammy Duckworth. D-Ill.; Amy Klobuchar,
January 13, 2021
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by Jennifer Shike (Farm Journal Ag Web) With just eight days left in EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s term, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Geoff Cooper told AgriTalk’s host Chip Flory on Tuesday that he’s not surprised by reports that EPA may grant some waivers to oil
January 13, 2021
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that a 150 percent jump in civil penalties for automakers that don’t meet fuel economy requirements won’t take effect until model year 2022, a move that could save manufacturers hundreds of millions of dollars. A panel of
January 13, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) On “Day One” in office, President-elect Biden’s incoming administration can immediately secure 10.7 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions simply by rejecting the 66 pending waiver requests from oil refiners who are looking to dodge their Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) obligations. In addition, another 1.2 million
January 12, 2021
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by Stephanie Kelly, Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The Trump administration is expected to grant waivers to some oil refiners that would exempt them from requirements to blend biofuels into their fuel mix for the 2019 compliance year, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The move would be one of
January 12, 2021
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by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) The Supreme Court will review a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver that found EPA mishandled the small-refinery exemptions program in the Renewable Fuel Standard. The 10th Circuit ruling in January 2020 led the EPA to reject more
January 11, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) Today (January 7, 2021), a coalition of the nation’s largest biofuels and agricultural trade groups filed its reply in support of its motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia. The motion, originally filed on November 23, 2020, asks the court to enforce its
January 11, 2021
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service on Jan. 6 issued final regulations regarding the section 45Q tax credit for qualified carbon oxide sequestration. The Carbon Capture Coalition said the final rule provides long-overdue regulatory and financial certainty. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, which
January 8, 2021
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(Growth Energy) In a court filing today (January 5, 2021), Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association continued to call on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy to release the names and locations of refineries granted exemptions from their Renewable Fuel Standard obligations. Growth Energy CEO Emily
January 6, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A mere “The Year in Rewind” as we sail into 2021? Not the good ship Digest! Instead, we dust off our crystal ball and offer our predictions for the year ahead. As the sunset of 2020 gives way to the dawn of 2021, once again
January 6, 2021
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by Dean Scott (Bloomberg Law) Would ensure equity weighed in rulemakings, policies; Transparency urged for environment justice decisions — The time is ripe to bring a wave of environmental justice advisers into federal agencies to ensure the incoming Biden administration makes good on its pledge to improve racial equity across government,
January 5, 2021
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by Brendan Gibbons (San Antonio Report) Enough methane from decaying waste in a private San Antonio landfill can be harvested to offset the need for fossil fuel use by most of VIA Metropolitan Transit’s bus fleet, officials say. CPS Energy, VIA, and energy company EDL are working on an initiative that will provide
January 4, 2021
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) A consent decree published today in the Federal Register gives EPA until Feb. 19 to decide whether to exempt a refinery owned by United Refining Co. in Pennsylvania from the 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard requirements. EPA hasn’t made a decision on any of the 32
January 4, 2021
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(U.S. Customs and Border Protection) Effective December 30, 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel at all U.S. ports of entry will detain palm oil and products containing palm oil produced by Sime Darby Plantation Berhad and its subsidiaries, joint ventures, and affiliated entities in Malaysia. The issuance of a
December 31, 2020
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by Brian Jennings (American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The American Coalition for Ethanol is ready to execute on Accelerate, a roadmap for sparking new demand for ethanol. The plan is built around implementing new clean fuel policies, protecting what already exists and growing ethanol markets globally. … Indeed, a
December 30, 2020
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by Alex Tiller (Carbonvert Inc./Ethanol Producer Magazine) The road to qualifying for the 45Q tax credit can be confusing, with strict limitations on project phases and what constitutes start of construction. But, navigated properly, the credit is a promising opportunity. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) presents a tremendous financial opportunity
December 30, 2020
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by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) As biofuel producers attempt to force EPA to restore 500 million gallons that a court found were improperly waived from the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2016, a petroleum interest group is arguing those groups have no right to have the gallons remanded. In 2017, the
December 30, 2020
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday said it was finalizing the first-ever proposed standards regulating greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes. The EPA said its new requirements for airplanes used in commercial aviation and for large business jets would align the United States with international
December 29, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … In today’s Digest, we look at the HOTTEST Digest Slide Guides like Corbion’s biobased Poly Lactic Acid (PLA), Gevo’s low carbon drop-in transportation fuels, Neste, an exclusive Digest Q&A with Clariant, and even some hydrogen. Check out what YOU, the readers, found the most
December 29, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) If you missed Kurt Kovarik, National Biodiesel Board’s VP of Federal Affairs, at ABLC this summer, check out this slide guide where he outlines NBB’s vision, their new mission of 15 billion gallons of biodiesel by 2050, trends behind those numbers and growth, a look
December 27, 2020
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by Patrick Newkumet (Oil Price Information Service) Renewable fuel industry officials are mostly optimistic that the incoming Biden administration will be more supportive of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) than the Trump White House, though some worry that the president-elect’s promised aggressive approach to carbon emission reductions could have impacts
December 24, 2020
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by Michelle Lewis (Electrek) Pete Buttigieg, casually known as “Mayor Pete” since he was mayor of South Bend, Indiana, for eight years, was nominated last week by President-elect Joe Biden to be secretary of transportation. Buttigieg reiterated what he wants for the future of electric cars in the US late
December 23, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The $1.4 trillion spending package includes appropriation for Fiscal Year 2021, the COVID stimulus package, extensions of popular tax credits that otherwise expired on December 31st, and the Energy Act of 2020, a $35B version of a larger energy bill that has been drifting around
December 23, 2020
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(Haldoe Topsoe) The world’s first podcast about renewables for the refinery industry season two. This time, Sylvain Verdier and Mikala Grubb from Topsoe look into some of the most pressing topics in renewables and the refining industry, including trends in advanced biofuels and hydrogen, pyrolysis and its challenges and opportunities,
December 22, 2020
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by John Herath (Farm Journal AgWeb) President-Elect Joe Biden officially announced his climate cabinet on Saturday, including the nomination of Michael Regan of North Carolina to be EPA Administrator. On the eve of that announcement, Regan was on the phone with the CEO of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA). “Friday
December 21, 2020
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by Dave Collings (1898 & Co./Burns & McDonnell) Renewable diesel — also known as green diesel, hydrotreated vegetable oil, or hydrotreated esters and fatty acids — has now gained widespread attention throughout the world. This growing interest is turning into action as existing renewable fuels companies build grassroots facilities and
December 21, 2020
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by Dave Collings (1898 & Co./Burns & McDonnell) As developers, investors and plant operators explore options to increase production and market share of renewable fuels, the concept of carbon intensity (CI) must be well-understood. It might be the deciding factor that determines economic viability of your biofuels project. In California and
December 21, 2020
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by Dave Collings (1898 & Co./Burns & McDonnell) For organizations looking to develop, construct and commission a new renewable diesel plant, it’s important to understand the various market conditions at play to avoid poorly made investments and the pitfalls of lost future opportunities. Since 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) continued
December 21, 2020
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by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Each year, DTN publishes our choices for the top 10 ag news stories of the year, as selected by DTN analysts, editors and reporters. Today, we continue the countdown with No. 9 looking at some of the challenges ethanol faced during 2020, including shutting
December 21, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA released updated small refinery exemption (SRE) data on Dec. 17, reporting that five additional SRE petitions have been filed with the agency seeking exemptions of Renewable Fuel Standard blending requirements. The status of three other SRE petitions appear to have been changed
December 18, 2020
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by Brady Dennis (Washington Post) President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Brenda Mallory, a longtime expert in environmental law and regulation, to head the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality, according to several people familiar with the decision who spoke anonymously because the appointment has not been publicly announced. The nomination
December 17, 2020
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by Brady Dennis, Steven Mufson and Juliet Eilperin (Washington Post) President-elect Joe Biden will choose to nominate Michael S. Regan, who heads the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, as the next Environmental Protection Agency administrator, according to two individuals who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it has
December 17, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Information released by the White House Office of Management and budget indicates the a proposed rule to set 2021 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard could be released soon. A rulemaking is also underway to alter E15 labeling requirements. The OMB on
December 16, 2020
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by Miranda Green (The New Republic) … California’s pathbreaking climate measures range from a ban on future car combustion engine sales to setting a historic 100 percent clean energy goal by 2045. And in order to implement Joe Biden’s still more ambitious campaign promise to run the country entirely on carbon-free energy by 2035, the transition
December 11, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politco’s Morning Energy) The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court not to review the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decision creating a strict new definition of who qualifies for small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The administration had refrained from its own appeal, but the
December 10, 2020
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(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association, National Biodiesel Board, American Coalition for Ethanol, and National Farmers Union today filed a brief challenging EPA’s August 2019 decision to exempt 31 small refineries from their obligations to comply with the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2018. Collectively known as
December 9, 2020
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by Ben Nuelle (AgriPulse) … Carbon sequestration payments to farmers is something said to be on the table for the incoming Biden administration as a path to address emissions reduction. Duvall said any potential program should be a market-based system and “definitely” has to be voluntary. “(Producers) are more than willing
December 7, 2020
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by Clifford Krauss (New York Times) Used cooking oil is one of the ingredients in renewable diesel, which generates far less emissions than conventional diesel and allows refineries to take advantage of federal and state incentives. — … Companies that refine crude oil into fuel are increasingly using such putrid
December 4, 2020
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by Senators Tom Udall (D-N) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) (New York Times) One hundred years ago, Congress passed the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, setting up a system in which companies lease public lands to wrest valuable oil and gas from the ground. In the century since, the royalties and rent
December 3, 2020
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(Growth Energy) Growth Energy submitted a notice of intent to sue letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding its failure to fulfill its statutory obligation to issue the 2021 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) by November 30th, 2020, an annual deadline set by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The notice gives EPA 60
December 3, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who’s in Hot Water? Some of the Usual Suspects get into the usual trouble. We note that EPA missed the 2021 Renewable Volume Obligation deadline, and Growth Energy threatens a lawsuit. Really. We get tired of reporting on the industry having to (almost annually) sue the government to
December 3, 2020
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by Dean Scott (Bloomberg Law) Growing interest in combining federal, state credits in low-carbon projects; Congress’ inaction on 45Q credit extension a worrying sign for new efforts — A mix of federal and state environmental incentives are drawing investors towards low-carbon, climate-friendly projects, an encouraging sign for President-elect Joe Biden’s call
December 1, 2020
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(Renewable Fuels Association) An annual analysis of vehicle owner’s manuals and warranty statements by the Renewable Fuels Association reveals that while nearly all new 2021 automobiles are explicitly approved by the manufacturer to use E15 gasoline, far fewer models are being offered as flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) capable of operating on fuel blends
December 1, 2020
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) Ford Motor Co is urging major automakers to consider backing a framework deal with California on vehicle emissions in a bid to reach industry consensus before President-elect Joe Biden takes office, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Monday. Major automakers are set to discuss
December 1, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA has missed its Nov. 30 statutory deadline to set the 2021 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard, as well as the 2021 RVO for biomass-based diesel. While the delay was not unexpected, representatives of the biofuels industry are expressing frustration
December 1, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … (T)he overriding objective should be to increase demand, which increases ethanol volume and corn grind. With that in mind, do we continue to fight for what is almost certain to be a reduced RFS that in addition to lower RVOs pits us against
November 30, 2020
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By Laura Sanicola (Reuters) If U.S. President-elect Joe Biden tries to restrict development of oil and gas drilling on federal lands, the American Petroleum Institute (API) will use “every tool at its disposal” including legal action, chief executive Mike Sommers said in an interview with Reuters on Monday. Biden has said
November 25, 2020
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(Renewable Fuels Association) Today, a coalition of the nation’s largest biofuels and agricultural trade groups filed a motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia asking the court to enforce its 2017 decision requiring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address its improper waiver of 500 million gallons of biofuel demand in the 2016 renewable volume obligation (RVO).
November 24, 2020
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by Christina Stella (WVIK/NPR) … As Americans hunkered down for lockdowns, gasoline demand across the country plummeted. Ethanol industry leaders issued warnings that the financial repercussions of widespread lockdowns could be significant to plants across the country. They later reported half of the nation’s facilities were forced to shut down. Most ethanol
November 23, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) Some of the largest biofuels companies plan to ask Biden to impose a nationwide standard to reduce carbon emissions from transport fuels, Reuters reports, citing five sources familiar with the matter. The push reflects the industry’s “increasing concern about the future as Biden prepares measures
November 23, 2020
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(Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor today outlined the biofuels industry’s top federal priorities for 2021, highlighting key measures that elected leaders must take to protect the climate, revitalize rural communities, and offer more consumers clean, affordable options to fuel their cars. “Biofuels, including plant-based ethanol, are critical
November 20, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA released updated small refinery exemption (SRE) data on Nov. 19, reporting that six additional SRE petitions have been filed with the agency, including one for Renewable Fuel Standard compliance year 2019 and five for compliance year 2020. No other changes were made
November 20, 2020
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(Carbon 180) We partner with policymakers, scientists, and businesses around the globe to develop policy, promote research, and advance solutions that transform carbon from a pollutant to a resource and foster a prosperous, carbon-conscious economy that removes more from the atmosphere than we emit. … The next administration will need
November 19, 2020
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(Growth Energy) Today, U.S. Representatives Cheri Bustos (D-IL) and Jim Hagedorn (R-MN) introduced the Streamlining Advanced Biofuels Registration Act of 2020 to encourage low-carbon fuel production and increase production of cellulosic biomass into renewable fuels. This legislation would expedite the approval process at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for low-carbon biofuel
November 19, 2020
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by Sebastien Malo (Reuters/WestLaw) A federal appeals court vacated for the second time on Tuesday a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency denial of small oil refinery Ergon West Virginia Inc’s (EWVI) request for an exemption from the country’s biofuel regulations after finding the agency had treated a similar business differently, to EWVI’s
November 18, 2020
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(95.3 MNC) Jasper County, Indiana will soon have its first E15 fueling station thanks to efforts from two farmer-owned cooperatives and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. … Ceres Solutions owns the CountryMark-branded station on North McKinley Avenue in Rensselaer, Indiana, where the new fuel will be made available later this
November 16, 2020
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(WNAX) Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley told farm reporters Thursday that 2020 has been a tenuous year for renewable fuels. He says ethanol demand has been hurt by the pandemic and gap year waiver requests for refiners has created a lot of questions. He says the EPA Administrator announced this week they
November 16, 2020
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by Nichola Groom, David Shepardson (Reuters) California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols, who sources say could be the next federal environment chief, said on Thursday her state’s agreement with manor automakers for fuel efficiency requirements could serve as a “good template” for federal standards through 2025. The Trump administration in
November 13, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Did the bioeconomy win or lose? If you missed the conversation on Thursday at DigestConnect, check out this slide guide from Mike McAdams, President of Advanced Biofuels Association for his post-election analysis from the Presidential race to key House and Senate races, the COVID-19 focus,
November 10, 2020
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RFA president and CEO Geoff Cooper reminds us that President Elect Joe Biden committed on the campaign trail to put an end to the Trump Administration’s EPA small refinery waivers on day one according to Brownfield Ag News. READ MORE
November 10, 2020
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by Stephanie Kelly and Laura Sanicola (Reuters) Renewable fuels are a niche market for now, but with Democratic President-Elect Joe Biden set to enter office with a divided Congress, legislation supporting demand for products like renewable diesel could garner bipartisan support. Biden, elected president last week, defeating Republican Donald Trump,
November 10, 2020
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by Katie Pratt (University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment) Sulfur found in biofuel feedstock could pose serious problems to the industry, because it causes pollution, is toxic to the catalyst and corrosive to biorefinery equipment. A national group of scientists and industry partners led by researchers at the
November 6, 2020
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by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) The EPA has asked the Supreme Court for an extension to file a response to a refiner’s petition for review of an appeals court’s January 2020 ruling on small-refinery exemptions. HollyFrontier Corp. appealed to the high court in September after the U.S. Court of Appeals
November 6, 2020
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by Janet McGurty (S&P Global Platts) Government incentives drive renewable diesel projects growth; Demand up as regional low carbon regulations increase — Once the scourge of the US refining industry, some refiners are now looking to renewable fuels to help their bottom lines and keep their facilities operational. Despite many millions spent
November 5, 2020
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by Rod Swoboda (Wallaces Farmer) … Poet’s cellulosic ethanol plant at Emmetsburg was named Project Liberty. Following Poet’s lead, two other companies built cellulosic ethanol plants — one in Kansas and one at Nevada in central Iowa. The owners of those two plants ended up selling their facilities by the end
November 4, 2020
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by Meghan Gordon (S&P Global Platts) Republican played key role in biofuel mandate talks; Opponent supported clean energy, denounced ‘Big Oil’; Ernst took heat for commodity prices, EPA confirmation — US Senator Joni Ernst, Republican-Iowa, held onto her seat after a tight race that tested her support of biofuel makers and knowledge of
November 4, 2020
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by John Herath (Farm Journal’s Ag Pro) Wheeler (EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler) said on the AgriTalk Radio Show on Monday that he will not consider those waiver requests until after the courts have spoken on that appeal. “The refiners appealed that to the Supreme Court; we’re waiting to see if they
November 3, 2020
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by Chris Dunker (Lincoln Journal Star) In lifting a restriction on the sale of E15 during summer months, corn growers and ethanol producers praised President Donald Trump for removing a major roadblock to expanding sale of the 15% ethanol blend. … The change has helped corn farmers, ethanol production facilities,
November 2, 2020
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by Kim Chipman and Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg Green) Presidential, Iowa Senate races put biofuel in spotlight; Renewable Fuel Standard uncertainty clouds ethanol outlook — … The winner will oversee a “reset” of the congressional mandate to blend biofuels with gasoline. This new phase of the Renewable Fuel Standard, created in 2005
November 2, 2020
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by Marc Berger (Daily Citizen) … The EPA announced that E15 — a gasoline blend made with 15% ethanol — can be pumped through existing E10 infrastructure, helping expand the market for ethanol at a critical time. Despite this, we’re still waiting on concrete action to make this news a
October 30, 2020
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(Growth Energy/Renewable Fuels Association) Upon the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) failure to adequately respond to several Freedom of Information Act requests filed by the biofuels industry regarding the small refinery exemption (SRE) program and EPA’s radical escalation in granting SREs in recent years, Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association filed
October 28, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) One of the top 5 registered producers of cellulosic biofuel in the U.S., Iogen’s Brian Foody shared this illuminating slide guide at ABLC 2020 on what cellulosic biogas is and how is it used today, RNG’s market segment, renewable hydrogen, transportation applications and technology, transportation
October 28, 2020
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(Renewable Fuels Association) In comments submitted today to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding emissions standard compliance calculations for Flex Fuel vehicles (FFVs), the Renewable Fuels Association supported the EPA’s new approach to maintaining some level of certainty for automakers in the absence of future guidance. At the same time, however, RFA called
October 27, 2020
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by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering changes to labels for gasoline containing higher blends of ethanol, or E15, in an effort to appease the biofuel industry’s concerns that current labels discourage use of the fuel, according to four sources familiar with the matter. Expanding the market
October 27, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) COVID-19 has impacted every industry in some way, but Mike McCurdy from ICF shared this slide guide at ABLC2020 demonstrating how COVID-19 has had limited impact on some areas for renewable fuels and how compliance fuels’ three-legged stool has reduced volatility, which has thus piqued interest
October 27, 2020
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by K. Johnson (Storm Lake Times) … I hear a lot of political lip service these days about reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and cleaning up the air. Alcohol from corn and grains should be a major part of that reduction. Ethanol should be key to transitioning to a clean
October 26, 2020
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(WNAX) Senators from 15 oil producing states have written to the EPA Administrator asking him to freeze the Renewable Fuel Standard for 2021. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says courts have already determined that what they’re asking for is not legal. He says there are definite political reasons
October 26, 2020
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by Martin Wahl (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) This is the first in a series of articles being prepared by Lee Enterprises Consulting experts addressing opportunities and concerns for the growing hemp and cannabis industries. Topics will include cultivation, feedstock management, project financing, offtake agreement processing and product development with a focus
October 26, 2020
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(Solutions from the Land) NACSAA ‘Capstone Submission’ Stresses CSA Is ‘Foundational’ to Global Agreement — North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance has handed over its capstone submission into the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture, the global platform for ag policy negotiations, repeating its contention that the use of a Climate
October 23, 2020
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At ABLC 2021 we’ll be focused on three interlocked strands: emerging technologies and the feedstocks they work with, the vibrant stream of commercial-scale project, what the policy outlook for the 2020s will be like? Stability? Will there be the incentives and markets where lowest-carbon fuels, renewable chemicals, protein, advanced foods and sustainable
October 22, 2020
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by George Miller (Columbus Dispatch) … From geothermal steam in Nevada to the low-carbon biofuel feedstocks harvested across Ohio, carbon savings are available through the labor and ingenuity of green energy workers in every community. We’ve seen this strategy work in California, where the clean energy industry already supports 475,000 jobs
October 21, 2020
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by Doug Rebout (GazetteXtra) … The EPA has consistently undercut the Renewable Fuel Standard by granting Small Refinery Exemptions—or waivers—to big oil, essentially cutting billions of gallons of biofuel demand and cutting off this vital market to corn farmers. The president has an opportunity to make this right and follow
October 19, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA on Oct. 15 issued its final Fuels Streamlining Rule, which streamlines the agency’s existing regulations for gasoline, diesel and other fuels. It does not, however, change the stringency of existing fuel quality standards. The new rule goes into effect on Jan. 1.
October 19, 2020
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by Nora Goldstein (BioCycle Magazine) Reinford Farms in central Pennsylvania has been a pioneer in integrating codigestion of manure and food waste on a dairy farm. — … In 2008, Reinford Farms installed a 526,000-gallon complete-mix anaerobic digester supplied by RCM (now known as Martin Construction Resources (MCR)), sized to treat
October 16, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA released updated small refinery exemption (SRE) data on Oct. 15, reporting two additional SRE petitions have been filed for Renewable Fuel Standard compliance year 2019. No other changes were made to the agency’s SRE data. According to the EPA’s SRE data dashboard,
October 16, 2020
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by Erin Murphy (The Courier) Campaigning in Iowa on Wednesday night, President Donald Trump touted his administration’s work to boost the ethanol industry and help farmers in Iowa. Trump’s administration this year issued a rule that allows gas stations to sell a higher ethanol blend year-round. “They were killing ethanol,”
October 16, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) commissioners approved a policy statement that they are open to establishing market rules that will allow for putting a price on carbon dioxide emissions. The statement, which was not immediately released publicly, does not take action to implement a
October 16, 2020
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by Maddie Biertempfel (KXNet) Midwest AgEnergy’s Blue Flint biorefinery in Underwood turns corn into ethanol, but that process’s byproduct, carbon dioxide, can be harmful to the environment. The energy company is working to mitigate those effects by testing out a carbon capture well. “This project will allow the biogenic CO2 that
October 15, 2020
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by Rachel Frazin (The Hill Overnight Energy) During the second day during the politically-charged confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination for the Supreme Court, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) invoked environmental issues to ask the nominee for her views on administrative rulemaking. … Ernst, who has been an outspoken opponent of
October 14, 2020
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(Diesel Technology Forum) … “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimate that the Commercial Vehicle Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Standards Phase 1 rules saved 270 million tons CO2 and 530 million barrels of oil between 2014 and 2018, and that the Phase 2 rules
October 13, 2020
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by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) With his $2 trillion plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions, Joe Biden might seem a far from ideal president for the Texas oil and gas industry. But new analysis by Goldman Sachs says that compared with a second term of the Trump administration, a Biden presidency
October 13, 2020
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by Mike Newman (Parhelion Underwriting Inc./Biofuels Digest) Connecting people from renewable fuels companies with projects they want to finance to the people who can finance them was a key goal for Parhelion Underwriting’s recent virtual roundtable. The finance panel included Justin Goldstein from Goldman Sachs, John May from Hamilton Clark and
October 13, 2020
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(U.S. Department of Energy/Federal Register) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment on its Request for Information (RFI) number DE-FOA-0002372 regarding the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Medium- and Heavy-Duty Truck Research and Development Activities & SuperTruck Initiative. The purpose of this RFI is to
October 9, 2020
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by Steve Kopperud (Brownfield Ag News) This was the week agriculture – organized and individual – emerged from the political closet and started laying down markers for the November 3 election. The Ag CEO Council, comprised of the heads of 21 of the nation’s largest ag groups, including the American Farm Bureau
October 9, 2020
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by Chris Teale (Smart Cities Dive) More than 200 elected officials at the city and state level issued a joint declaration Thursday calling on automakers to stop supporting the Trump administration’s rollback of national and state clean car standards. The “Clean Cars Declaration” urges General Motors (GM), Toyota, Fiat Chrysler, Nissan, Subaru, Hyundai and
October 9, 2020
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by Eric Wolff (Politico’s Morning Energy) The Trump carbon rules for power plants goes to court in a mirror image of the case from 2016 when the Obama administration’s more stringent rules faced the judges. — … It’s déjà vu all over again for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals as
October 8, 2020
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by Dave VanderGriend (ICM/Urban Air Initiative/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … But what we thought we did know was that he (President Donald Trump) was determined to remove regulations that were holding back American business. So that held some excitement and promise as to the art of the possible. As we looked
October 7, 2020
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A survey of ethanol plant CEOs and general managers shows the COVID-19 downturn had a significant impact on their operations. Most producers have substantially ramped up production since spring, but a full recovery is expected to take many months. … About 84% of CEOs
October 7, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The 106-billion-gallon global (21-billion-gallon domestic) commercial jet fuel market is projected to grow to over 230 billion gallons by 2050. Cost-competitive sustainable alternative jet fuels for aviation are needed to decouple carbon growth from market growth. With this in mind, the U.S. Department of Energy
October 7, 2020
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(Biogenic CO2 Coalition) Scientifically Backed Change in Status of Carbon Emissions from Ag Feedstocks Could Provide Massive Boost to Struggling U.S. Economy — The Biogenic CO2 Coalition, a working group of leading trade associations that support American agriculture, today released a new economic impact analysis in support of its petition for a U.S. Environmental
October 6, 2020
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by Ryan McCrimmon (Politico) The agriculture secretary has kept farmers in Trump’s corner, but Democrats claim he crosses the line between public duties and political promotion. — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue offered a spirited pitch for voters to reelect President Donald Trump at an official USDA event with North Carolina food
October 5, 2020
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(Bergeson & Campbell) On September 29, 2020, EPA announced that it has submitted for review and approval an information collection request (ICR) on Anaerobic Digestion Facilities Processing Wasted Food to Support EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Program and Sustainable Management of Food Efforts to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). EPA’s Federal
October 2, 2020
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) Despite estimates that ethanol producers could lose up to $8 billion this year, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue says he has no authority to make payments to plants through the Commodity Credit Corporation under the latest round of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 2). The secretary
September 30, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) Securities and Exchange Commission member Allison Herren Lee said on Tuesday that “climate change presents a systemic risk to the financial market” and that “there’s certainly evidence that climate risks are currently underpriced.” Lee, who was appointed to the SEC by Trump, said she wants
September 30, 2020
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by Art Cullen (Washington Post/Storm Lake Times) One big reason Republicans are shoving a Supreme Court appointment through the Senate before the election is their rising fear of losing the upper chamber — and the White House — in November. Those fears are well-founded. Two weeks ago, one of the
September 29, 2020
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by John Herath (Farm Journal Ag Web) … They (Pro Farmer’s Jim Wiesemeyer and Farm Journal’s John Herath) also lay out how the oil and biofuels industries need to work together if they want to preserve a future for liquid motor fuels. READ MORE includes VIDEO at 28:40
September 28, 2020
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by Robert Rapier (Forbes) This week at a campaign rally in Jacksonville, Florida, President Trump made a puzzling claim. Near the end of a story about Kamala Harris, Trump said “The great state of Iowa — where I made ethanol possible for them…” I can’t even begin to understand what that means, but
September 28, 2020
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by Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) …What did become clear was Democrats in both the House and the Senate are paying more attention to biofuels at the moment. And yet, given that Congress is going to pass a temporary funding bill, and then go campaign, it’s probably going to take
September 28, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) The D.C. Circuit on Friday hosted the annual legal rite: a challenge to EPA’s blending mandate under the Renewable Fuel Standard, with this round focusing on the rule governing 2019 requirements. Biofuel producers argued that rule should have added additional ethanol volumes to account for
September 28, 2020
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) The Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act passed by the U.S. House includes provisions of the Renewable Fuel Standard Integrity Act put forth by Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN). The provisions set an annual deadline for refiners to request exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard and requires EPA to publicly
September 25, 2020
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by Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) President Donald Trump, looking to shore up support in the U.S. Farm Belt during a tight race for re-election, is taking steps to help producers of corn-based ethanol using a list of policy goals that a group of Midwest senators discussed with him a
September 24, 2020
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by Doug Durante and Larry Pearce (Morning Consult) … But a bigger problem has existed for decades in the air we don’t see — air polluted with toxic ultra-fine particles, or UFPs. For more than 30 years, a small group of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulators have hidden a far more lethal
September 23, 2020
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(Mankato Free Press) President Donald Trump and his Environmental Protection Agency have about six weeks to keep their promises to farmers on ethanol, which have been broken for the past three years. While farmers have backed Trump in varying degrees since he took office, their wellspring of patience seems to be running
September 23, 2020
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson puts ethanol second only to the hog industry in priority to get some kind of assistance to mitigate losses this year due to coronavirus restrictions. “Because of the price of oil collapsing and people not driving…and also these waivers that have
September 23, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA on Sept. 17 published updated small refinery exemption (SRE) data that reflects the denial of 54 gap year SRE petitions announced by the agency on Sept. 14. The data also shows seven new SRE petitions have been filed in recent weeks, including five
September 22, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA released a proposed rule on April 13 that aims to streamline and modernize the agency’s existing fuels regulations. In the rulemaking, the EPA said it is proposing “some slight modifications to the Renewable Fuel Standard,” but indicated it does not plan
September 22, 2020
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Brian Jennings, CEO of the American Coalition for Ethanol, told audience members at the 2020 Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo during the general session panel Sept. 16 that the gap waiver denial, two days before, is a win, but there’s more work to do. Take
September 22, 2020
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(Rural America 2020) ‘Trump’s Broken Ethanol Promise’ campaign will focus on the President’s failure to deliver on promises on ethanol and E15: Will highlight how Trump has undermined the needs of farmers by providing waivers to big oil to avoid ethanol requirements — 30 billboards launch today across Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan,
September 18, 2020
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(American Coalition for Ethanol) The American Coalition for Ethanol’s fuel-marketer focused Flex Fuel Forward website releases tool for fuel retailers to see how E15-compatible their station is right now. — The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) today launched a tool on its fuel-marketer focused flexfuelforward.com website to provide retailers with a free way
September 18, 2020
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(The Gazette) President Donald Trump has been receiving praise from farm state Republicans for his decision to deny the “gap year” waivers and increase access to E15 corn-based ethanol. But it also was panned by Democrats Wednesday as nothing more than a political ploy. “What the administration has done is really
September 17, 2020
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by Stephanie Kelly, Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The Trump administration is considering at least $300 million in cash aid to U.S. oil refiners that are denied exemptions to U.S. biofuel blending laws for the 2019 compliance year, two sources familiar with the matter said. … Although the administration has yet to
September 17, 2020
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EPA Releases Final Rule Intended to Promote Transparency in Developing Regulatory Guidance Documents
(Bergeson and Campbell) On September 14, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication version of a final rule establishing the procedures and requirements for how EPA will manage the issuance of guidance documents consistent with Executive Order (EO) 13891, “Promoting the Rule of Law Through Improved Agency Guidance Documents.”
September 17, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Seven federal lawmakers sent a letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler on Sept. 15 expressing disappointment with the agency’s failure to cooperate with the Government Accountability Office’s investigation into the small refinery exemption (SRE) wavier process. The investigation has been ongoing for several months.
September 16, 2020
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by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden late on Tuesday attacked President Donald Trump’s record on ethanol, saying his administration’s recent moves to help the industry were too little, too late and transparently political. U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden late on Tuesday attacked President Donald Trump’s
September 16, 2020
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(Biogenic CO2 Coalition) Includes Legal Justification to Change Status of Carbon Emissions from Ag Feedstocks — The Biogenic CO2 Coalition today filed a Petition for Rulemaking with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), providing a detailed explanation of the scientific and legal basis for the agency to propose a rule to recognize that biogenic carbon emissions
September 15, 2020
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by John Herath (Farm Journal Ag/Web) Applications for oil refiners to be exempted from the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) have been a contentious election for President Donald Trump in Iowa. His administration took a step to alleviate those political pressures Monday by denying so-called “gap year” waiver requests. The 10th Circuit
September 14, 2020
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by Rachel Koning Beals (Market Watch) At least one farm group says gesture doesn’t wipe out a pro-Big Oil presidency to date — Trump has approved using existing filling station pumps to distribute higher-ethanol gasoline. “Subject only to State approval, our important Ethanol Industry will be allowed to use the 10% Pumps
September 14, 2020
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by Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg) Trump administration officials are developing a plan to offset the potential economic damage of denying dozens of refineries waivers from biofuel-usage mandates: giving them financial aid. The approach is actively being discussed by top Environmental Protection Agency officials as the administration courts two important voting blocs for President
September 12, 2020
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(KTIC Radio/Renew Kansas) Renew Kansas Biofuels Association submitted written comments to Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) regarding the agency’s notice of public hearing on its proposal to revoke an existing regulation limiting the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) of ethanol-blended motor vehicle fuel sold in the Kansas City area during
September 10, 2020
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In New York state, Reuters reports that RIN prices skyrocketed a two-year high of 55 cents for D6 credits on the back of its exclusive story that President Trump told the EPA to deny all gap-year SRE applications. The RIN prices, not seen that high since
September 10, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politco’s Morning Energy) Friday was the last day to ask the Supreme Court whether it would review a 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decision from January that threatened the entire refinery exemption program under the Renewable Fuel Standard. There is no evidence at this point that the
September 8, 2020
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by Robert Tuttle (Bloomberg) The latest sign of a worldwide energy transition: Massive oil refineries across the western U.S. are being converted into biofuel plants. Phillips 66 on Wednesday became the latest in a string of U.S. refiners to say it’s converting an oil refinery in California into a biofuel plant as
September 7, 2020
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by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) … And with the election just two months away, all signs are Trump is trying to push back a decision on the how much ethanol to blend into the nation’s gasoline supply until after the ballots are cast, so as not to alienate voters in
September 4, 2020
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by Jim Ramm (EcoEngineers) The VRIN is an important piece to maintaining RFS compliance — Intimate knowledge of clean fuel regulations and record-keeping requirements is needed to maintain compliance in the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The USEPA bases much of its compliance enforcement on the number of renewable energy credits
September 1, 2020
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USDA Accepting Comments on Information Request Related to HBBIP DEADLINE: November 30, 2020
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The USDA is accepting comments on a proposed information collection request related to the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program. In a notice published in the Federal Register, the USDA said the information collection is needed for the USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service to identify eligible applicants seeking