Federal Regulation – Advanced BioFuels USA

EPA Seeks Input from Small Businesses on Potential Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles for Model Years 2027 and Later DEADLINE: May 31, 2022

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting small businesses to participate as Small Entity Representatives (SERs) for a Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel. This Panel will focus on the agency’s development of a rule that would propose to reduce air pollutant emissions, including greenhouse gas

May 16, 2022 Read Full Article

RFA Hits Back at Ad Attacking RFS

by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Chief Economist Scott Richman hits back at a new ad campaign by an oil refiners coalition that blames high gas prices on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in a blog post explaining the inconvenient truth that refiners are making record profits while consumers pay at the pump.

May 16, 2022 Read Full Article

Oil Refineries Continue Attacks on the RFS While Enjoying Record Profit Margins

by Scott Richman (Renewable Fuels Association) If you watched the Sunday morning talk shows last weekend, you might have noticed a new advertisement (paid for by oil refiners) that attacks the Renewable Fuel Standard. The ad notes that consumers are paying record-high prices at the pump (something that has nothing to do with

May 13, 2022 Read Full Article

E15: Silver Bullet for Gasoline Prices?

by Adam Schubert (Stillwater Associates) On April 12th, President Biden announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would issue an emergency waiver of federal gasoline Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) regulations this summer for E15—a 15% blend of ethanol with gasoline. This action was finalized on April 29th. As ethanol is

May 12, 2022 Read Full Article

Here’s Where Colorado Wants to Capture and Bury 350,000 Tons of Carbon Dioxide Each Year

by Michael Booth (Colorado Sun) Carbon America will gather 350,000 tons of carbon a year from Yuma and Sterling ethanol makers and store it deep underground in climate change fight. A pioneering carbon capture company wants to take the climate change fight to northeastern Colorado by gathering 350,000 tons of

May 12, 2022 Read Full Article

Research Group Urges EPA to Nix ZEV Credit System

by Arianna Skibell (E&E News) The International Council on Clean Transportation says the proposed zero-emission vehicle credit system, which allows manufacturers to use EV credits to offset emissions, would raise the pollution limit. The International Council on Clean Transportation is calling on EPA to abandon its proposed zero-emission vehicle credit

May 12, 2022 Read Full Article

The White House and 360Fuel Combine Forces to Advance Alternative Energy Infrastructure

(360 Fuel) The White House has unveiled a new strategy and investments as part of a long-term commitment to spur smart development and adoption of sustainable, homegrown fuels across the United States (U.S.). The President declared new steps to achieve this goal by increasing fuel supply, offering new options for consumers, and

May 12, 2022 Read Full Article

Refiners Sue EPA over Retroactive RFS Waiver Denials, Sparking Venue Fight

(Inside EPA) Refiners are suing EPA in different federal appellate courts over the agency’s novel retroactive denial of 36 waivers from renewable fuel standard (RFS) biofuel blending obligations for 2018, signaling a venue fight with EPA that may set a precedent for other possible litigation. Louisiana refiner Calumet Shreveport Refining

May 10, 2022 Read Full Article

U.S. EPA Administrator Regan Talks RVOs, SREs on Agritalk Radio

(Growth Energy) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan joined Agritalk Radio to discuss the latest news on SREs, RVOs, and the future of the RFS. On EPA proposing to deny all pending SRE requests…. I believe we need to be on course to grow biofuels in this country, and

May 10, 2022 Read Full Article

Notice of Public Comment Period on the Pool of Candidate Peer Reviewers for the Biofuels and the Environment: Third Triennial Report to Congress DEADLINE: May 24, 2022

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 15-day public comment period on the pool of twenty (20) candidates for the external peer review of the Biofuels and the Environment: Third Triennial Report to Congress (RtC3). The peer review will be conducted under the framework

May 10, 2022 Read Full Article

Breaking It Down Tax Credit Incentives for Carbon Sequestration: Potentially the Most Impactful U.S. Policy to Battle Climate Change

by Bryen Alperin, Gary Blitz, Sarah Grey, Steve Whittaker, John Koenig, John Pierce, and Jason Kuzma (Carbon Capture Magazine) The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 expanded the 45Q tax credit, the most important federal incentive for encouraging private investment in the development and use of carbon capture technologies and facilities.

May 9, 2022 Read Full Article

Ethanol’s Biggest Problem Is PR

(News Press Now) Normally, any move to increase the supply of renewable fuel should draw widespread praise. Even more so if this measure saves the average consumer $9 a month and reduces dependency on oil exports that finance Russia’s war of brutality in Ukraine. But that’s not the case with

May 9, 2022 Read Full Article

Iowa’s Democratic U.S. Senate Hopefuls Differ on Foreign Policy, Ethanol

by Erin Murphy (Sioux City Journal) …Differences over a hard line on when to send U.S. troops to Ukraine and over ethanol policy were among the few contrasts to emerge during a televised debate Saturday night between the Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate in Iowa. … The candidates also had

May 9, 2022 Read Full Article

EPA Holds Meeting on TSCA New Chemicals Collaborative Research Program Public Comments DEADLINE: May 10, 2022

by Lynn L. Bergeson (Bergeson & Campbell) On April 20-21, 2022, EPA held a virtual public meeting to provide an overview of the TSCA New Chemicals Collaborative Research Program and give stakeholders an opportunity to provide input. As reported in our March 14, 2022, memorandum on the draft document entitled “Modernizing the Process and

May 9, 2022 Read Full Article

CO2 Pipelines Are Coming. A Pipeline Safety Expert Says We’re Not Ready.

by Emily Pontecorvo (Grist) Companies want to build pipelines to capture and store carbon, but a new report warns that regulators aren’t prepared. — … But as the number of pipeline proposals multiplies, a new report commissioned by the Pipeline Safety Trust, a nonprofit advocacy group, warns that CO2 pipeline regulations aren’t

May 6, 2022 Read Full Article

OSTP Improves the Federal Definition of ‘Sustainable Chemistry’ Public Comment DEADLINE: June 3, 2022

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The Office of Science and Technology Policy, a part of the Executive Office of the President, is taking action to improve the federal definition of “sustainable chemistry” via a public comment period that is open through June 3. The OSTP published a notice of request for

May 6, 2022 Read Full Article

Year-Round E15 Is a Good First Step, But More Is Needed to Confront the New Energy Crisis

by C. Boyden Gray (Real Clean Energy) … I’s also one of the most cost-effective green energy solutions available. This is because ethanol is the world’s cheapest and cleanest source of octane. High octane fuels made with ethanol are not only cheaper than unblended gasoline, but they also enable engine designers to

May 6, 2022 Read Full Article

Monetizing Net-Zero and Net-Negative GHG Ethanol

by Brian Jennings (American Coalition for Ethanol) Climate-smart farming practices, efficiencies at ethanol plants, and the capture and sequestration of biogenic CO2 from facilities puts ethanol on a trajectory to reach both net-zero and net-negative emissions, a trajectory that is unique to ethanol. … (D)uring its final meeting of 2021,

May 5, 2022 Read Full Article

Kelly Says Permanent E15 Sales Can Curb Inflation and Could Increase Demand

by Kellan Heavican (Brownfield Ag News) Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says the ethanol industry can support increased demand for permanent, year-round sales of E15. She tells Brownfield there’s adequate infrastructure to deliver the fuel to retailers. “There is now. Now, if demand is goes sky high, we may have to beef

May 5, 2022 Read Full Article

USDA Report Highlights Hurdles to Higher Ethanol Blends

(Farm Journal Ag/Web/Pro Farmer Editors) Biofuel and farm groups see E15 and other higher blends of corn ethanol into gasoline as the strategy to increased sales, but the current structure of the Renewable Fuel Standard “does not serve to incentivize ethanol blends higher than E10,” according to a report from

May 5, 2022 Read Full Article

Opinion: Ethanol Helps Cut Toxic Emissions

by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Washington Post) Americans should be thanking President Biden for allowing the continued sale of lower-cost, lower-carbon E15 this summer (letters, “No more ethanol in gas,” April 22). E15 is saving drivers as much as 30 cents per gallon, cutting the typical U.S. household’s annual fuel bill by

May 4, 2022 Read Full Article

U.S. EPA Sends Biofuel Blending Mandate Rule to White House for Final Review

by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has sent a rule on U.S. biofuel blending mandates to the White House for final review, according to a notice posted by the Office of Management and Budget. The oil and biofuel industries, which have in the past been at odds over

May 3, 2022 Read Full Article

EPA Denies Sinclair’s Exemption For Ethanol Content

by Leo Wolfson (Cowboy State Daily) One of Wyoming’s three oil refineries is among 36 nationally to have its request to be exempted from biofuel blending rules refused. Documents filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals showed the Sinclair Refinery near Rawlins applied with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for an

May 2, 2022 Read Full Article

U.S. EPA Issues Waiver to Allow Temporary Sales of Summertime Higher-Ethanol Fuel

by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency waiver for a higher-ethanol gasoline blend on Friday, allowing summertime sales of the fuel in an attempt to help lower gasoline prices at the pump. The move represents a temporary win for the biofuels industry and corn farmers, as

May 2, 2022 Read Full Article

U.S. Governors Seek to Expand Sales of Higher-Ethanol Gasoline Blend

by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) U.S. governors from eight Midwest states, many of which are major corn producers, asked the Biden administration on Thursday to apply rules that would allow gasoline blended with a higher level of ethanol to be sold year-round in their states. Governors from Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota said

April 29, 2022 Read Full Article

It’s Time For Ethanol Honesty: Sparring with the New Spate of Anti-Ethanol Scatological Slurs

by Marc J. Rauch (The Auto Channel) The April announcement by Joe Biden that E15 would be allowed to be sold year-round set off a frenzied spate of new attacks on the good fuel…the clean fuel…the 100% domestically produced fuel: ETHANOL. TV and radio stations all over the country have been

April 27, 2022 Read Full Article

Growth Energy Holds EPA to RVO Deadline of June 3rd

(Growth Energy) The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia today (April 25, 2022) approved a consent decree agreement between Growth Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that requires EPA to finalize its 2020-2022 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) by no later than June 3rd. The consent decree follows

April 27, 2022 Read Full Article

Gov. Reynolds Issues Statement on Bipartisan Passage of Biofuels Bill

(Office of Governor Kim Reynolds (R-IA)) Gov. Reynolds released the following statement today in response to the legislature passing HF2128: “This is a historic win for Iowa families, for our agriculture and biofuels industry, and for Iowa’s entire economy. By increasing access to more affordable, homegrown biofuels made right here in Iowa,

April 27, 2022 Read Full Article

RFA Offers E15 Fact Check List

by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) Media coverage of President Biden’s announcement last Tuesday that consumers will continue to have access to lower-cost 15% ethanol fuel this summer contained a great deal of misinformation, despite the best efforts of the ethanol industry to get the facts out. In a blog post Monday, Renewable

April 26, 2022 Read Full Article

Our Ohio Weekly: America’s Biofuels Industry

by Ty Higgins (Ohio Farm Bureau) Last week, the Biden administration discussed how its strategy to spur the development of homegrown biofuels is critical to expanding Americans’ options for affordable fuel in the short term and to building real energy independence in the long term by reducing our reliance on

April 26, 2022 Read Full Article

Glacial Lakes Energy, LLC Calls on Congressional Delegation to Double up on E15

(Great Lakes Energy) Says E30 Blends Can More than Offset the loss of Russian Oil, No RVP Waiver Needed — – Opening the door to 30% ethanol blends would save consumers billions of dollars at the gas pump and reduce imported oil by as much as one billion barrels per

April 26, 2022 Read Full Article

Feature: Rising US Gasoline Costs, Refinery Closures and the Renewable Fuel Standard

by Janet McGurty (S&P Global) US refiners seek remedy for high gasoline prices; High RFS costs shut refineries, cuts supply; E15 waiver directly helps Midwestern drivers — US refiners are taking their plea to the public with a new ad campaign launched by Fueling American Jobs Coalition asking President Biden to lower gasoline

April 25, 2022 Read Full Article

Biden Restores Climate to NEPA, Undoing Trump’s Efforts

by Kelsey Brugger (E&E News) … The Council on Environmental Quality finalized the first phase of planned changes to the rules governing NEPA, a core environmental law that guides federal scrutiny of major projects like pipelines, bridges and transmission lines. The action coincides with other announcements during what climate adviser Gina McCarthy

April 23, 2022 Read Full Article

Cleaning Up In California

by Tom Bryan (Ethanol Producer Magazine) In the lower Central Valley, Calgren Renewable Fuels makes three biofuels—ethanol, biodiesel and renewable natural gas—and the latter operation just keeps growing. — As out-of-state ethanol producers strive for lower carbon intensity scores to make good in California’s market, one legacy low-CI producer in

April 22, 2022 Read Full Article

Ethanol against the World!

by Matt Reese and Dusty Sonnenberg (Ohio’s Country Journal) … “In a life cycle analysis of ethanol and electric vehicles, you have to look at the base load of carbon intensity. Right now, that number is 114 grams of CO2 per megajoule for the U.S. on average. If you took a

April 22, 2022 Read Full Article

Canola Oil Pathways Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Public Comment DEADLINE: May 18, 2022

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) pathways for certain biofuels that are produced from canola/rapeseed oil and is providing an opportunity for comment on the Agency’s lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) analysis of these pathways. With the approval, these fuel pathways

April 21, 2022 Read Full Article

Fact Finders: Will 15% Ethanol Seriously Cut My Gas Mileage?

by Paul Adler (KY3.com) … Most gasoline sold in the U.S. is blended with 10% ethanol. The biofuel is currently cheaper than pure gas. E15 is usually prohibited between June 1st and September 15th. The administration predicts their action will save drivers an average of 10 cents per gallon based on current prices. Fuel Analyst

April 21, 2022 Read Full Article

Ethanol Producers Hope New Tax Credit Will Bring Higher Blends to Gas Pumps

by Alex Whitney (Nebraska.TV) Anyone who has hit the road lately can tell you that the price of gas has gone way up in the last few months. One remedy for high gas prices has been pushing alternative fuels and a recently signed law here in Nebraska is making it even

April 20, 2022 Read Full Article

Carbon Capture Coalition Comments on CEQ’s CCUS Guidance Document

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A public comment period on the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s interim guidance on carbon capture, utilization and sequestration (CCUS) closed on April 18. The Carbon Capture Coalition is among the groups that weighed in on guidance document, which aims to assist federal agencies

April 20, 2022 Read Full Article

“Super Developing” Carbon Capture: The Digest’s 2022 Multi-Slide Guide to Carbon America

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Carbon Americashared this illuminating slide guide at ABLC Connect highlighting how they are a “super developer” with developing, building, financing, owning and operating carbon capture and sequestration projects. They also have their own cryogenic flue gas CO2 technology for power plants and industrial facilities. In

April 19, 2022 Read Full Article

Ethanol under Attack and Creating Strange Bedfellows

by Damian Mason (The Business of Agriculture) In February of 2022 a “study” caught wide media attention (as it was designed by its sponsors to specifically do). The study, commissioned by National Wildlife Fund, found that corn ethanol is worse for the environment than fuel derived from oil. Groups ranging

April 19, 2022 Read Full Article

Tennessee Corn Promotion Board Addresses E15 Use for Fuel

(Tennessee Corn Promotion Board/Press Newswire) Last week President Biden announced that E15 will be sold this summer in an effort to reduce gasoline prices. E15 is a plant-based fuel made from corn. Often marketed as Unleaded 88, E15 is a renewable resource that’s made with regular gasoline and a smaller amount

April 19, 2022 Read Full Article

What’s Next for E15 after Biden’s Announcement?

by Jacqui Fatka (Farm Progress) … It is hard to predict the demand picture under the expanded E15 scenario, but lower estimates of a continued status quo indicate at least 300 million gallons of additional ethanol could be used by consumers with the year-round use of E15. “But (if you

April 15, 2022 Read Full Article

Secy. Vilsack: E15 Won’t Inflate Food Prices, ‘There’s Plenty of Corn Here’

by Jenna Hoffman (Farm Journal/AgWeb) Vilsack says concerns over inflated food costs due to increased E15 consumption can be put to rest — any grocery price hike is not coming from E15 because “there’s plenty of corn here.” — Corn chatter has stretched across The Hill in recent weeks, as USDA

April 15, 2022 Read Full Article

Grassley Doesn’t Mince Words as Food Versus Fuel Debate Ramps Back up

by Mark Dorenkamp (Browfield Ag News) U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley is dismissing the food versus fuel debate that seems to be reemerging after the Biden administration announced it will allow summertime sales of E15. The Iowa Republican tells Brownfield without ethanol farmers wouldn’t grow as much corn, so the impact on

April 15, 2022 Read Full Article

EPA Proposes to Approve Canola Oil Fuel Pathways under RFS

by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA on April 12 published a proposed rule approve Renewable Fuel Standard pathways for renewable diesel, jet fuel, heating oil, naphtha, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) produced from canola/rapeseed oil via a hydrotreating process. EPA’s assessment proposes to find that these fuel pathways meet

April 14, 2022 Read Full Article

EPA Discusses RFS Plans in FY 2023 Budget Request Justification

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA on April 5 released its fiscal year (FY) 2023 congressional budget justification, outlining the agency’s plans for the $11.88 billion in agency funding requested by President Biden in his FY 2023 budget request on March 28. Initiatives related to the Renewable Fuel Standard are

April 12, 2022 Read Full Article

Testimony of the Diesel Technology Forum before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, April 12, 2022

(Diesel Technology Forum) … Reducing Emissions should be more than just Setting New Engine Standards, but also Implementing More Immediate Term Solutions Like Use Of Renewable Fuels And Accelerating The Turnover Of The Legacy Fleet The most substantial opportunities to reduce emissions in our communities in the relative near term

April 12, 2022 Read Full Article

Biden to Announce Plan to Ease Gas Prices as Inflationary Pressures Persist

by Jeff Stein and Evan Halper (Washington Post) The EPA plans to issue a national, emergency waiver to allow use of blended biofuels over the summer hours after report is expected to show inflation keeps surging — The White House plans to roll out new policies Tuesday aimed at curbing

April 12, 2022 Read Full Article

With Biden Visiting a Central Iowa Ethanol Plant, Producers Hope He’ll Suspend Summer E15 Sales Ban

by Donnelle Eller (Des Moines Register) President Joe Biden is expected to announce in a Tuesday visit to central Iowa that his administration will suspend a ban on summer sales of gasoline blended with 15% ethanol. The White House said Biden will speak Tuesday at a Poet ethanol plant in Menlo, a town of

April 11, 2022 Read Full Article

RFA Campaign Amplifies Push for Year-Round E15

(Renewable Fuels Association) A new campaign by the Renewable Fuels Association encourages consumers to call on their elected officials for immediate action to allow the continued sale of E15—the lowest-cost, lowest-carbon fuel available at the pump—throughout the summer. Due to a lawsuit filed by oil refiners, retail stations in most of

April 11, 2022 Read Full Article

U.S. EPA Denies 36 Refinery Biofuel Waivers; Gives Most of Them Some Relief

by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has denied 36 petitions from oil refiners seeking exemptions to the nation’s biofuel blending laws for the 2018 compliance year, but will provide 31 of those refineries with another avenue to seek relief, the agency announced on Thursday. The action will align

April 8, 2022 Read Full Article

EPA Holds Webinar on New Chemical Risk Management Actions for Biofuels

(Bergeson & Campbell) On April 6, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a webinar on “New Chemical Risk Management Actions under TSCA.” As reported in our January 24, 2022, blog item, in January 2022, EPA announced an effort to streamline the review of new biobased or waste-derived chemicals that could displace current,

April 7, 2022 Read Full Article

It’s Time to Harness Full Range of Economic, National and Energy Security, Public Health and Environmental Solutions Renewable Fuels Can Provide

(Solutions from the Land) … Unfortunately, he has ignored a widely available, less expensive source of clean transportation fuel – biofuels, like ethanol – that could help ease those prices and supply concerns. Russian oil represents only 2 percent of all U.S. oil imports, but that same amount is a more

April 7, 2022 Read Full Article

Thune, Klobuchar Urge EPA to Update Biofuel Emissions Modeling

(KLGR) Two Senate Ag Committee members recently urged the Environmental Protection Agency to update its greenhouse gas modeling for biofuels. Senators John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, and Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, asked the EPA to adopt the Argonne National Lab’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation,

April 7, 2022 Read Full Article

E15 Sales Reach Record Levels in 2021; Future Growth Threatened by Summertime Restrictions

(Renewable Fuels Association) Sales of E15, a gasoline blend containing 15 percent ethanol, hit a record 814 million gallons in 2021, according to a new analysis from the Renewable Fuels Association. The 2021 volume represented a 62 percent increase over the prior year and was nearly double pre-pandemic sales volumes in 2019. However,

April 7, 2022 Read Full Article

OSTP Publishes RFI Regarding Sustainable Chemistry DEADLINE: June 3, 2022

(Bergeson & Campbell) The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published on April 4, 2022, a request for information (RFI) from interested parties on federal programs and activities in support of sustainable chemistry. 87 Fed. Reg. 19539. OSTP notes that “[t]he term “sustainable chemistry” does not have a consensus definition and

April 6, 2022 Read Full Article

Republicans Pounce over Biden Rural Energy Policy

by Marc Heller (E&E News) House Agriculture Committee lawmakers pressed the administration to expand ethanol use in response to high gasoline prices. — House Agriculture Committee Republicans yesterday bashed the Biden administration’s energy policies, saying the White House focus on long-term alternatives to fossil fuel ignores a more immediate crisis in

April 6, 2022 Read Full Article

Growth Energy Submits Comments to EPA on Biofuels’ Role in Reducing Emissions from Aviation Sector

(Growth Energy) Growth Energy submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the agency’s particulate matter (PM) emissions standards and test procedures for jet engines, and the role biofuels play in reducing PM and greenhouse gas emissions in mobile sources including the aviation sector. “As we have already seen with higher

April 6, 2022 Read Full Article

Researchers Evaluate the Impact of the Renewable Fuels Standard on Biofuel Production

by Madelyn Ostendorf (Successful Farming) In a first-of-its kind study, researchers at Purdue University have illustrated the impact of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) on the production of biofuels. Over the past 15 years, production and consumption of biofuels have increased in the United States, caused by a variety of market

April 5, 2022 Read Full Article

Ethanol Blog: Three States Ask for Waiver to Allow E15 Sales to Continue Come June 1

by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Attorneys general in Iowa, Kansas and the governor of Minnesota asked the EPA for a waiver to allow E15 sales to continue in their states when those sales are set to end starting on June 1, the start of the summer driving season. In recent

April 5, 2022 Read Full Article

ACE to EPA: Adopt GREET Model and Recognize Ethanol’s Low Carbon Value

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In South Dakota, The American Coalition for Ethanol submitted feedback to the Environmental Protection Agency’s request for comment on the current scientific understanding of greenhouse gas modeling of land-based crop biofuels. ACE CEO Brian Jennings and ACE Board Director Ron Alverson contributed to the feedback after attending

April 4, 2022 Read Full Article

USDOT Announces New Vehicle Fuel Economy Standards for Model Year 2024-2026

(U.S. Department of Transportation) Standards to require fleet average of 49 mpg by 2026, save consumers money, and advance U.S. energy independence — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today announced new, landmark fuel economy standards which follow President Biden’s executive order to drive American leadership forward

April 1, 2022 Read Full Article

Biden to Invoke Defense Production Act for Electric Vehicle Battery Materials

by Zack Budryk (The Hill) President Biden is set to invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) as early as this week to step up production of minerals used to manufacture electric vehicle batteries, a source familiar the plans confirmed to The Hill. Biden is set to issue a presidential determination to stoke domestic production of

March 31, 2022 Read Full Article

Calls for E15 Action Face Unwritten Deadlines

by Spencer Chase (Agri-Pulse) The Biden administration is fielding a steady stream of requests for emergency action to allow for summertime sales of E15, but those calls are coming up against the realities of the fuel supply chain as demonstrated by the actions of a pro-biofuel company. In various outreach

March 30, 2022 Read Full Article

With SEC Proposed Rule Change, Fleet Advantage Certifies Truck Fleets’ GHG Output

by Ariana Fine (NGT News) Fleet Advantage, a truck fleet business analytics, equipment financing and life cycle cost management (LCCM) company, has released a program to help corporate truck fleets certify their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) output, which was recently mandated under a proposed rule issued by the Securities and Exchange

March 29, 2022 Read Full Article

The Rise of Renewable Diesel & Biodiesel

by Nicolas Bulver (Renewable Energy Group/Union Pacific Track Record) What is causing the increased demand for renewable diesel and biodiesel and what is the impact on supply chains? Can waste products become fuel? The answer is yes if you’re talking about vegetable oils, greases or animal fats. These very products,

March 29, 2022 Read Full Article

ICE Expands its U.S. Renewable Fuels Markets With the Launch of Renewable Volume Obligation Futures

(Intercontinental Exchange/Business Wire) Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE), a leading global provider of data, technology, and market infrastructure, today announced the launch of two Renewable Volume Obligation futures contracts, expanding ICE’s U.S. renewable fuels futures markets. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) mandates the incorporation of renewable fuels

March 29, 2022 Read Full Article

NHTSA Applies CAFE Penalty Hike for Cars through Model Year 2019

by Alex Guillén (Politico) The Biden administration has issued a final rule applying a major hike in penalties for automakers who fall short of fuel economy standards back through model year 2019 vehicles. The decision is expected to lead to hundreds of millions in additional annual penalties, though environmentalists argue it will also

March 28, 2022 Read Full Article

2021 California E85 Sales Shatter Previous Record; Momentum Continues in 2022

(Renewable Fuels Association) Sales of E85 flex fuel in California surged to a new record in 2021, jumping 55 percent over 2020 levels and nearly doubling since 2018, according to new data released by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Last year, California drivers purchased nearly 62.5 million gallons (mg) of E85 flex fuel,

March 28, 2022 Read Full Article

RNG, Renewable Fuels from Solar, Waste Wood & Carbon: The Digest’s 2022 Multi-Slide Guide to Aemetis

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Third generation tech is what Aemetis calls it – using renewable fuels for carbon capture & sequestration siphons carbon from the atmosphere into crops which are converted into renewable fuels, then the solar energy is released as transportation energy while the CO2 from biofuels production

March 28, 2022 Read Full Article

EPA’s Snyder: E15 Work Underway EPA Ag Adviser Tells Ethanol Producers Agency Working with States to Restore E15

by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) With the start of the summer driving season fast approaching and year-round E15 sales no longer an option, EPA’s Rod Snyder said on Thursday the agency continues to work to restore those sales. Snyder, who is the ag adviser to EPA Administrator Michael Regan and

March 25, 2022 Read Full Article

EIA Projects U.S. Renewable Diesel Supply to Surpass Biodiesel in AEO2022

by Estella Shi, Will Sommer, Andrew Smiddy (U.S. Energy Information Administration) In our Annual Energy Outlook 2022 (AEO2022) Reference case, which reflects current laws and regulations, we project that renewable diesel supply (domestic production and net imports) will exceed biodiesel supply in the near term. We project that renewable diesel supply will increase to

March 24, 2022 Read Full Article

EPA Holds Training on Updated Process to Bring Biofuels to Market

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA in holding webinars on March 23 and April 6 related to its January 2022 announcement that the agency is launching a new initiative under the Toxic Substances Control Act that aims to streamline the review of new biobased fuels and chemicals that could be

March 23, 2022 Read Full Article

Comments on “Environmental Outcomes of the US Renewable Fuel Standard”

by F. Taheripour, S. Mueller, H. Kwon, M. Khanna, I. Emery, K. Copenhaver, M. Wang (Argonne National Laboratory) The Systems Assessment Center and its collaborators provide a detailed technical review of a recently published article “Environmental Outcomes of the US Renewable Fuel Standard” by Lark et al. (2022). Our review

March 22, 2022 Read Full Article

Will the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard Be a Victim of Its Own Success?

by Roxby Hartley (EcoEngineers) California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (CA-LCFS) continues to be the largest regional carbon credit market. It’s been successful in driving carbon reduction across the state. CA-LCFS credit prices hovered around $200 per metric ton (MT) of CO2e for several years from 2018, providing a strong incentive to

March 22, 2022 Read Full Article

Ohio Soybean Association Joins Federal Petition in Support of Domestic Biofuels

(Ohio Soybean Association/Highland County Press) At a time of growing consensus on the need for greater reliance on domestic fuel sources, the Ohio Soybean Association (OSA) joined other state soybean associations in support of a petition to include biofuels in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) vehicle standards. OSA filed

March 21, 2022 Read Full Article

Biofuel for Airplane Use Has Untapped Potential, Says National Corn Growers

by Ashley Davenport (Hoosier Ag Today) … “We have the Next Generation Fuel Bill, which would bring energy security to our fuel situation with higher gas prices,” says Matt Frostic, a Michigan farmer and at-large member of NCGA. “It allows higher compression engines that the automotives would like to build, which would

March 18, 2022 Read Full Article

SEC Plans to Force Public Companies to Disclose Greenhouse Gas Emissions

by Douglas MacMillan and Maxine Joselow (Washington Post) From Coca-Cola to Tesla, companies report emissions in widely different ways. A new federal rule is expected to standardize climate disclosures, putting the U.S. on closer footing with other countries. — The Securities and Exchange Commission plans to require all publicly traded

March 17, 2022 Read Full Article

A Left Turn to Ban Drilling

by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) House progressives are planning to request Biden use emergency measures to ban future fossil fuel drilling on federal lands and deploy the Defense Production Act to ramp up clean energy generation, POLITICO’s Josh Siegel reports. The call will also touch on other progressive priorities like immigration,

March 16, 2022 Read Full Article

Commodity Group Leaders Push for Expanded Use of Biofuels

by Daniel Grant (Farm Week Now) While the U.S. scrambles to fill the void in the oil market created by the ban of Russian imports, commodity group leaders believe the solution is closer to home than Venezuela or Saudi Arabia. “If ever there was a time that underscores the need to

March 15, 2022 Read Full Article

High-Octane Solutions to the New Energy Crisis

by C. Boyden Gray (Boyden Gray & Associates/Real Clear Politics) … Currently, the EPA regulates fuels and automobiles separately, instead of as a single system. Automakers have the technological know-how to make much more efficient car engines, but regulatory barriers prevent them from doing so because they do not permit the

March 14, 2022 Read Full Article

EPA to Disclose CBI Related to SRE Petitions to GAO

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA on March 10 issued a notice to all obligated parties under the Renewable Fuel Standard that the agency will disclose certain confidential business information (CBI) related to small refinery exemption (SRE) petitions to the U.S. Government Accountability Office on March 28. According

March 13, 2022 Read Full Article

EPA Restores California’s Right to Set Stricter Car Regs

by Anne C. Mulkern (E&E News) EPA today officially restored California’s ability to set its own rules for vehicle tailpipe emissions and to require automakers to sell an increasing number of clean cars. The Biden administration granted the nation’s most populous state a waiver under the Clean Air Act, allowing California

March 10, 2022 Read Full Article

Disclosure of Information Claimed as, or Determined by EPA To Be, Confidential Business Information (CBI) in Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Small Refinery Exemption Petitions and Certain RFS Compliance Reports

( Environmental Protection Agency/Federal Register) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing notice of disclosure to all obligated parties under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program that have petitioned for a small refinery exemption (SRE) or that have submitted any of the following RFS compliance reports: RFS2500 Efficient Producer Data

March 10, 2022 Read Full Article

World Events Underscore the Need to Expand Renewable Fuel Production

(Solutions from the Land) … The news of increased fuel costs comes as the Biden administration is considering a relaxation of federal requirements calling on blenders to mix specific amounts of ethanol or biodiesel when producing the nation’s petroleum-based fuel supply. To even consider backing away from the statutory obligation to

March 10, 2022 Read Full Article

Grassley and Ernst Call on Biden to Unleash Iowa Biofuel Immediately as Gas Prices Hit Record High, U.S. Bans Russian Oil

(Office of Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)) Iowa senators introduce bipartisan legislation to open up the use of clean, American-made renewable fuels that are available right now to replace banned Russian oil — As gas prices hit all-time record highs, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) are calling on Pres. Joe

March 9, 2022 Read Full Article

Ethanol Can Help Reduce Toxic Gasoline Aromatics

by Savannah Bertrand (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) Every gallon of gasoline sold in the United States contains toxic chemicals called aromatic hydrocarbons—mainly mixtures of BTEX chemicals, which stands for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene—that increase octane. Higher octane levels prevent engines from prematurely combusting, or knocking, which can damage the engine and make

March 9, 2022 Read Full Article

Growth Energy Submits RVO Comments to Debunk Anti-ethanol Study

(Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Yesterday, Growth Energy submitted supplemental comments to the U.S. EPA responding to erroneous comments from others on the environmental, economic, and compliance impacts of EPA’s proposed 2020, 2021, and 2022 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Growth Energy’s supplemental comments are in addition to its

March 8, 2022 Read Full Article

BREAKING: Biden, UK Ban Russian Oil and Gas Imports

by James Arkin (Law360) The United States and United Kingdom will ban imports of Russian oil and gas, the countries announced Tuesday in the latest round of sanctions to target Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. President Joe Biden said the move targets “the main artery of Russia’s economy.” “We’re banning

March 8, 2022 Read Full Article

Proposed Rule and Related Materials for Control of Air Pollution from New Motor Vehicles: Heavy-Duty Engine and Vehicle Standards

(Environmental Protection Agency) On March 3, 2022, EPA Administrator Regan signed a proposed rule that would set new, more stringent standards to reduce pollution from heavy-duty vehicles and engines starting in model year (MY) 2027. The proposed standards would significantly reduce emissions of smog- and soot-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) from heavy-duty

March 7, 2022 Read Full Article

U.S. Senator Capito Joins Forces with Colleagues in Letter to EPA Administrator Regan Regarding EPA’s SRE Denials under RFS

by Lynn L. Bergeson (Bergeson & Campbel Biobased and Sustainable Chemicals Blog) On January 27, 2022, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, and 14 of her colleagues submitted a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Michael Regan, requesting that

March 7, 2022 Read Full Article

Biden Administration Studying whether Biofuel Waiver Could Ease Food Inflation -Sources

by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is studying whether waiving biofuel blending mandates could help offset a surge in prices for key food ingredients like corn and soy oil following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, two sources familiar with the matter said. … But prices of corn, soy

March 4, 2022 Read Full Article

Under Pressure to Revise Estimates, EPA Mulls Lifecycle Biofuel GHGs

(Inside EPA) As EPA comes under growing pressure to increase its estimates of how much greenhouse gas emissions biofuels save over their lifetime, the agency is holding consultations that could result in changes that may boost programs encouraging biofuels use such as the renewable fuel standard (RFS), which are now

March 4, 2022 Read Full Article

EPA Holds Webinar on TSCA Requirements and PMN Process for Biofuels

(Bergeson & Campbell) On February 23, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a webinar on requirements under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the premanufacture notice (PMN) process for biofuels. As reported in our January 24, 2022, blog item, in January 2022, EPA announced an effort to streamline the review of

March 4, 2022 Read Full Article

U.S. Farm & Biofuel Leaders Call for Swift Action to Unleash Lower-Cost Biofuels

(Renewable Fuels Association) America’s top biofuel and farm advocates called on President Biden to swiftly expand access to plentiful, lower-cost biofuels as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushes fuel prices closer to record levels. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soon expected to finalize biofuel blending requirements for 2021 and 2022 and address a controversial

March 3, 2022 Read Full Article

Clear Evidence of How Higher Ethanol Blends Lower Gasoline Prices

by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Pictures worth 1000 words show the prices on March 1 at a Sheetz in Virginia. Compare the E10 Regular to E15 Unleaded 88 and E85 FlexFuel. Compare those to the price of E0 — no ethanol gasoline. The message is clear. Higher ethanol blends

March 2, 2022 Read Full Article

Rival Fuel-Makers Unite In Opposing Biden’s Electric-Car Push

by Joel Rosenblatt (Bloomberg) Renewable fuel producers join Valero unit in court challenge; EPA rule governs release of carbon dioxide from car tailpipes — The gasoline industry and alternative fuel makers, frequent foes, put aside their differences for court challenges to a Biden administration rule imposing limits on automobile greenhouse-gas emissions.

March 1, 2022 Read Full Article

Texas Leads 14-State Fight On Biden Vehicle Emissions Regs

by Clark Mindock (Law360) A Texas-led group of states is slamming the Biden administration’s push to strengthen greenhouse gas standards for auto emissions, telling the D.C. Circuit on Monday it must intervene and stop a purported federal war on fossil fuels. The 14-state coalition headed by Lone Star State Attorney General Ken

March 1, 2022 Read Full Article

EPA Sees ‘Most’ Biofuels Facing TSCA Scrutiny, but End Use Exempted

(Inside EPA) EPA officials say they expect “most” biofuels will meet regulatory criteria requiring review and likely regulation under TSCA, though any such limits are likely to end once the substance is incorporated into the fuel supply because it presents similar risks as conventional fossil fuels, whose end use is

March 1, 2022 Read Full Article

Ethanol Producer Not Optimistic about E15 “Policy Failure” Getting Fixed before Summer

by Larry Lee (Brownfield Ag News) … Erik Huschitt with Badger State Ethanol in Monroe, Wisconsin tells Brownfield America had the one-pound waiver approved by the prior administration, “And then, we have a change in the Supreme Court level that doesn’t acknowledge that change, and so here we are now all

March 1, 2022 Read Full Article

The Vital Missing Link in the U.S. Sanctions against Russia

by Suriya Jayanti (Time Magazine) … If this is what we have to work with, let us at least make it truly hurt by including embargoes of Russian energy, too. … Oil prices have insulated Russia from sanctions hits, at least in the short to medium term. … Yet so far

February 27, 2022 Read Full Article

New Federal Guidelines Could Boost Carbon Capture in the US Public Comment DEADLINE: March 18, 2022

by Justine Calma (The Verge) The Biden administration says the US will ‘likely’ need controversial carbon capture tech to meet climate goals — On Tuesday(February 15, 2022), the Biden administration issued new guidelines for federal agencies on how to assess proposals to capture and sequester carbon dioxide pollution. The new guidance

February 24, 2022 Read Full Article

The End Of SREs?

by Michael H. Levin (BioCycle Magazine) EPA’s “proposed adjudication” of 65 pending small-refiner exemption requests could deny virtually all such requests — now and in the future. — … In June 2021, the Supreme Court (reviewing a Tenth Circuit decision) ruled that EPA lacked “clear authority” under the RFS Program to