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by Doug Sombke (South Dakota Farmers Union/Tri-State Livestock News) … Well, let’s hope we don’t see the price at the pumps go up. Instead, let’s use more ethanol. What I’m suggesting is oil companies increase the amount of ethanol blended into gasoline – from the mandatory 10 to 30 percent. And,
Federal Regulation
by Gino Grandoni (Washington Post) … Nominally, the hearing was convened to consider the nomination of former coal lobbyist and ex-Senate aide Andrew Wheeler to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. … In the past six months alone the EPA under Wheeler has proposed relaxing emission limits on power plants and freezing them for
January 18, 2019
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by Robert Patrick (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) The former operator of a South Roxana biodiesel plant pleaded guilty in federal court here Thursday and admitted doctoring test results to fraudulently receive $531,000 in tax credits. Terry L. Zintel pleaded guilty to three counts of making false claims. He admitted that while
January 18, 2019
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(Renewable Fuels Association) With the government shutdown threatening to further delay approval of year-round sales of E15 (gasoline containing 15% ethanol), the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to focus strictly on year-round E15 provisions in its forthcoming proposed rule and address RIN reform measures in a separate
January 18, 2019
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) Executives at the major U.S. automakers are pressing the Trump administration and California to agree on standards for fuel efficiency and carbon emissions through 2025, as risks increase that a deadline for setting national standards will pass without a deal. Automakers are already entering the time frame when
January 16, 2019
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(Bergeson & Campbell) On January 10, 2019, Representative Roger Williams (R-TX) introduced a bill (H.R. 431) that would repeal the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. CAFE standards are set by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) and EPA. President Trump last year proposed to freeze CAFE standards at
January 16, 2019
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by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Tuesday it would complete a rule to boost sales of higher-ethanol blends of gasoline by the summer driving season, despite a partial government shutdown. The statement from the environmental regulator came after the agency warned at least two
January 9, 2019
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(Bergeson & Campbell) Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and its consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to offer you our Forecast 2019. In this richly detailed document, the legal, scientific, and regulatory professionals of B&C and Acta distill key trends in U.S. and global chemical law and provide our
January 9, 2019
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by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine) … The vast complexities of the RFS extend far beyond these components, but a much lesser-known provision is beginning to attract attention—the role of renewable electricity in the program, and it’s abilities to fuel electric vehicles (EVs). This provision is one that was embedded in
January 8, 2019
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by Mike Newman (Parhelion Underwriting/Stillwater Associates) Under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) imposed a “buyer beware” approach to the purchase and sale of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs). This creates a liability for any buyer of RINs, making them responsible for purchases of invalid RINS, even if done
January 7, 2019
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by Jeff Hove (Biodiesel Magazine) Jeff Hove, vice president of NATSO’s Alternative Fuels Council, provides perspective on current political, regulatory and market events relating to biodiesel blending, and how a myriad of potential changes will affect downstream operators. — … But renewable identification number (RIN) value volatility—driven by political rumor, speculation and
January 5, 2019
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Biodiesel Magazine profiles nine companies whose process technologies, products and services are on the frontline of change in this industry. Third Coast Commodities Biodiesel feedstock trading is evolving, and Third Coast Commodities is one of the firms ushering in this change. … The only way to
January 4, 2019
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by Pete Ricketts (Office of Governor of Nebraska/Star Herald) As we enter the new year, I have put together a list of goals for our state in 2019. I am sharing a few of them here. … Year-Round E15 – In October, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and I joined President Trump in
January 4, 2019
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by David Kruse (The CommStock Report/Spencer Daily Reporter) From a subscriber: “I asked my local Cenex manager why the price of E85 was still high. E10 has dropped 43 cents in the last couple of months and E85 hasn’t changed from $1.94. He told me that the RIN price has often been close
January 4, 2019
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by Mario Parker and Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg) Year-round 15% ethanol-gas blend by summer now seen at risk; Shutdown could join trade war in limiting farmer income — … The government shutdown that Trump says could last “a long time” without funding for a border wall may hurt farmers by delaying the administration’s
January 4, 2019
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by Wesley Swift (S&P Global Platts) The market for Renewable Identification Numbers looked for relief in 2019 after a tumultuous 2018. Uncertainty over the nation’s renewable fuel policy created a volatile market for RINs, the credits used by refiners and fossil fuel importers to prove compliance with federal renewable fuel blending
January 3, 2019
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by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/The Gazette) Rather than providing factual answers to common questions about Unleaded88 gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol (E15), The Gazette’s recent Q&A on the fuel (Page 6A, Monday) perpetuated familiar myths and misinformation about ethanol. After conducting the most extensive fuel testing program in history, the
January 3, 2019
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by Brian Jennings (American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Looking back to one year ago, ethanol renewable identification numbers (RINs) were fetching nearly 70 cents (a valuable incentive for ethanol blending), exports were swelling to record volumes, and EPA was promising to consider granting Reid vapor pressure (RVP) relief for E15.
January 2, 2019
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by Emily Skor (Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … We expect a proposed rule in February, followed by a public hearing and comment process. President Donald Trump’s administration has clearly stated its intention to have a rule in place by June 1—when the 2019 summer driving season begins. Our opponents will try
January 2, 2019
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by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) … A waiter in a Cedar Rapids restaurant, for instance, recently asked Shaw (Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) about Trump’s E15 waiver, upon hearing that Shaw advocates for biofuels and ethanol through the IRFA. “So here’s a waiter in the
January 2, 2019
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(National Farmers Union) As Congress looks to revamp and coordinate federal-level policies that govern the transportation fuels and vehicles sectors, National Farmers Union (NFU) is urging legislators to expand use of high-octane, mid-level blends of ethanol in the transportation fuel supply. In doing so, policymakers have the opportunity to create lasting
December 27, 2018
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On Dec. 20, the U.S. EPA released updated data on small refinery hardship waivers filed under the Renewable Fuel Standard, reporting that seven new waivers for the 2018 compliance year and one new petition for the 2017 compliance year were filed between Nov. 10 and
December 26, 2018
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by Sam Spofforth (Clean Fuels Ohio/ACT News) The natural gas vehicle (NGV) industry and seasoned fleet users are quite familiar with the growth of renewable natural gas (RNG) in the transportation sector. This growth has been driven by a combination of the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
December 21, 2018
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(Renewable Fuels Association) Eleven years ago today, President George W. Bush signed into law what has become the single most successful clean fuels policy in the United States–the expanded Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2). The RFS2, included in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, requires petroleum refiners and importers to
December 19, 2018
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA has published a notice on its website setting the cellulosic waiver credit (CWC) price for 2019 at $1.77. The price is slightly lower than the CWC price for 2018, which was set at $1.96 in December 2017. Under the Renewable Fuel Standard
December 18, 2018
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by Barbara Moran (WBUR News) There’s more proof that greenhouse gases are dangerous to human health. That’s the conclusion of a study published Thursday in the journal Science, for which researchers reviewed hundreds of scientific papers on climate change published since 2009. The study supports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 “endangerment finding,” which labeled six greenhouse gases
December 14, 2018
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by Hiroko Tabuchi (New York Times) When the Trump administration laid out a plan this year that would eventually allow cars to emit more pollution, automakers, the obvious winners from the proposal, balked. The changes, they said, went too far even for them. But it turns out that there was a hidden
December 14, 2018
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by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) House Republicans are pushing to eliminate the federal mandate that ethanol be blended into the nation’s fuel supply, to be replaced by a requirement cars built from 2023 on run only on gasoline with a minimum octane level of 95. In legislation under debate at a
December 14, 2018
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(The Fence Post/National Farmers Union) As Congress looks to revamp and coordinate federal-level policies that govern the transportation fuels and vehicles sectors, National Farmers Union is urging legislators to expand use of high-octane, mid-level blends of ethanol in the transportation fuel supply. In doing so, policymakers have the opportunity to create
December 13, 2018
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by Jesse Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) … The industry has been unable to produce the volumes called for under the advanced and cellulosic categories due to a variety of reasons – including the pace of technology, falling petroleum prices, and regulatory uncertainty, to name a few. Since the
December 7, 2018
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by Leticia Phillips (UNICA/Ethanol Producer Magazine) …But EPA could still strengthen the RFS in ways that would encourage advanced biofuels to play a greater role greening the U.S. transportation sector. Here are our top two suggestions. • Expect more from advanced biofuels We think the volume requirements should be even higher.
December 6, 2018
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by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) … “There’s a very tight window between today and June 1,” says Brian Jennings, CEO of the American Coalition for Ethanol. “The big-picture goal is for the proposed rule to be out for public comment and for EPA to wrap up a final rule prior
December 6, 2018
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(Renewable Fuels Association) There has been a media blitz lately by the oil industry saying that ethanol demand has been unaffected by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rampant grants of Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) exemptions to small refineries. Recently, even some in the agriculture community have bought into these claims. Don’t
December 6, 2018
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by Cici Zhang (Chemical and Engineering News) Increasing the fatty acids in crops’ seeds, leaves, and stems could make biofuels more economically viable — … Plant scientist Heike Sederoff of North Carolina State University, however, is very familiar with the oils that camelina offers. The highly concentrated fatty acids produced by
December 5, 2018
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A house subcommittee is scheduled to hold a hearing Dec. 11 on the recently released discussion draft of the 21st Century Transportation Fuels Act. The bill aims to sunset the Renewable Fuels Standard and enact a national octane specification. The 34-page discussion draft of the bill was
December 5, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A wide array of federal incentives supports the development and deployment of alternatives to conventional fuels and engines in transportation. These incentives include tax deductions and credits for vehicle purchases and the installation of refueling systems, federal grants for conversion of older vehicles to newer technologies,
December 5, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) THROTTLED: An administration official told Pro’s Zack Colman that EPA and NHTSA would reduce its projection for saved lives in its forthcoming finalized fuel economy rule. The reason: The agencies are revising estimates for how quickly motorists would ditch their cars and how many
December 4, 2018
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(U.S. Department of Agriculture/Federal Register) The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD), comprised of the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS), Rural Housing Service (RHS), and Rural Utilities Service (RUS), hereafter referred to as the Agency, is issuing a direct final rule to update the Agency’s Environmental Policies and
December 3, 2018
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(Renewable Fuels Association) A new Energy Information Administration (EIA) study concludes that U.S. petroleum refineries would have “no problem” meeting a requirement to produce gasoline with a higher minimum octane rating (95 Research Octane Number, or “RON”) beginning in 2022, and assumes that refiners would not use more ethanol beyond current levels to
November 30, 2018
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by Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lifted its annual blending mandate for advanced biofuels by 15 percent for 2019, while keeping steady the requirement for conventional biofuels like corn-based ethanol, according to an agency document seen by Reuters on Thursday. The mandate includes 4.92 billion gallons for advanced biofuels
November 30, 2018
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by Catherine Rampell (Washington Post) … Alternatively, some Republicans suggest that, yes, the planet may be warming and, yes, humans may be the reason, but it’s too darn expensive to do much more than we are. … As Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) equivocated on CNN’s “State of the Union,” after plugging her state’s use
November 27, 2018
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by Dave VanderGriend (Ethanol Producer Magazine/ICM/Urban Air Initiative) … Today, at 10 percent of the motor fuel pool, ethanol is displacing the most lethal components in gasoline—toxic, carcinogenic aromatics. When lead was phased out of gasoline, refiners replaced it with an equally dangerous mix of toxic chemicals representing the worst part
November 21, 2018
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by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will propose new targets for the final three years of the nation’s renewable fuel program in January, replacing ambitious decade-old goals set by Congress with volumes closer to the industry’s current output, two people familiar with the matter said. The planned reset
November 21, 2018
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by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted oil major Chevron Corp a 2017 hardship waiver from U.S. biofuel laws for its Utah refinery earlier this year, according to a source familiar with the company’s operations. Chevron, which reported a net income of $9.2 billion in 2017, becomes the
November 21, 2018
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by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Pennsylvania’s governor and state refining interests are putting pressure on EPA to grant waivers to the Renewable Fuel Standard program, just ahead of the agency’s Nov. 30 deadline to finalize new biofuels volumes for the upcoming year. Monroe Energy, LLC, requested a waiver on
November 16, 2018
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA is extending the comment period on a previously announced information collection request (ICR) that aims to consolidate and update recordkeeping and reporting burden and cost estimates related to the Renewable Fuel Standard program into a single, easy-to-understand format. The EPA said the
November 15, 2018
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by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) A group representing biofuel companies asked a federal judge on Tuesday to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop exempting small refineries from renewable fuel laws until a lawsuit challenging the agency’s actions is resolved. Producers United argued, among other things, the EPA violated the law
November 15, 2018
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(Hellenic Shipping News) A decline in the US obligation for biofuels has prompted an increase in imports from Canada and Europe into the Atlantic Coast, according to market sources and federal government data. The renewable fuels obligation for a gallon of imported gasoline has fallen from 2.29 cents/gal October 3 to
November 14, 2018
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by Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may issue fewer biofuel waivers to small refineries under Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler than it did under its previous leadership, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa said on Tuesday. “I sense that Wheeler has a feeling that (former Administrator Scott
November 14, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, researchers for a report published by the Urban Air Initiative contend that “technical data that shows the nation has been exposed to decades of flawed test fuels and flawed driving tests, which in turn means flawed emissions results and mileage claims”. The complete Beyond a
November 13, 2018
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by Jarrett Renshaw, Michael Hirtzer (Reuters) U.S. ethanol producers drew a bleak picture of their industry in quarterly filings and analyst calls this week, detailing how the critical farm belt business has been devastated by President Donald Trump’s trade war with China and biofuels management policies that they say have tilted toward oil
November 12, 2018
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by Jesse Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) And while the bioeconomy – biofuels, biobased products, chemicals, and more – enjoy bipartisan support, the new political landscape means that the biobased sector and stakeholders still need to be on their toes. With one of the largest freshmen classes ever, and
November 10, 2018
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) California clean air regulators will hold talks next Tuesday with their federal counterparts and the White House over Trump administration efforts to stop Sacramento from adopting tighter vehicle emissions rules than Washington, a spokesman for the state confirmed on Thursday. The video conference meeting will be the
November 9, 2018
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by Timothy Cama (The Hill) Major automakers are pushing the Trump administration to abandon its plan to roll back climate change rules for cars. Companies had emphatically encouraged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) to undo the Obama administration’s plans to ratchet up greenhouse gas emissions and
November 8, 2018
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The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is seeking stakeholder feedback to inform the research, extension and education priorities of NIFA. In short, NIFA is the extramural funding agency within USDA. NIFA are attempting to ensure that they reach a broad spectrum of organizations involved in food and agricultural
November 7, 2018
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by Paolo Corvo (Clariant/Biofuels Digest) Clariant sunliquid technology delivers low carbon intensity score of 15 gCO2/MJ for the cellulosic ethanol produced using sunliquid technology from agricultural residues feedstock such as corn stover and wheat straw which is more than 6 times lower than the carbon intensity of gasoline(1). The carbon intensity score also
November 7, 2018
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by Michael McAdams (Biomass Magazine/Advanced Biofuels Association) As we approach the end of 2018, we reflect on a year that was full of surprises for the biofuels industry. What stands out the most was former U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s application of small refinery exemptions (SREs) under the Renewable Fuels Standard to
November 6, 2018
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by Robinson Meyer (The Atlantic) The administration’s clean-cars rollback is riddled with errors. In one case, it forgot to divide by four. In another, it accidentally deleted 700 billion miles of driving. … The mistakes range in scope from the comical to the bizarre, from the obviously accidental to the
November 6, 2018
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by Dan Looker (Success Farming) When President Donald Trump told a campaign rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa, last month that his administration will approve year-round sales of E15, farmers and the ethanol industry were pleased. They looked forward to more sales of the gasoline blend with 15% ethanol as early as
November 6, 2018
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) While oil refiners adding a small percentage of renewable feedstock to their operations sounds simple, the political, economic, technical, societal and market consequences are anything but. In 2007, at the height of the biodiesel boom, ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods announced a partnership to coprocess animal fats
November 6, 2018
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by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) With the EPA anticipated to release a proposed rule to allow year-round E15 sales, agricultural cooperative company GROWMARK Energy has started offering pre-blended E15 at its terminals to serve gasoline retailers across the Midwest. The company has started offering E15 at terminals in Amboy,
November 5, 2018
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … Phillips 66 and REG’s announcement about a new renewable diesel plant on the U.S. West Coast planned for 2021 comes after a notable increase in refineries that are being converted and changed over to renewable diesel. Change is good, especially in this case. … While it was
November 5, 2018
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) USDA’s Farm Service Agency has opened a public comment period on the revision and extension of a currently approved information collection associated with FSA Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership Grants to states. A notice published in the Federal Register indicates the information collection was originally needed for
November 5, 2018
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by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) … Automotive manufacturers are expressing interest in raising the minimum octane level of the U.S. gasoline pool as a low-cost compliance option for increasing fuel efficiency. Until now, all MPG gains in the passenger vehicle fleet have been accomplished through engine and vehicle
November 2, 2018
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by Dino Grandoni (Washington Post) California is coming out swinging in its official response to one of the Trump administration’s most consequential attempts at rolling back regulations to date — to freeze fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks through 2026. In a 400-page comment on the proposed rule that will be filed
November 1, 2018
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(National Farmers Union) Throughout his campaign for and tenure as president, Donald Trump has consistently pledged to support American-grown biofuels. However, his administration has too often failed to follow through on those promises in a timely fashion. In the most recent of such instances, President Trump announced his intentions to allow
November 1, 2018
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, following on the heels of an Environmental Protection Agency report to Congress documenting wide-spread habitat loss following enactment of U.S. biofuels policy in 2007, environmental and conservation groups filed a petition with EPA, asserting the agency has illegally allowed millions of acres of wildlife habitat
November 1, 2018
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(Urban Air Initiative) … South Dakota Farmers Union President Doug Sombke and Urban Air Initiative President Dave VanderGriend said an update to the master list of future federal regulatory actions called the Unified Agenda does not include a previously proposed rule that would make any blends above E15 illegal to use in
October 31, 2018
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(Renewable Fuels Association) Ethanol-based high-octane, low-carbon (HOLC) fuel blends would enable cost-effective gains in fuel economy and significant carbon dioxide reductions, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) outlined in comments submitted Friday to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). “The agencies should support this transition by developing
October 31, 2018
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA has released updated data on small refinery waivers filed under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The new data shows that additional petitions were filed for 2017 and 2018 compliance years over the past month. As of Oct. 10, EPA data shows the agency
October 29, 2018
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by Mark Fitton (Tribune-Star) U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly stopped Saturday in Terre Haute to tout the use of E15, a gasoline blend containing 15 percent alcohol. … Donnelly, a Democrat and member of the Senate’s agriculture committee, said he’s been a champion of the fuel because it expands the market for Indiana
October 29, 2018
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by Charles Dunlap (The Mexico Ledger) … “The question is whether there will be a restraining order prohibiting the rules to go forward or not,” Murphy (Steve Murphy, POET general manager at the Laddonia refinery) said, adding the EPA is trying to apply the rule governing E10 to E15. “It has to
October 29, 2018
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(Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Biofuels) and KS95 FM rewarded drivers who fueled up with Unleaded Plus (E15) during an hour-long promotion at Bona Brothers Minnoco in Fridley today. From 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, MN Biofuels and KS95 rewarded 20 drivers who made the switch to E15.
October 29, 2018
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(Urban Air Initiative/Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) … Octane is a necessary component of our fuel, and more of it is needed as car engines become more advanced and efficient. So competition is on the rise for where this octane will come from in order to keep up with new engine designs. There are
October 29, 2018
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … More recently in 2011, E15 was approved by the EPA for all vehicles 2001 and newer – nearly 9 out of 10 cars on the road today, or about 92 percent of all registered cars and trucks. In fact, according to Growth Energy, “E15 is the most
October 29, 2018
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by Mario Parker and Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg) Company acquired Andeavor this month to become largest refiner; Trump promised to allow year-round sales of E15 gasoline — Marathon Petroleum Corp., the largest U.S. oil refiner following its $23.3 billion acquisition of rival Andeavor this month, is weighing a plan to start sales of high-ethanol
October 26, 2018
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, Forbes magazine is reviving the food vs. fuel debate by sourcing a 2015 publication by controversial researcher Timothy Searchinger from the World Resources Institute’s website. The paper is quoted several times identifying the use of corn in ethanol as a misguided notion, such its diversion
October 26, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) Comments are due today on the Trump administration’s proposal to freeze Obama-era fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks. California remains front and center in the fight against the joint EPA-National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposal, vowing to fight the administration over its plan
October 26, 2018
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The Trump Administration has released estimated timelines for the development of three U.S. EPA rulemakings that pertain to the Renewable Fuel Standard and year-round E15 sales, including one that includes a “reset” of statutory blending targets. The administration released a summary of its Fall 2018 Unified
October 25, 2018
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(Renewable Fuels Association) More than 93 percent of 2019 model year (MY) vehicles are explicitly approved by the manufacturer to use 15 percent ethanol blends (E15), according to the results of an annual analysis of warranty statements and owner’s manuals conducted by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). That is up from last year,
October 25, 2018
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by Chris Bliley (Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … Automakers are responding by making smaller, higher-compression engines that demand higher octane. Improved engines are the first step toward achieving mid-level ethanol blends such as E25 and E30. … E30 would improve fuel economy standards, reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and other harmful
October 24, 2018
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by Jim Talent (The Hill/Americans for Energy Security and Innovation) Following the mysterious death of columnist Jamal Khashoggi, Washington was hit with a stark reminder that America remains glaringly vulnerable to economic threats from the oil oligarchs of the world. Saudi Arabia quickly issued a warning that any sanctions will be met with
October 24, 2018
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by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Two ethanol producers are adopting quite different innovative technologies to add value to their corn oil—one making biodiesel with supercritical methods, the other making renewable diesel. East Kansas Agri-Energy’s renewable diesel plant has been operational for about a year, after taking months to work
October 24, 2018
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(Office of Senator Dianne Feinstein) Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today was joined by 22 senators in calling on the Trump administration to end its challenge of California’s authority to set vehicle emission standards. The senators represent states that follow California’s standards. “The changes you have proposed to this carefully negotiated program are
October 24, 2018
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(WNAX) This week, the Environmental Protection Agency published its rule making agenda for 2019 and in it said they’’ll start the rulemaking process for year-round use of E15 in February of next year. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says they wanted to see the rulemaking start sooner than
October 22, 2018
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The owner of a biomass power plant in Colorado is the latest representative of the bioenergy industry to urge the U.S. EPA to take action to allow biomass power facilities to participate in the Renewable Fuel Standard program. On Oct. 11, Dean Rostrom, owner of
October 20, 2018
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(Office of Congressman Ruben Gallego D-AZ))… Reps. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Danny Davis (D-IL) led a letter signed by 17 of their colleagues to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressing concern over the Trump Administration’s widespread issuance of waivers to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). With transportation emissions representing the
October 20, 2018
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(National Biodiesel Board) New EPA dashboard confirms more than 300 million gallons of lost demand for biodiesel — National Biodiesel Board (NBB) delivered a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler asking that the agency fully account for small refinery exemptions in the annual Renewable Fuel Standard rules and “end
October 19, 2018
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by Meghan Gordon (S&P Global Platts) The US Environmental Protection Agency aims to adopt final rules for fuel economy standards by March and year-round sales of higher ethanol blends by May, according to a fall regulatory agenda released Wednesday by the Trump administration. The fuel economy rule is expected to increase
October 18, 2018
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(Renewable Fuels Association) On October 9, President Trump announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will soon begin a rulemaking process to allow year-round sales of E15 (gasoline containing 15% ethanol) in conventional gasoline markets, which account for nearly 70% of total U.S. gasoline consumption.[1] Much of the media coverage surrounding
October 15, 2018
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by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) … After Tuesday’s announcement, the oil industry and some environmental groups were quick to claim that increasing the volume of ethanol in the fuel supply would worsen air quality. However, the evidence suggests otherwise. An obscure piece of air quality regulation—Reid Vapor Pressure
October 15, 2018
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(Washington Post) For more than a decade, the United States has pursued the foolhardy energy policy known as the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS. Thanks to legislation passed by a Democratic Congress and signed into law by a Republican president, George W. Bush, in 2007, the RFS illustrates the sad-but-true principle
October 15, 2018
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(Urban Air Initiative) It didn’t take long. Minutes after President Trump announced he wanted to see E15 sold year round, the anti ethanol messages started. As President Trump himself said“ethanol makes the air cleaner”, Big Oil was spreading lies that ethanol hurts our cars and the environment. This is simply not true.
October 12, 2018
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by Doug Durante and Doug Sombke (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/South Dakota Farmers Union/Biofuels Digest) … However, we may have a unique and perhaps unprecedented opportunity for a do-over with the proposed fuel economy rule. While we take no position on exactly what the mileage standards should be, whatever they are we can
October 11, 2018
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by Bill Keba* (Advanced Biofuels USA) October 2, 2018, Annapolis, Maryland. Inside the Doubletree Inn, it was as hectic as the traffic on Route 50. Eightyfive paid attendees were gathering, registering, networking, and hurriedly settling in for the 9:15 start of this workshop titled Opportunities and Challenges in Anaerobic Digestion:
October 11, 2018
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(Attis Industries/NewMediaWire/FuturesTradingCharts.com) … Jeff Cosman, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, explains, “The increased inclusion allowance plays a vital role in the expansion of renewable fuel production. The timing couldn’t be better for Attis as we plan to build our first of many biorefineries that will produce cellulosic ethanol and biobased materials. Without the
October 10, 2018
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by Chris Clayton and Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Leading into President Donald Trump’s trip to Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Tuesday, a senior White House official said Tuesday that the president has directed the Environmental Protection Agency to create a new rule allowing year-round sales of 15% ethanol blends. Monte
October 9, 2018
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(Solutions from the Land) Asserting that they are taking the state’s climate fight up a notch, members of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) last week adopted amendments to the state’s low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) that could enhance the role of E85 and the use of ethanol in high-octane, low-carbon (HOLC)
October 6, 2018
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by Bill Keba* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The Mid-Atlantic Bioenergy Conference and Expo (MABEX) was held on September 12 and 13 at the Convene at CityView in Philadelphia, Pa. The Mid-Atlantic Bioenergy Council did well in selecting this terrific skyscraping venue. It provided a wonderful bird’s eye view of the city
October 6, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) A panel of D.C. Circuit appellate judges today will hear yet another iteration of arguments over the Renewable Fuel Standard. The court has allowed an hour and 40 minutes to delve into the issues at stake, and if ME’s experience is any guide, they
October 5, 2018
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(WNAX) Sources says the Trump administration is considering limits on trading biofuel credits. The goal is to discourage speculation and reduce costs for oil refiners to comply with U.S. biofuels policy. Renewable Fuels Association Executive Vice President Geoff Cooper says at this point, that’s just speculation, but his group is monitoring
October 3, 2018
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by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) The Alternative Fuels Council, a subsidiary of NATSO Inc., a national association representing the travel plaza and truckstop industry, has launched a new service designed to help fuel retailers that blend and sell renewable fuels to more efficiently participate in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program and
October 2, 2018
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by Cassidy Walter (The Gazette/Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) As an outspoken libertarian in favor of open markets, it is unfortunate that in a recent column, Adam Sullivan did not look closer at the history of U.S. energy policy before disregarding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) while blindly repeating every discredited claim about biofuels
October 1, 2018
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by Darius Dixon (Politico’s Morning Energy) The California Air Resources Board on Friday approved a rule warning automakers that they will have to meet the current greenhouse gas emissions standards in California and its allied states, even after the Trump administration rolls back the federal rules. The so-called “deemed to
October 1, 2018
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by Wayne Madsen (State Journal-Register) When federal environmental standards are under assault from an administration that appears bent on rolling back the clock to an era of smog and air pollution caused by the use of dirty fossil fuels, now is not the time to abandon national clean fuel mandates. …
September 29, 2018
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by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The White House is considering imposing restrictions on trading of biofuel credits, hoping to discourage speculation and reduce costs for oil refiners to comply with U.S. biofuels policy, according to three sources familiar with the discussions. … The move would be part of a widely anticipated deal to
September 29, 2018
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by Mario Parker and Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg) Gradual drop seen as refiners, farmers debate White House deal; Icahn owns 82% stake in independent oil refiner CVR Energy — The biofuel compliance credits used by refiners and criticized by billionaire Carl Icahn have tumbled to pennies from nearly a dollar when Donald Trump won
September 26, 2018
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by Tom Krisher adn Sudhin Thanawala (Associated Press) Automakers sought flexibility while environmental groups blasted the Trump administration’s proposal to roll back fuel economy standards at a public hearing on the plan in the industry’s backyard. At the hearing Tuesday in Dearborn, Michigan, home to Ford Motor Co. and just miles
September 26, 2018
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In recent Renewable Fuels Association testimony, Kelly Davis noted, “It was apparent that the previous administration disregarded comments from RFA and many other stakeholders—including the automakers—that encouraged EPA to evaluate engines and fuels as integrated systems when assessing the efficacy of model year 2022-2025 fuel economy and GHG standards. Indeed,
September 26, 2018
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by Rachel Gantz (Renewable Fuels Association) A high-octane, low-carbon fuel containing 20-40% ethanol used in optimized engines would be the lowest cost means of achieving compliance with fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for model year 2021-2026 and beyond, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Kelly Davis will testify today
September 26, 2018
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) California’s top air regulator urged the Trump administration on Sunday to abandon a plan to freeze fuel efficiency standards through 2026, as automakers urged state and federal regulators to reach agreement to extend nationwide rules. Mary Nichols, who chairs the state’s Air Resources Board, asked the U.S.
September 24, 2018
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by Michael McAdams (Advanced Biofuels Association) … When testifying recently before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the acting administrator was judicious in answering questions about EPA’s small refinery exemptions (SREs). He has publicly stated that there should be more transparency in the process for granting SREs, and that it would
September 21, 2018
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(National Biodiesel Board) Allowing year-round use of E15 is a positive step for ethanol, but doesn’t support biodiesel — Today, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) and the American Soybean Association (ASA) wrote President Donald Trump asking that he “provide additional help to the nation’s farmers and rural communities by supporting policies that
September 21, 2018
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by Chris Prentice, Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published new data detailing how it drastically expanded a biofuels waiver program for oil refiners since President Donald Trump’s administration took office, responding to pressure from the corn lobby to boost transparency over the opaque program. The details published on
September 21, 2018
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(Washington Examiner) The military cost of defending oil trade routes makes a solid case for keeping in place strong fuel-economy standards, the group Securing America’s Future Energy said in a report released soon after Trump began tweeting about OPEC prices on Thursday. “Following President Trump’s OPEC tweet this morning, in which he
September 20, 2018
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by Anna-Lisa Laca (AgWeb) Over the past year, farmers and ethanol advocates alike have pressed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be more transparent when it comes to Renewable Identification Number (RIN) waivers for small refineries. Today, EPA recognized that concern and created a handful of new sections on their website
September 20, 2018
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(Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Biofuels) and KS95 FM teamed up today to mark the end of the summertime restriction on E15 by rewarding drivers who chose E15 at the Winner station on 46th Street. From 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, MN Biofuels and KS95 rewarded drivers who chose
September 19, 2018
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by Orrie Swazye (Yankton Daily Press and Dakotan) Our gasoline market today is 90 percent gasoline and Brazil’s 75 percent gasoline but oil still supplies 99+ percent of transportation fuels worldwide. As we begin to net export oil, oil remains a mandated commodity nations will go to war to gain
September 18, 2018
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by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/My San Antonio) The Express-News Editorial Board recently missed the mark, claiming that the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS, is bad policy. The RFS has boosted local economies, strengthened U.S. energy security and improved overall air quality. … The Editorial Board cites an outdated and scientifically
September 18, 2018
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA has announced its Chartered Science Advisory Board will hold a teleconference Sept. 26 to address several issues, including a new draft SAB review of EPA’s Framework for Assessing Biogenic CO2 Emissions from Stationary Sources. Efforts by the EPA and SAB to develop a
September 18, 2018
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by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Just a few blocks from the commotion and crowds at the Global Climate Action Summit, biofuel advocates gathered Thursday to champion more low-carbon fuel standards that could take the country’s biofuels industry in new directions. While the climate summit focused on all the various
September 17, 2018
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by Scott Irwin (FarmDocDaily) Small refinery exemptions (SREs) represent the latest controversy to engulf the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). When the U.S. Congress first created the RFS in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58) it included a temporary exemption for small refineries from the mandate through 2011. Under the
September 17, 2018
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by John Mosheim (Clean Energy Business Network) … Currently, electricity generated from the combustion of cellulosic biogas under the RFS is an approved pathway for RIN generation.[1] In July 2014 EPA approved this pathway for RIN generation from electricity derived from biogas feedstock from a variety of anaerobic digesters. In
September 14, 2018
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by Jesse McCurry (Wichita Eagle/Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission & Producers Association) … Our grains reach markets around the world and feed production at a dozen Kansas ethanol plants that produce nearly 500 million gallons of clean, renewable biofuel each year. Ethanol production alone supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across the
September 14, 2018
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(Urban Air Initiative) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has refused to acknowledge it used faulty science and blending practices to paint an inaccurate picture of ethanol emissions in a long-awaited response to the Urban Air Initiative (UAI). In January 2017, UAI, the states of Nebraska and Kansas, and the
September 13, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Annually, commercial aviation helps drive nearly $1.5 trillion in U.S. economic activity and more than 10 million U.S. jobs. Airlines for America (A4A) vigorously advocates on behalf of the American airline industry as a model of safety, customer service and environmental responsibility and as the
September 13, 2018
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by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) While EPA remains in an impasse on requests to reallocate biofuels gallons lost to small refinery waivers of the Renewable Fuel Standard, a bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would require the agency to reallocate those gallons. The EPA granted a
September 10, 2018
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by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) : Incoming RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper addresses the small refiner exemptions issued by the U.S. EPA last year, and how they affect the ethanol market — The U.S. EPA remains committed to meeting the statutory deadline for finalizing the 2019 Renewable Fuel
September 7, 2018
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by Kelly Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA’s small refinery waivers under the Renewable Fuel Standard could cost the ethanol industry 4.6 billion gallons of domestic demand and close to $20 billion in sales revenue over the next six years, according to a recently updated analysis by the University of Missouri’s
September 7, 2018
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by Steve Vander Griend (Clean Fuels Development Coalition) Adding ethanol to gasoline improves it in every way. It lowers carbon, reduces common air pollutants for smog formation, lessens CO2 emissions, reduces sulfur content, and provides clean octane as a replacement for toxic aromatics. In short it makes gasoline significantly better
September 6, 2018
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by David Vander Griend (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Urban Air Initiative) Dave VanderGriend, president of Urban Air Initiative, doesn’t mince words in his column this month, calling out EPA for what he says is collusion with the oil industry. — … The 15.8 billion gallons of ethanol we produce and the economic benefits it
September 5, 2018
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by Eric C. Evarts (Green Car Reports) Just as the Trump administration moves to roll back fuel economy standards, a new survey shows that Americans are dissatisfied with the fuel economy their cars already get. The American Customer Satisfaction Index survey for cars was released Tuesday, and among the 10 attributes the
September 5, 2018
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(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy today filed a lawsuit in federal district court, alleging that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) have improperly denied agency records requested by RFA, Growth Energy, and others under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
September 4, 2018
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by Brian Jennings (American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … Consider this a blueprint for restoring the trust EPA has broken with farmers and rural America. 1. Make good on the president’s promises to allow E15 use year-round. Trump has made three or four public promises to allow E15 use year-round and
September 3, 2018
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by Nan Swift (Washington Examiner/National Taxpayers Union) Mandates under the Renewable Fuel Standard are displacing much more affordable petroleum fuel with expensive biodiesel. That includes millions of gallons that are imported from overseas. … The fact is, American biodiesel production is simply not keeping up with the levels required by the
September 3, 2018
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by Robert Rapier (Forbes) … To recap, gasoline must meet a specific requirement called the Reid vapor pressure (RVP). If the vapor pressure of gasoline is too high, it evaporates too quickly and contributes more to smog formation. … Pure ethanol has an RVP of 2 psi. If the mixing was
September 3, 2018
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by Joshua Pedrick (S&P Global/Platts) The US Environmental Protection Agency is likely to set the 2019 cellulosic waiver credit (CWC) at $1.77 for each credit, down from $1.96 in 2018, according to S&P Global Platts Analytics. “The most important variable in the calculation of the CWC is the bulk sales price
September 3, 2018
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by Mark Dorenkamp (Brownfield Ag News) … During the American Coalition for Ethanol conference in Minneapolis, ACE senior vice president Ron Lamberty says stakeholders looked at the pros and cons of a more uniform approach to labeling E15 as Unleaded 88. “Two of the big chains in the U.S., and Kum
September 3, 2018
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by Mikkel Pates (Forum News Service/Bismark Tribune) Now more than ever, farmers who believe in the future of ethanol need to speak up for it, says Gerald Bachmeier, president of the North Dakota Ethanol Producers Association. Bachmeier, who also serves as chief executive officer of Red Trail Energy LLC, in
September 3, 2018
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by Nick Sobczyk (E&E News) Democrats have long billed themselves as the party of climate science, and if they take back the House in November, they want to put global warming back on the congressional calendar. “It’s the 800-pound gorilla,” said Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), co-chairman of the Safe Climate Caucus.
September 3, 2018
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by Jeff Rice (Journal-Advocate) … Motorists shop almost exclusively according to price, except when the price goes down, and labor under a plethora of misconceptions about additives, octane and ethanol. That can lead to some unwise decisions at the pump. Numerous studies that show most Americans shop according to price, especially
August 31, 2018
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Proposed Changes to EIA-819 Monthly Biofuels, Fuel Oxygenates, and Motor Gasoline Blending Components Report COMMENT DEADLINE: February 25, 2019
(U.S. Department of Energy) On December 27, 2018, a Federal Register Notice (FRN) was published announcing proposed survey changes to the Petroleum Supply Reporting System. These changes enhance collection and reporting of biofuels a number of ways: EIA-819 Monthly Oxygenate Report will be expanded to incorporate EIA-22M Monthly Biodiesel Production