English
Afrikaans
Albanian
Amharic
Arabic
Armenian
Azerbaijani
Basque
Belarusian
Bengali
Bosnian
Bulgarian
Catalan
Cebuano
Chichewa
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Corsican
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Esperanto
Estonian
Filipino
Finnish
French
Frisian
Galician
Georgian
German
Greek
Gujarati
Haitian Creole
Hausa
Hawaiian
Hebrew
Hindi
Hmong
Hungarian
Icelandic
Igbo
Indonesian
Irish
Italian
Japanese
Javanese
Kannada
Kazakh
Khmer
Korean
Kurdish (Kurmanji)
Kyrgyz
Lao
Latin
Latvian
Lithuanian
Luxembourgish
Macedonian
Malagasy
Malay
Malayalam
Maltese
Maori
Marathi
Mongolian
Myanmar (Burmese)
Nepali
Norwegian
Pashto
Persian
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
Romanian
Russian
Samoan
Scottish Gaelic
Serbian
Sesotho
Shona
Sindhi
Sinhala
Slovak
Slovenian
Somali
Spanish
Sudanese
Swahili
Swedish
Tajik
Tamil
Telugu
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Urdu
Uzbek
Vietnamese
Welsh
Xhosa
Yiddish
Yoruba
Zulu
(GreenAir Online) Carbon market representatives, IATA and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have urged countries currently meeting at the UNFCCC’s COP24 in Poland to adopt strong rules to avoid double counting on emissions reductions under the Paris Agreement and ICAO’s CORSIA carbon offsetting scheme. This week, the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA),
Opinions
December 15, 2018
Read Full Article
(GreenAir Online) British Airways is challenging UK academics to create a new generation of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) based on carbon reduction potential, innovation, value to the UK economy and feasibility to implement. In a collaboration with Cranfield University, a competition with a first prize of £25,000 to fund further research
December 15, 2018
Read Full Article
by Sarantis Michalopoulos (EURACTIV) Increasing ethanol use will help countries around the world meet their Paris Agreement climate goals in a cheaper way, US producers told EURACTIV.com, staking their claim to a higher role for the fuel, alongside electricity, in decarbonising transport. Speaking to EURACTIV on the sidelines of COP24 in Katowice,
December 14, 2018
Read Full Article
(Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is requesting information on research opportunities related to outdoor algae research, biomass characteristics and feedstock performance, and renewable energy from urban and suburban wastes to help inform its research
December 14, 2018
Read Full Article
(Investe São Paulo/NGV Journal) The companies Raízen and Geo Energética have merged in a joint venture to create the first plant in Brazil to generate electricity on a commercial scale from by-products of sugarcane. With an investment of R$ 153 million and expected to generate 20 new job vacancies, the project
December 14, 2018
Read Full Article
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
Read Full Article
(Algae Biomass Organization) In a historic day for the algae industry, the U.S. Senate Tuesday approved a Farm Bill compromise that dramatically expands federal support for algae agriculture. The bill sets U.S. farm policy through 2023. It is expected to pass the House of Representatives as soon as today and receive President Trump’s
December 14, 2018
Read Full Article
by Michael Sherer (Washington Post) … Democrats preparing to run for president have been rushing to shift their plans for combating climate change, highlighting an issue once considered a political liability, especially in Midwestern swing states won by President Trump. Aides to a half-dozen senators considering a 2020 campaign met with supporters
December 14, 2018
Read Full Article
by Amy Harder (Axios) Getting off fossil fuels or reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a central sticking point emerging here at a conference to hash out details of the 2015 Paris Agreement to combat climate change. Why it matters: Nations rich with fossil-fuel resources say the focus should be on reducing
December 14, 2018
Read Full Article
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
Read Full Article
(Benefuel Inc./Biodiesel Magazine) Benefuel Inc. responded to British Columbia’s recently publicized climate change plan that included an expanded Low Carbon Fuel Standard by announcing Dec. 11 that it has begun a site search and discussions with interested parties on a few specific locations for Benefuel’s next state-of-the-art biodiesel facility. This announcement has
December 14, 2018
Read Full Article
(Radio VOP) VILLAGERS in Chipinge, Manicaland province have dragged ethanol producer, GreenFuel to court to stop it from occupying their communal land and interfering with their farming activities. Represented by Passmore Nyakureba and Blessing Nyamaropa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, the villagers together with Platform for Youth Development petitioned the High Court on Monday
December 14, 2018
Read Full Article
by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) … While the bill is largely viewed as a status-quo farm bill, the bill importantly reauthorizes the Energy Title (IX) and contains some new programs and tweaks aimed at helping producers become more resilient to climate change. … While overall the Energy Title
December 14, 2018
Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) focuses on several bioproducts for R&D and has been assessing the value proposition of biofuels for marine engines. Zia Haq and Jim Spaeth, both from the U.S. DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, gave individual presentations at ABLC Global
December 14, 2018
Read Full Article
by Christa Marshall (E&E News) Home batteries like the Tesla Powerwall could spike greenhouse gas emissions significantly unless current policies governing the electrical grid change around the country, according to a new study. The findings in the journal Environmental Science & Technology run counter to the conventional wisdom that energy storage is inherently
December 14, 2018
Read Full Article
by Humeyra Pamuk and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The White House is delaying additional payments from a $12 billion aid package for farmers stung by President Donald Trump’s trade war with China because it expects Beijing to resume buying U.S. soybeans, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The move comes despite
December 14, 2018
Read Full Article
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
Read Full Article
(Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) In a leap forward for the sustainable bioeconomy, the members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials approved our groundbreaking Advanced Products Standard. The culmination of over 18 months of consultation, expert working groups and member dialogue, the Standard provides the most robust set of sustainability requirements and
December 14, 2018
Read Full Article
(Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) In Philadelphia, on 19th July 2018 the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) and the Queensland Renewable Fuels Association (QRFA) signed an MOU partnership agreement to support the certification of biofuels and endorsement of future low carbon fuel projects domestically in Queensland, Australia. This unique collaboration will assist
December 14, 2018
Read Full Article
(Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) grouping of leading maritime organisations, and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) – the world’s most robust and trusted sustainability leader in the bioeconomy – came together in Berlin last week to exchange expertise in a showcase event designed to support the SSI as it
December 14, 2018
Read Full Article
(Natural Resources Defense Council) The Natural Resources Defense Council today urged Congress to investigate why the Department of Energy (DOE) still has not distributed as much as $600 million in congressionally approved clean energy research and development funding more than two months after the end of Fiscal Year 2018. Citing the
December 13, 2018
Read Full Article
(Solutions from the Land) A.G. Kawamura, co-chair of Solutions from the Land (SfL) and a member of the North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance (NACSAA), addressed delegates and observers in critical side events at global climate talks in Katowice, Poland, this week. With the 24th Conference of Parties (COP24) staged by the UN Framework Convention on
December 13, 2018
Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The International Biomass Torrefaction Council aims to promote biomass torrefaction and let the world know that integrated torrefaction process technology is mature, available and happening. Michael Wildfrom Wild & Partner LLC gave this illuminating overview of biomass torrefaction’s status, market requirements, and supply chain efficiency comparison
December 13, 2018
Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) When the world’s leaders for sustainable aviation fuels have a general meeting the week before the COP24 global climate sessions (this year in Poland), you can bet that the focus will be breaking the “You Can Have Two out of Three Conundrum” of aviation fuels. Which
December 13, 2018
Read Full Article
(ACT News) The Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo Fleet Awards are the ultimate recognition of fleet operators who show true leadership in clean transportation—having gone above and beyond to achieve sustainability in their transportation operations. To nominate a fleet, complete the one-minute nomination form by Friday, February 22nd. Awards categories include: “In It
December 13, 2018
Read Full Article
by Craig Willis (EurActiv/Growth Energy) With every passing year, the pathway to a stable climate gets narrower and more difficult to navigate. Meanwhile, the reports from our planet’s top scientists paint an increasingly grim picture of what to expect if the swing in global temperatures cannot be limited to 1.5 degrees
December 13, 2018
Read Full Article
(Grain Net) The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Environmental Entrepreneurs(E2), the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) thank the Farm Bill conferees for including a new pilot Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) in the 2018 Farm Bill Conference Report to promote and document the benefits of farming practices which improve soil health.
December 13, 2018
Read Full Article
(News Diary Online) The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, says the university will soon install a mini-refinery equipment for processing of Jatropha a flowering plant. Abdulkareem said this on Thursday inhis welcome address at the 8th International Jatropha Conference, tagged:“Jatropha 2018,” organised by the University of Ilorin
December 13, 2018
Read Full Article
by Chole Skaar (TDN.com) In a unanimous vote, the Port of St. Helens commissioners on Wednesday agreed to allow a wider range of crude oil grades to be shipped by train to Global Partners’ Port Westward export dock. … Port commissioners limited crude shipments to oil that is lighter than water,
December 13, 2018
Read Full Article
(Politico’s Morning Energy) Incoming House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio signaled he was on board with Nancy Pelosi’s plan to establish a select committee tasked with working on solutions to combat climate change, Pro’s Anthony Adragna reports . “I have no concerns about it,” the Oregon Democrat said. “This
December 13, 2018
Read Full Article
(Solutions from the Land) Events at the last round of global climate talks in Katowice, Poland over the past two weeks have drawn a spotlight on the need for agriculture, conservation and agribusiness interests to play a central role in the development of policy dealing with a changing climate. The North
December 13, 2018
Read Full Article
(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
Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biofuture platformwas launched at COP22 by 20 countries and top representatives of FAO, IEA, IRENA, UNIDO, SE4ALL, WBCSD, UNICA, and other leading organizations, whose aim is to kickstart a global, advanced bioeconomy and impact the future of bioenergy. Renato Domith Godinho, Biofuture Platform Interim Facilitator from the
December 13, 2018
Read Full Article
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) commends the Farm Bill conferees and the House and Senate Agriculture Committees for their tireless commitment to produce a Farm Bill, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, this year. In a year when farmers, ranchers, and rural communities are struggling, and the agricultural
December 12, 2018
Read Full Article
(Agora Verkehrswende) According to a new report, CO2 emissions from transport are still rising. If immediate action is not taken, more radical measures will be unavoidable in the future. — To keep global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius, the world’s leading economies must act immediately to reduce transport emissions.
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
(European Enviroment Agency) Progress on increasing the use of renewable energy and improving energy efficiency is slowing across the European Union, putting at risk the EU’s ability to achieve its energy and emissions reduction targets. Rising energy consumption, particularly in the transport sector, is to blame for the slowdown, according to
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Obed Owusu-Adda (Chatham House) Gitika Bhardwaj speaks to campaigner Obed Owusu-Addai about why solving the problem of deforestation across Africa requires tackling one of its biggest causes – poverty. — Deforestation is directly being caused by activities such as illegal logging, agricultural development, mining and infrastructure projects – but there are
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
(Union zur Förderung von Öl- und Proteinpflanzen (Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants – UFOP)) UFOP demands the expedited introduction of preliminary counter measures – customs duties on biodiesel imports should not be circumvented via palm oil imports Berlin, 11th December 2018. The Union zur Förderung von
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
(Automotive World) Since early November, the cars chauffeuring the management board members of Robert Bosch GmbH have been running on fully renewable diesel. Known as “C.A.R.E. diesel,” this fuel is synthesized mainly from by-products and waste materials. Its supplier Toolfuel claims that C.A.R.E. diesel reduces the CO2 emissions of these
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Ted Halstead (Washington Post/Climate Leadership Council) … The real lesson to learn from these setbacks is that the political prospects of carbon taxation depend on how the revenue is used. As long as the public perceives a carbon tax as an increase in its energy costs and, therefore, a
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Liam Sigaud (American Consumer Institute) … These subsidies overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy. Tesla buyers, for example, had an average household income of $293,200 in 2013. A study in 2015 found that electric Ford Focus buyers had an average household income of $199,000. By contrast, the median household income in the U.S. in 2015
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) Craig Crowder, fleet manager for the city of Beverly Hills, Calif., is reporting better performance and reduced maintenance since switching to renewable diesel. In June 2013, Crowder decided to start switching from petroleum-based, ultra-low-sulfur diesel to Neste MY Renewable Diesel. Today, his fleet of 445 vehicles
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Amar Shah Mohsen (Sun Daily) Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has challenged Malaysia to emulate Indonesia’s move to introduce a higher biodiesel mandate — the B20 biodiesel fuel — by 2020 and become the world’s top biodiesel-producing country. The Prime Minister noted that neighbouring Indonesia has surpassed Malaysia as the largest palm
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Ratnajyoti Dutta (S&P Global Platts) India is set to double its blending in the 2018-19 (October-September) season and achieve an 8% blending of ethanol with gasoline following government incentives such as making a higher price mandatory to be offered by state-owned oil companies to sugar mills, industry officials said Tuesday. India,
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Christia Marie Ramos (Inquirer.net) Increasing the ethanol blend in gasoline products can keep fuel prices in the country low, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos said on Tuesday. She made this suggestion amid the impending implementation of the second round of fuel excise tax increase early next year. … “Given that ethanol is
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Sarantis Michalopoulos (EurActiv) Ethanol will have a very important role in decarbonising the transport sector globally, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has told EURACTIV.com. Another energy expert has said electrification will play a major role in transport but is not applicable to all sectors, which is
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Hallie Gu and Dominique Patton (Reuters) China is set to more than triple its ethanol production capacity by 2020, a government researcher said on Tuesday, with demand for the commodity expected to surge as the country shifts toward cleaner fuels. The nation is currently building or seeking approval for new
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Ohio corn farmer Fred Yoder returned late Friday from a frustrating week in Poland listening to foreign ministers and others talk about what they think farmers globally must do to address climate change. As chairman of the North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance, Yoder
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) U.S. ethanol exports are on a roll. For the third time this year, American ethanol exports have reached record numbers, with the total hitting 1.69 billion gallons (bg) on a rolling 12-month basis, according to Growth Energy. As of October this calendar year, exports totaled 1.41 billion gallons,
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Van Hapka (Crookston Times) Will new Minnesota legislature and governor help push it across the finish line? The ethanol industry plays an important role in the agricultural communities around Northwest Minnesota, but for years, the EPA has held it back. Farmers rely on Minnesota ethanol plants to purchase crops like
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
(Office of Washington State Governor Jay Inslee) Gov. Jay Inslee was joined today by Democratic legislators and climate action supporters to unveil a plan that would launch a dramatic reduction of Washington state’s greenhouse gas emissions over the next 15 years. The proposal would accelerate the innovation and efforts already underway
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
(Renewable Fuels Association) While draft legislation recently released by Reps. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) and Bill Flores (R-Texas) represents “an important first step in the debate about future fuels policy and the role of high octane fuels,” the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) cannot support the proposal because it “does not provide the
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
(Advanced Biofuels Canada/EIN Presswire) Advanced Biofuels Canada lauds the Government of British Columbia for its new climate plan, with critical role for low-carbon renewable fuels — The Government of British Columbia released on December 5th its CleanBC climate plan, which charts a path to 19 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions reductions by
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
(Autocar Professional) In a big relief to biofuel manufacturers, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has clarified that biofuel manufacturers can import raw material without any restrictions. Hence the restrictions on the import of biodiesel and mixtures, is not applicable to raw material imports, for manufacturing by biofuel manufacturers who
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
(BioLNG EuroNet) BioLNG EuroNet today (December 6, 2018) announced a commitment to the further expansion of LNG (liquefied natural gas) as a road transport fuel across Europe with new infrastructure that should ensure the long-term success and mass scale adoption in Europe. The consortium, comprising Shell, DISA, Scania, IVECO, CNH
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Debi Durham (Iowa Economic Development Authority/Biofuels Digest) … Nearly $4 billion dollars was infused into capital investments in the U.S. for renewable and bioscience projects in 2018. This significant investment is merely part of an upward trend that’s yielded more than 273,000 new jobs at bioscience companies across the country since
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Matt McGrath (BBC) A booming global market for cars has helped drive CO2 emissions to an all-time high in 2018, say researchers. The main factor in the near 3% rise has been coal use in China, driven by government efforts to boost a flagging economy. But emissions from cars, truck
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
(American Energy Society) 2nd place: More than nine countries and a dozen cities in Europe have announced they are going to ban internal combustion engines or diesel powered vehicles (including Paris, Madrid, Athens, Norway, France the United Kingdom); however, none have passed a law prohibiting anything. 1st place: Despite Energiewende policies that require
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
“We’ve been intervening at every point to say (a) the UN’s Special Report says bioenergy is as important as electromobility for the next four decades and (b) no policy discussion can be meaningful unless it looks at the cost of the different measures, and regular ethanol is the cheapest climate
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … “Pretty intense I’d say. Good.” notes Climate Ethanol Alliances’s James Cogan. “We’ve been in a dozen transport energy events so far.” The Message Most discussions here about climate progress in transport get to the hand-wringing stage of recognizing the urgency and scale of progress needed,
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
(Argus Media) Angel Alvarez Alberdi is secretary general of the European Waste-to-Advanced Biofuels Association (EWABA). He spoke to Argus about the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED) beyond 2020, the role of waste-based biofuels in Europe’s future renewable energy mix and legislation on indirect land use change (Iluc). Below is an edited transcript of
December 11, 2018
Read Full Article
by Sarantis Michalopoulos (EurActiv) EURACTIV.com interviewed José Mendes, Portuguese First Secretary of State for Mobility – Environment and Energy Transition, on the sidelines of COP24 climate talks in Katowice, Poland — … Last week, the Portuguese government presented a plan which aims to make the Mediterranean country carbon-neutral by 2050. The plan
December 10, 2018
Read Full Article
by Seth Borenstein and Angela Charlton (Associated Press) The “yellow vests” in France are worrying greens around the world. The worst riots in Paris in decades were sparked by higher fuel taxes, and French President Emmanuel Macron responded by scrapping them Wednesday. But taxes on fossil fuels are just what international climate
December 10, 2018
Read Full Article
by Josh Gabbatiss (Independent) ‘The Norwegian parliament’s decision sets an important example to other countries and demonstrates the need for a serious reform of the world’s palm oil industry,’ activist says — Norway is to become the first country to stop its biofuel industry buying palm oil that is linked to catastrophic deforestation.
December 10, 2018
Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sustainable Energy For All and below50aim to promote bioenergy, especially in developing countries, and grow the demand for sustainable alternative fuels, so that bioenergy can reach its full potential. Gerard J. Ostheimer,Global Lead for Bioenergy at SEforAll and Co-Founder of below50 gave this illuminating overview of
December 10, 2018
Read Full Article
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Amid rumors of President Trump’s coal and fossil-fuel side event at COP24 (the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) in Poland this week and a Swedish 15 year old climate activist who tells it like it is, all hope for
December 10, 2018
Read Full Article
by Arlene Karidis (Waste 360) Vogel Disposal Service seeks to eventually fill its 220-vehicle fleet at one of several fueling stations it will own, one day bypassing the utility. — Vogel Disposal Service has become Pennsylvania’s first waste company to make renewable natural gas (RNG) from its methane and to build its own
December 8, 2018
Read Full Article
by Elizabeth Ouzts (Energy News) Poultry growers are under less pressure and have fewer incentives than hog farms to convert animal waste to energy. As pork producer Smithfield Foods commits to major investments in waste-to-energy projects in North Carolina, don’t expect a similar pledge from chicken or turkey companies in the state any time
December 8, 2018
Read Full Article
by Hilary Crisan-Heavilin (Waste Today) When a construction and demolition (C&D) recycling facility separates wood from other processed debris, it can be used as mulch, compost, alternative daily cover (ADC) for landfills and biomass fuel. Biomass fuel is processed wood that can be used to produce heat, electrons, biochemicals or bioproducts.
December 8, 2018
Read Full Article
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
Read Full Article
by P.J. Huffstutter and Mark Weinraub (Reuters) … Federal economists have calculated that the nation’s losses in corn – its largest crop by harvest and export volume – amount to just a penny per bushel, a pittance farmers call absurd. That’s in stark contrast to the substantial $1.65 per bushel the
December 7, 2018
Read Full Article
(National Biodiesel Board) Ways & Means Chairman Kevin Brady’s (R-TX) tax proposal includes a multi-year extension and phaseout of the biodiesel incentive — … Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, released a proposal to make technical corrections to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (PL 115-97)
December 7, 2018
Read Full Article
by John Hageman (The Dickinson Press) A new refinery has been proposed for oil-rich western North Dakota, prompting questions from a local township chairman. AIC Energy Corp. filed an application earlier this month with Williams County planning and zoning officials. It described the so-called “Bakken Oil Refinery” as a 28,000
December 7, 2018
Read Full Article
by Paige Müller (Creamer’s Engineering News) Despite the local sugar industry championing a bioethanol fuel subsidy as a potential method to relieve the burden on sugar through demand diversification, Ethanol Producers Association of Southern Africa secretary Alf Stevens suggests that this may not have the timely impact that the local
December 7, 2018
Read Full Article
by Sanjeev Choudhary (Economic Times) Delhi will run out of environment-friendly ethanol supplies for blending with petrol in the next few days as the capital’s local government is not allowing oil firms to store adequate quantities, raising the risk of vehicular emissions in an already-polluted capital. Delhi has experienced severe air pollution
December 7, 2018
Read Full Article
(Information Department, Gujarat/CMO Gujarat) Gujarat Chief Minister Mr. Vijaybhai Rupani today expressed determination to reduce country’s crude-oil bill by generating cheaper bio-diesel from used cooking oil. He was speaking at an inaugural function of the ‘Swasth Bharat Mela’ (Healthy India Fair) organized in Ahmedabad this evening. In this reference, Mr. Rupani
December 7, 2018
Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We have word bubbling up simultaneously from Pennsylvania and Colorado that Gevo and Renmatix inked a joint development agreement to evaluate the commercial feasibility of creating renewable jet fuel by integrating Renmatix’s Plantrose Process with Gevo’s GIFT technology and alcohol to jet process. The key word
December 7, 2018
Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Iowa, white smoke has emerged from the REGI conclave: Tesoro EVP and former Sapphire Energy CEO C.J. Warner has been named chief exec of Renewable Energy Group, at a pivotal moment for biodiesel in Washington and around the world and amidst a boom for renewable diesel
December 7, 2018
Read Full Article
by Steven Mufson (The Washington Post) … William Nordhaus, the Yale University professor who just won the Nobel Prize for his work on the economics of climate change, recently described his outlook like this: “I never use the word ‘pessimism’; I always use the word ‘realism,’ but I’d say it’s a kind of
December 6, 2018
Read Full Article
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
Read Full Article
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
Read Full Article
by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Railroad delays in 2014 forced ethanol plants to slow production or find other ways to move their products. Four years later, the situation has improved, but rail traffic is on the rise again. … In late 2013 and through much of 2014, ethanol shipments were
December 6, 2018
Read Full Article
by Lisa Gibons (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Tariffs in China and Brazil have deeply affected U.S. ethanol exports, but other markets remain, new ones are opening and opportunities still abound for the world’s lowest-cost octane. Despite a 20 percent tariff rate quota implemented in 2017, Brazil has continued to purchase significant amounts
December 6, 2018
Read Full Article
by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Fresh off a trip to Mexico to tout the benefits of ethanol to retailers, the American Coalition for Ethanol’s Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty said interest in ethanol among the country’s retailers is piqued. Lamberty was in Mexico City presenting at a workshop hosted by
December 6, 2018
Read Full Article
by Robert White (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) While we eagerly await EPA approval of year-round E15, let’s not forget that roughly one out of every 10 vehicles on the road today is a flex fuel vehicle (FFV) that can use ethanol flex fuels containing as much as 85 percent ethanol.
December 6, 2018
Read Full Article
By Ashna Mishra (Cogencis) After facilitating a soft loan of 61.39 bln rupees, the food ministry will soon seek Cabinet approval to facilitate additional loans worth around 74 bln to sugar mills to enhance their ethanol production capacity, sources said. The loans would cost the government around 16 bln rupees as interest
December 6, 2018
Read Full Article
by Tom Miles (Reuters) Argentina has launched a dispute at the World Trade Organization to contest Peru’s anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on Argentina’s exports of biodiesel, a WTO filing published on Wednesday showed. Argentina’s complaint suggests the two countries have failed to settle a row that blew up in October 2016
December 6, 2018
Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Promote short term deployment of mature options, stimulate the development and deployment of new technologies, deliver the necessary feedstock sustainably, backed by a supportive sustainability governance system, and develop capacity and catalyse investment via a coordinated international collaboration effort. That’s the message from the International Energy Agency on
December 6, 2018
Read Full Article
By Bob Kodrzycki (Encompass Biotech LLC) and Doug Rivers (Lee Enterprises Consulting Inc./Biofuels Digest) … It’s the use of the most recent improvements that put the “advanced” in the advanced bioeconomy. So, by definition, the advanced bioeconomy relies on emerging technology. While some may see the wealth and excitement of opportunity
December 6, 2018
Read Full Article
by Marcelo Teixeira (Reuters) Brazil’s latest policy to boost biofuels use has improved the outlook for ethanol production and should attract new investment in plants, BP Plc’s chief executive for biofuels, Mario Lindenhayn, said on Wednesday. Brazil is advancing with additional regulation for the policy, called RenovaBio and expected to be enacted
December 6, 2018
Read Full Article
(Biofuels International) The revised Renewable Energy Directive (REDll) policy, first outlined by The European Commission at the end of 2016, has now been officially adopted by the Council of the European Union. Among other things, it has finalised and set a minimum blending mandate for advanced biofuels starting in 2022. Leaders of Sustainable
December 6, 2018
Read Full Article
(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
Read Full Article
by Santosh Patnaik (The Hindu) Move will help India reduce oil import bill to almost zero, says CSIR D-G — The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the largest research and scientific body in the country, is scouting for a commercial partner to run commercial and defence aircraft on biofuel,
December 6, 2018
Read Full Article
by Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio (Business World) Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said he will lobby for the increase of coconut oil content in fuel to 5% from 2% for fuel used by the government, bringing the biofuel standard to B5 from B2. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Piñol said, “We will be
December 6, 2018
Read Full Article
(Economic Times) The government intends to further increase the target level for the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme that aims to bring down India’s imports of petroleum products, as also provide cleaner fuel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday. State-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) currently implement the EBP programme with
December 5, 2018
Read Full Article
(PM News) The Kebbi State Government has started the cultivation 47,000 hectares of cassava as raw material for the production of ethanol bio-fuel production in the state. The Kebbi State government and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had on Nov. 23, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for enthnol bio-fuel production
December 5, 2018
Read Full Article
by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) 18 Trucking, a construction trucking services company based in Hayward, Calif., is reporting reductions in maintenance costs and less downtime for its fleet after switching to Neste MY Renewable Diesel. Neste MY is a low-carbon fuel produced from 100% renewable and sustainable raw materials, primarily wastes
December 5, 2018
Read Full Article
by Geraint Evans (Energy Technologies Institute (ETI)/Bioenergy Insight) … ‘Focus on locking away CO2’ says the CCC about the future of biomass in its report published earlier this month. Bioenergy’s value is unique and greatest when combined with CCS to deliver negative emissions (net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere) alongside the
December 5, 2018
Read Full Article
(Snam/NGV Journal) The Italian Ministry of Defense seeks to promote clean energy and sustainable mobility and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Snam to explore the possible use of natural gas and biomethane for Armed Forces vehicles with the aim to lower the environmental impact of medium and long distance
December 5, 2018
Read Full Article
(Sun Daily) Petroleum companies have two months to switch from the current B7 (a blend of 7% palm methyl ester and 70% petroleum diesel to B10 biodiesel before its mandatory implementation on Feb 1, 2019. Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok said B10 biodiesel (a blend of 10% palm methyl ester and
December 5, 2018
Read Full Article
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
Read Full Article
by Robert Walton (Utility Dive) Even with rapid deployment of electric vehicles and the accelerated development of renewable energy resources, fossil fuels will still play a dominant role in the global economy for decades to come, according to new analysis released last week by the energy research company Wood Mackenzie. The
December 5, 2018
Read Full Article
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) Rep. Nydia Velázquez , the presumptive incoming chairwoman of the Small Business Committee, became the latest House Democrat to back the Green New Deal on Tuesday. “We cannot delay when it comes to addressing this existential threat to our planet,” she tweeted. “Water-adjacent cities, especially
December 5, 2018
Read Full Article
by Nolan Hicks (New York Post) Eyeing a possible presidential run, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg reversed his previous harsh criticism of ethanol and blasted away at President Trump, saying that someone should “take away” the president’s keyboard. Bloomberg made the comments after spending the day in agriculture-dependent Iowa, a crucial early battleground for
December 5, 2018
Read Full Article
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
Read Full Article
(Evonik) Evonik Corporation will undertake a significant capacity expansion of its sodium methylate facility located in Mobile, Ala. Upon completion, the Mobile plant will be capable of producing up to 90,000 metric tons per year. The decision to expand capacity follows Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent announcement of renewable volume obligations
December 5, 2018
Read Full Article
by Mark K. Matthews (E&E News) If they stay true to their campaign rhetoric, the class of freshman House Republicans won’t be leading any revolutions next year on the issue of climate change. … In a few cases, there are reasons for climate activists to be cautiously optimistic. Wisconsin voters picked Republican
December 5, 2018
Read Full Article
by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) … American Coalition for Ethanol’s Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty, discusses some of the myths surrounding E15, as well as its benefits for retailers, consumers and the environment. … The biggest difference is if you add 5 percent more ethanol to a gallon of E10,
December 4, 2018
Read Full Article
North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance (NACSAA) Chairman Fred Yoder called on COP24 leaders to focus not just on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but on all three pillars of Climate Smart Agriculture, which also include sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes, and adapting and building resilience to climate change. One
December 4, 2018
Read Full Article
(Solutions from the Land) North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance (NACSAA) Chairman Fred Yoder told global climate negotiators here that climate change is negatively impacting agriculture across the globe and requires a systems-wide solution. Yoder tells COP24 delegates to make farmers central to strategy development Yoder’s remarks on the world
December 4, 2018
Read Full Article
(EuroNews/Reuters) The European Commission has proposed reinstating anti-dumping duties on imports of Argentine biodiesel after massive shipments of cheap biodiesel from Latin America into the European Union threatened its industry, an EU document seen by Reuters shows. The plan follows an investigation requested by EU producers which have been hit hard
December 4, 2018
Read Full Article
(American Energy Society/Energy Today) The American Energy Society selects Nathaniel Rich as the Energy Writer of the Year, 2018, for his article “Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change” (New York Times Magazine, August 1, 2018). The 31,000-word piece weaves together a narrative about the years 1979 to 1989,
December 4, 2018
Read Full Article
(ATN Fully Loaded) Industrial and economic gains seen along with emissions reductions — Hard on the heels of a union critique of the nation’s fuel reserves policy, Bioenergy Australia has released a “first state-of-the-nation assessment” of the domestic bioenergy situation – and finds it lagging. With the exception of Queensland, the report,
December 4, 2018
Read Full Article
(Volkswagen) CO2 emissions* can be sustainably reduced thanks to R33 BlueDiesel fuel; Old cooking fat is partly converted into fuel; CO2 savings of at least 20 percent compared to conventional diesel fuel; Introduction at major customers such as Bosch Test phase successfully completed: Volkswagen has been testing the newly developed R33 BlueDiesel fuel at
December 4, 2018
Read Full Article
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
Read Full Article
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) ‘THE TIME IS LATE’: Sen. Bernie Sanders, a likely 2020 presidential candidate, and a group of climate activists held a town hall Monday evening with a simple message: The world is running out of time to get serious about climate action to limit the worst impacts from
December 4, 2018
Read Full Article
by Megan Keller and Timothy Cama (The Hill) White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Monday the Trump administration will seek to end subsidies for electric cars and renewable energy sources, according to reports. Kudlow said he expected subsidies for electric cars would end by 2020 or 2021. …
December 4, 2018
Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From the Netherlands comes news of a world first: GoodFuels Marine and the shipping company NORDEN have completed successful trials of what they bill as “the world’s first zero emission, ‘drop in’ Heavy Fuel Oil equivalent marine biofuel”, and in almost entirely reducing all carbon and sulphur
December 4, 2018
Read Full Article
by Marianne Lavelle (Inside Climate News) Democratic election victories raised the odds of climate change policies succeeding, activists and analysts say. A national plan was also just floated in Congress. — At least seven state governments are poised at the brink of putting a price on climate-warming carbon emissions within the next
December 3, 2018
Read Full Article
(SEAT/NGV Journal) SEAT President Luca de Meo and Snam CEO Marco Alverà signed a strategic agreement in Milan to promote the use of CNG and biomethane for sustainable mobility, as well as joint research and development projects in this scope. SEAT and Snam share strategic markets such as Italy, France and
December 3, 2018
Read Full Article
(GreenAir Online) A new study, one of the first, examines whether a credible pathway to zero or near zero emissions exists for European aviation. The report, published by Transport & Environment (T&E), looks at flights within and departing Europe thus matching the scope of aviation’s inclusion in the EU’s 2030 target.
December 3, 2018
Read Full Article
(Green Air Online) … The Stay Grounded network, which includes Friends of the Earth International, reports it carried out 27 “actions” in 11 countries to raise awareness of what it describes as “the ongoing massive wave of airport infrastructure expansion and the need for alternatives”. The countries included Austria, Belgium,
December 3, 2018
Read Full Article
(GreenAir Online) The Dutch civil aviation sector has pledged to reduce its gross carbon emissions originating in the Netherlands by 35 per cent by 2030. This is in addition to airline commitments required under the EU Emissions Trading System and the global CORSIA carbon offsetting scheme. To achieve the target, the
December 3, 2018
Read Full Article
(GreenAir Online) With just a month to go before airlines and business aircraft operators with international flights must start monitoring and reporting their CO2 emissions under the CORSIA carbon offsetting scheme, the sector says it is firmly on track to meet its commitments. “We’re really encouraged by the readiness of the
December 3, 2018
Read Full Article
by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) A new study shows that the Biodiesel Tax Credit helped the industry support $21.6 billion in economy-wide sales, employment for over 60,000 workers with wages and benefits totaling $3.8 billion, and nearly $2 billion in state and federal tax revenues combined in 2017. The analysis by FTI Consulting
December 3, 2018
Read Full Article
by Ana Ionova and Marcelo Teixeira (Reuters) Brazilian sugar companies are increasing their capacity to produce ethanol in the face of depressed global sugar prices and government policies expected to boost demand for the biofuel. A shift to ethanol in the 2018-19 season slashed Brazil’s sugar output by 9 million tonnes to
December 3, 2018
Read Full Article
by Jennette Barnes (The Standard-Times/Herald News) A Canadian waste-to-ethanol company is looking for its first U.S. location, and the SouthCoast is on the list of possibilities. Montreal-based Enerkem confirmed to The Standard-Times Friday that it has been speaking with local officials and with waste hauler ABC Disposal about using material generated by ABC’s
December 3, 2018
Read Full Article
by Barbara Lewis and Anna Koper (Reuters) U.N. has year-end deadline to agree ‘rule book’; G20 members, except United States, sign declaration of support; Brazil pulls out of hosting 2019 talks — Delegates from nearly 200 nations on Sunday began two weeks of talks to tackle deep political divisions at the most important U.N. meeting
December 3, 2018
Read Full Article
(Renewable Fuels Association) The U.S. ethanol industry applauds the release of the Province of Ontario’s Environment Plan, which includes a fuel requirement for conventional gasoline to be blended with 15 percent ethanol that could go in effect as early as 2025. Following this announcement, Growth Energy, U.S. Grains Council, and Renewable Fuels
December 3, 2018
Read Full Article
by Monica Evans (Forest News) Perennial plant grows well on degraded land, allows farmers to diversify income streams — … So, say researchers from Australia’s RMIT University and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), it is crucial to start looking for other species that can provide sustainable supplies of biomass for energy production, without compromising
December 3, 2018
Read Full Article
(Bioenergy Europe) Today, the Commission has published its long-term strategy for emissions reduction looking at different options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% with more ambitious scenarios achieving a balance between greenhouse gas emissions and removals by 2050. Bioenergy Europe welcomes the fact that bioenergy is one of
December 3, 2018
Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Many prominent bioenergy critiques are feedstock-focused — for example, iLUC (Searchinger et al. 2008), carbon debt. Marginal land strategies identify areas where energy crops likely have competitive advantage for productivity and/or conservation based on Biophysical characteristics (land capability classification) and past/current land use (pasture/rangeland, ‘abandoned’ land.
December 3, 2018
Read Full Article
by Tom Burridge (BBC News) As things stand, the vast majority of ocean-going vessels that transport goods across the globe run on what is known as “heavy fuel oil”. It is thick, black and cheap. Dirk Kronemeiier describes it as the “dirtiest fuel ever invented by mankind.” He believes his biofuel company, Good
December 2, 2018
Read Full Article
(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
Read Full Article
(The Hindu Business Line) With maize, jawar, bajra in blended petrol programme, farmers’ income may get a boost — The Centre has extended the ambit of the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme to extract the fuel from surplus quantities of maize, jawar, bajra and fruit/vegetable waste. This decision was taken on
November 30, 2018
Read Full Article
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC) is a nationally focused not-for-profit organization based in Sarnia, Ontario, in the county of Lambton. BIC’s mission is to provide critical strategic investment, advice and services to business developers of clean, green and sustainable technologies. “Our expertise in commercialization builds a stronger Canada,’ the
November 30, 2018
Read Full Article
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
Read Full Article
by Dean Scott (Bloomberg Environment) Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), two Republicans to introduce carbon fee bill that would return money to consumers; With virtually no chance of passage, measure seen as effort to start discussions for next Congress — A small group of Democratic and Republican House members plans to introduce a carbon tax
November 27, 2018
Read Full Article
by Katie Peikes (Iowa Public Radio) … The Republican congressman says he’d like to see his legislation in the farm bill that would keep states from regulating production standards for agricultural products sold in interstate commerce by other states. King drafted that legislation nearly a decade ago. He says California was
November 27, 2018
Read Full Article
by Mark Dorenkamp (Brownfield Ag News) The CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association says it’s a common misnomer that the Renewable Fuel Standard ends in four years. Geoff Cooper tells Brownfield the RFS doesn’t stop in 2022. “What stops in 2022 is the specific volumes being laid out in the law.”
November 27, 2018
Read Full Article
by Naomi Jagoda (The Hill) … The bill would … phase out tax breaks for biodiesel and renewable diesel, and extend a number of other expired tax provisions through the end of 2018 — including tax breaks that benefit the renewable energy, horse racing and motorsports industries. READ MORE Tax
November 27, 2018
Read Full Article
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) Energy trade and advocacy groups, including the Solar Energy Industries Association, ClearPath Action and Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, want Congress to modify the tax code to include energy storage as an eligible technology for the investment tax credit. In a letter Monday, the groups
November 27, 2018
Read Full Article
“Here’s the thing. Taxing carbon is exactly how you get faster innovation. That’s kinda the point,” observed Catherine Rampell in a recent Washington Post op-ed. She continued, ” A carbon tax prices in, upfront, the hidden costs of burning fossil fuels, including pollution and the warming of the planet. … But over the longer-term,
November 27, 2018
Read Full Article
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
Read Full Article
by Timothy Cama (The Hill) A federal court won’t dismiss a challenge by Democratic states and green groups to a key part of the Trump administration’s plan to roll back car fuel efficiency and emissions standards. At issue is the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) April determination that the Obama administration’s plan to make
November 26, 2018
Read Full Article
Our Sponsors
FREE Subscription! Advanced Biofuels USA events calendar; policy and actions; education newsletters
Rural Development Environmental Regulation for Rural Infrastructure Projects COMMENTS DUE December 24, 2018
(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