by Gloria Dickie (Reuters) U.S. Department of Energy has invested $55 million in seaweed biofuel research; Whale biologists worry kelp growing gear could entangle critically endangered North Atlantic right whales; Seaweed farms test out stiffer, whale-friendly gear — … Now, the whales face another threat as the U.S. Department of
Massachusetts
by Floyd Vergara (Biodiesel Magazine) … Momentum from California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard continues to build the framework for the success of biodiesel and renewable diesel. Nearly 1.7 billion gallons of biomass-based diesel was used in 2022, displacing nearly half of the entire diesel fuel pool in California and accounting
June 2, 2023
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The C3E Poster Competition invites students and early-career researchers from all academic disciplines to participate and help shape the future of clean energy. Organizers of the 12th C3E Symposium and Awards are delighted to offer all young scholars an opportunity to showcase their work and experience in research, service, and/or
June 1, 2023
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(U.S. Department of Energy) Funding Will Reduce the Cost of Clean Hydrogen, Deliver Cleaner Air, More High-Quality Jobs, and Reduce Reliance on Fossil Fuels — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today (May 22, 2023) announced nearly $42 million in funding for 22 projects in 14 states to advance critical technologies
May 30, 2023
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by Clark Kauffman (Iowa Capital Dispatch) A long-simmering dispute over biofuels technology has resulted in a Massachusetts company suing Iowa’s Clean Fuels Alliance America for allegedly disclosing confidential company information now being used by an Ames company. It’s the third round of litigation involving Hull Partners, a Massachusetts company that is
May 24, 2023
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by Jarrett Renshaw and Stephanie Kelly (Reuters)The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recommended delaying a scheme that would give electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers tradable credits under a federal biofuel program, in a final rule that the White House will now review, two sources familiar with the matter said. The plan
May 24, 2023
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(Gingko Bioworks/PR Newswire) Partnership aims to enable cost-effective decarbonization of rubber tire manufacturing and sustainable aviation fuel production — Visolis, a company combining advanced bioengineering with chemical catalysis to provide sustainable, carbon-negative materials, today announced a partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and
May 9, 2023
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by Charles Forsberg and Bruce E. Dale (Hydrocarbon Processing) Hydrocarbon liquid fuels are central to the U.S. economy, delivering almost half the country’s energy to the residential, commercial, industrial and transportation sectors. … The U.S. Energy Information Agency’s (EIA’s) long-term projections show no major changes in U.S. liquid fuels hydrocarbon
May 3, 2023
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(Ginkgo Bioworks/PR Newswire) Partnership aims to enable cost-effective decarbonization of rubber tire manufacturing and sustainable aviation fuel production — Visolis, a company combining advanced bioengineering with chemical catalysis to provide sustainable, carbon-negative materials, today announced a partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and
May 2, 2023
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(Yield10 Bioscience/Globe Newswire) Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq:YTEN) (“Yield10” or the “Company”), an agricultural bioscience company, today announced that it has signed a non-binding Letter of Intent (“LOI”) with Marathon Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: MPC, “Marathon”) for a potential investment and offtake agreement for low-carbon intensity Camelina feedstock oil for use in renewable
May 1, 2023
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(Sierra Club) Today (March 30, 2023), Massachusetts announced its formal adoption of the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC) rule, which requires auto manufacturers to ensure that every new light-duty car sold in the state is a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) by 2035. This is in line with the requirement for all
April 3, 2023
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) AgGrid Energy is one of our most admired biogas project developers, and is on a rapid expansion curve as many of the best biogas companies are right now. Rashi Akki gave this overview of the company’s promise and progress, milestones achieved and ahead, at ABLC
March 28, 2023
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(Cabot Corporation/Business Wire) Company to introduce its first-ever ISCC PLUS certified products powered by EVOLVE Sustainable Solutions — –Cabot Corporation (NYSE: CBT) today (Mrch 21, 2023) announced the launch of EVOLVE™ Sustainable Solutions, a new technology platform for advancing sustainable reinforcing carbons. Cabot’s ambition through this technology platform is to develop
March 27, 2023
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by Anna Phillips (Washington Post) The EPA plans to grant California a waiver that will allow the state to phase out diesel-powered trucks, helping communities burdened by truck pollution — The Biden administration will approve new California rules to cut tailpipe pollution and phase out sales of diesel-burning trucks, according
March 20, 2023
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by Nina Lakhni (The Guardian) Backers say hydrogen projects should be first in line for almost $26bn in US taxpayer money – but should we believe the hype? … It’s already used for rocket fuel, but it is now being pushed as a clean and safe alternative to oil and gas
March 8, 2023
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by Nichola Groom (Reuters) Divert Inc, a U.S. company that converts rotting food into energy, on Wednesday said it has received a $1 billion commitment from Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge Inc (ENB.TO) to expand its facilities across North America. It is the latest in a string of investments by major energy companies in
March 2, 2023
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by David L. Chandler (MIT News) A new method for removing the greenhouse gas from the ocean could be far more efficient than existing systems for removing it from the air. … Recently, the possibility of removing carbon dioxide directly from ocean water has emerged as another promising possibility for
March 2, 2023
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(Yield10) Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: YTEN) (“Yield10” or the “Company”), an agricultural bioscience company, today announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with American Airlines, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAL) on February 27, 2023 to collaborate in developing the value chain for Camelina as a low-carbon feedstock oil for sustainable aviation fuel (“SAF”). American is committed to
March 2, 2023
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Vanguard Renewables is a national leader in the development of organics-to-renewable energy projects. The company’s Farm Powered program works with dairy farmers to help manage manure, enhance regenerative agriculture practices, solve greenhouse gas emissions challenges, and enhance long-term operational and economic benefits. Vanguard’s Bryan Tracey
March 1, 2023
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(Yield10 Bioscience) -Second field trial confirms Camelina tolerance to over-the-top herbicide application; -Greenhouse studies support proof-of-concept for stacked herbicide traits in Camelina; -Yield10 filed RSR under USDA-APHIS’s SECURE Rule for herbicide tolerant Camelina Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq:YTEN) (“Yield10” or the “Company”), an agricultural bioscience company, today announced key advancements for enabling weed control for
February 22, 2023
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(Yield10/Ag NewsWire) Yield10 Bioscience, Inc., an agricultural bioscience company, today announced its 2023 enrollment program for contract production of Camelina. Yield10 is offering contracts for both spring and winter varieties of Camelina to farmers located in Western Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba), and Northern U.S. (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho
February 14, 2023
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(Yield10) Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq:YTEN) (“Yield10” or the “Company”), an agricultural bioscience company, today announced that it has signed with Mitsubishi Corporation (“Mitsubishi”) a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) to evaluate the establishment of a partnership to supply, offtake and market Camelina as a low-carbon feedstock oil for biofuels. Mitsubishi Corporation recently announced its
February 1, 2023
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by David Laviska (ACS Network Chemiistry Community Online/ACS Green Chemistry Institute) It’s awards season at the ACS Green Chemistry Institute® (GCI) and we’re delighted that unprecedented numbers of students from undergraduates through post-doctoral scholars are seeking to share details of their research in green chemistry. As has been true for more
January 27, 2023
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) RNG and it’s companion product biogas have taken the project and sustainable power sectors by storm — there’s project action, fast-developing technology, M&A activity, and policy advances of the first magnitude, in the United States and all around the developed world, What’s up, who’s in
January 24, 2023
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(Advent Technologies Holdings, Inc./Business Wire) Advent Technologies Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADN) (“Advent” or the “Company”), an innovation-driven leader in the fuel cell and hydrogen technology sectors, is pleased to announce that it will collaborate with Alfa Laval, a global provider of heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling products, on a project
January 12, 2023
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(BioBuilder) Established in 2011 from an award-winning teaching team at MIT, BioBuilder takes a comprehensive approach to the emerging field of synthetic biology, providing exceptional programming available for students and educators alike. For students, there is the chance to integrate biology and engineering through practical, hands-on lessons and club activities. For educators,
January 10, 2023
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by Deborah Lockridge (Heavy Duty Trucking) … The news this year was full of the latest ICE developments, making the internal combustion engine HDT’s 2022 Newsmaker of the Year. As Srikanth Padmanabhan, president of Cummins’ engine business, said in announcing the company’s “fuel-agnostic” engine platform, “getting to zero is not a light-switch event.
January 4, 2023
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Ginkgo Bioworks—a synthetic biology company—is the leading horizontal platform for cell programming. Our mission is to make biology easier to engineer. Customers across industries leverage Ginkgo’s platform to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems. Working with our partners and our growing ecosystem, we
December 20, 2022
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(United States Attorney’s Office District of Massachusetts) Defendant obtained more than $8.7 million in undue federal grant funding — An Acton man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with his role in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Treasury Department of more than $50 million in tax-free
December 8, 2022
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(Worcester Polytechnic Institute) An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has developed a potential breakthrough in green aviation: a recipe for a net-zero fuel for planes that will pull carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the air. The research, which used sophisticated computational modeling and analysis, was recently published in
December 5, 2022
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(Diesel Technology Forum) 15 Million Metric Tons of GHG reduction in California, Opportunities in Northeast — Use of low-carbon renewable diesel and biodiesel fuels are delivering significant greenhouse gas (GHG) and other emissions reductions in California, and hold expanded opportunities for reducing carbon emissions from the trucking sector in Connecticut, Massachusetts,
November 15, 2022
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by John Stossel (New York Post) … To make sure we have no choice in the matter, some left-leaning states have moved to ban gas-powered cars altogether. California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order banning them by 2035. Oregon, Massachusetts and New York copied California. Washington state’s politicians said they’d make it happen
November 9, 2022
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In this presentation, Ag-Grid Energy CEO Rashi Akki took the ABLC Next 2022 stage in San Francisco to outline the company’s milestones, technology, financial estimates, policy asks, its portfolio of biogas projects, and the company’s expansion in RNG, and more. READ MORE
November 4, 2022
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Here are the 50 Hottest Project Development & Deployment Spots in the Advanced Bioeconomy for 2022, as selected by the Digest’s editors. READ MORE
October 28, 2022
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by Robert Zullo (Wisconsin Examiner) Across the country, states are inking agreements with neighbors or striking out on their own to pursue billions in federal funding to set up “hydrogen hubs,” clustered centers for production, storage and use of the gas that many see as a crucial piece of the puzzle
October 27, 2022
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(World Energy/PR Newswire) QuestZero Program to Deliver on the Innovation, Infrastructure, Fuel Access, and Volumes Corporate Leaders Need to Achieve Climate Goals – World Energy, a carbon-net-zero solutions provider, today announced the launch of QuestZero, a program built on long-term partnerships between the climate solutions company and the world’s largest corporations
October 27, 2022
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by Olivia Lemmon (Spectrum News) … Peterson Oil Service is a family-owned business that serves most of Central Massachusetts. … Kristen Peterson said it relies on its two million gallon storage capability and the blending of biodiesel with their heating oil to keep their prices lower for customers. “We try to utilize that
October 24, 2022
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by Anna Simet (Biodiesel Magazine) This week’s Biodiesel Magazine podcast features, Michael Timko, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Heather LeClerc, Ph.D. Candidate with Worcester Polytechnic Institute Interview. READ MORE/LISTEN Hydroxyapatite catalyzed hydrothermal liquefaction transforms food waste from an environmental liability to renewable fuel (iScience)
October 13, 2022
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(Federal Aviation Administration) The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued more than $16 million in grants to 14 universities across the country for research to reduce aviation emissions and noise. The university teams are members of the Aviation Sustainability Center (ASCENT), part of the FAA’s Air Transportation Center
October 13, 2022
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(Divert/Business Wire) 10-year deal worth approximately $175 million will support bp’s efforts to curb harmful greenhouse gas emissions and boost access to clean energy for its customers — Divert, Inc., an impact technology company on a mission to Protect the Value of Food™, today announced a 10-year renewable natural gas (RNG)
October 12, 2022
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by Kate Yoder (Grist) California activists paved the way for defining climate change as an air pollution problem. Now it’s federal law. … Connecting climate change with something visceral and dangerous brings more immediacy to a problem that’s often seen as unfolding far away or in the future, even though it’s
October 3, 2022
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(Northeast Biodiesel) You might wonder if you heard that correctly, but you did. After so many years, of extraordinary effort and fund raising and patience, it’s now finally our time to shine. A couple years ago the Board asked the Northeast Biodiesel and Co-op Power lenders if we could sell the plant,
September 28, 2022
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(National Renewable Energy Laboratory/Biobased Diesel Daily) An underutilized natural resource could be just what the airline industry needs to curb carbon emissions. Researchers at three institutions—the U.S. DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Washington State University—report success in using lignin as a path toward a drop-in
September 28, 2022
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(Worcester Polytechnic Institute/Business Wire) With gas prices soaring and food costs pinching family budgets, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at WPI is looking at ways to use food waste to make a renewable and more affordable fuel replacement for oil-based diesel. The work, led by Chemical Engineering Professor Michael Timko, is detailed in
September 14, 2022
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(BioCycle Magazine) National Grid, an electricity, natural gas and clean energy delivery company serving New York and Massachusetts, issued a request for information (RFI) in May 2022 to better understand renewable natural gas (RNG) and hydrogen availability for its customers. One of four pillars in National Grid’s clean energy vision, procurement
September 14, 2022
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by John Bleasby (Daily Commercial News) … When projected over 10 years between 2022 and 2032, it found considerable advantages with advanced diesel technology, particularly when using renewable biofuels, as compared to an electrification strategy. The study found using low-carbon renewable bio-based diesel fuels available today would result in a three
September 7, 2022
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by Jack Levy (Worcester Polytechnic Institute/ Phys.Org) … To make the fuel, the researchers employed a process called hydrothermal liquefaction, which uses heat and water to break down the food waste into a liquid. It’s a method that has been used widely in converting other materials into biofuel, including algae. However,
September 2, 2022
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( U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $29.5 million to 15 projects to improve the current science and infrastructure for utilizing waste streams, often disproportionately located in underserved communities, and support the development of improved organisms and inorganic catalysts for the production of valuable biofuels and bioproducts
August 31, 2022
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(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a $200,000 grant to the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA) to support anaerobic digestion technology in 11 states in the Northeast, New England the Mid-Atlantic, including New Jersey and New York. NEWMOA has partnered with the Northeast Recycling
August 31, 2022
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(Renewables Now) New York governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced that Maine and Rhode Island have joined a big consortium led by New York that is working on a proposal to become one of at least four regional clean hydrogen hubs planned in the US. Up to USD 8 billion (EUR
August 26, 2022
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by Kathleen Ronayne (Associated Press) California is poised to set a 2035 deadline for all new cars, trucks and SUVs sold in the state to be powered by electricity or hydrogen, an ambitious step that will reshape the U.S. car market by speeding the transition to more climate-friendly vehicles. The California
August 25, 2022
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(National Grid/Biomass Magazine) National Grid has located robust stocks of renewable natural gas (RNG) and hydrogen potentially available for its customers in Massachusetts and New York through the company’s first-of-its kind Northeast clean energy request for information (RFI) issued in May. Procurement of RNG and hydrogen are essential to National Grid’s
August 19, 2022
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by Ravi Chidambaram and Parag Khanna (Harvard Business Review) Currently, climate adaptation initiatives — that is, those that help people, animals, and plants to survive despite rising climate volatility rather than trying to reverse it — receive only 7% of climate-related investment. They deserve far greater business investment. Solutions that are
August 19, 2022
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by Anne C. Mulkern (E&E News/Politico Pro) … Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) last week signed legislation banning sales of new gasoline-fueled vehicles in state after 2035. California, New York and Washington have said they’d enact similar mandates. READ MORE How EV tax credits are straining US-South Korea trade relations
August 18, 2022
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by Mike LaBella (The Eagle-Tribune/Mass Transit Magazine) A host of changes are in store for the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority, including new biodiesel buses decorated with multicolor graphics, new shelters and benches at bus stops in Lawrence, Amesbury and Methuen, new signage to better define bus stops along all
August 17, 2022
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(Sustainable Oils/Biomass Magazine) Sustainable Oils Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Global Clean Energy Holdings Inc., an ultra-low carbon renewable fuel company that will use nonfood camelina as their primary fuel source material, on Aug. 8 announced a joint licensing agreement with Corteva Agriscience and the Broad Institute of MIT and
August 10, 2022
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(Diesel Technology Forum/Globe Newswire) A new study that evaluates several approaches to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) and other emissions from medium and heavy-duty vehicles from 2022-2032 finds considerable advantages with advanced diesel technology particularly when using renewable biofuels, as compared to an electrification strategy. Medium and heavy-duty trucks operating in 10
July 25, 2022
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by Cole Rosengren (Utlity Dive) • Vanguard Renewables, a Massachusetts-based anaerobic digestion company, has been acquired by a fund managed by BlackRock Real Assets. Vanguard was sold by Vision Ridge Partners, which had invested in the company’s growth since its founding in 2014. According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal
July 22, 2022
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by Currey McCullough (RFD TV) Just this morning (July 19, 2022) on a call with ag reporters, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley said he and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar are sending a letter urging the EPA to increase volumes of biodiesel and renewable diesel. “Adding more homegrown fuels to the nation’s
July 20, 2022
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(U.S. Biochar Initiative/EIN Presswire) “It [Biochar] is being newly embraced as a true carbon removal solution at scale.”–Microsoft — On Earth Day 2022, XPRIZE and the Musk Foundation announced the 15 milestone winners of $1,000,000 each to continue their work on atmospheric carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Four (27%) of the
June 17, 2022
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by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) While E15 scored an important temporary victory in April, we need to continue to educate consumers and policymakers about the higher blend’s benefits and true regulatory history as the oil industry and misinformed environmental extremists attack. When President Biden announced in April
May 18, 2022
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Ammonia (NH3) is the second most produced chemical in the world, with high energy density and practicability – but can we use ammonia as a low emission or even zero emission fuel? Amogy says we can, with their technology that enables emission-free high performance mobility using ammonia
May 13, 2022
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(Renewables Now) Utility National Grid (NYSE:NGG) on Tuesday unveiled plans for fossil-free gas and electric networks in Massachusetts and New York by 2050. The company will aim to replace fossil fuel in its gas networks with renewable natural gas (RNG) and green hydrogen, with complementary measures including increased energy efficiency, electrification
April 25, 2022
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by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) ClearFlame Engine Technologies’ ethanol-diesel engine will head to the field for testing in a John Deere 9-liter model, perhaps in tractors and harvesters in the fourth quarter of 2022, said ClearFlame CEO BJ Johnson. Johnson shared the news with a group of ethanol producers and
March 30, 2022
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by Michael Bates (NGT News) Hydrogen electrolyzer designer and manufacturer Next Hydrogen Solutions Inc.’s fully owned subsidiary, Next Hydrogen Corp., has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), along with an initial total of 40 hydrogen ecosystem partners, to develop a proposal to
March 29, 2022
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Rashi Akki, Founder & CEO of Ag-Grid Energy shared this illuminating slide guide at ABLC in DC on how they turn waste into renewable natural gas, biogas, and energy. From their current generation in megawatts to the latest dairy digester projects, operating facilities, expansion plans,
March 29, 2022
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by Chris Conte (KBZK) Researchers have found a way to turn bamboo into biofuel, a process that could have major implications for the future of the clean energy industry. “This is a simple and yet cost-effective process,” said Ali Salifu, a researcher at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Originally from Ghana, Salifu understands
March 8, 2022
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(Yield10) Increasing Oil Content in Oilseed Crops is Required to Meet the Projected Demand for Renewable Diesel — Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq:YTEN) (“Yield10” or the “Company”), an agricultural bioscience company, today announced that 2021 field test results show that the trait C3020 tested in Camelina and C3007 tested in canola produce
March 2, 2022
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(Vertimass/PRNewswire) Vertimass and World Energy announced today a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on the development and application of Vertimass Technologies to produce renewable fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). World Energy is exploring integrating Vertimass’ proprietary alcohol to renewable fuel technologies for the production of SAF, biomass-based diesel, green gasoline, renewable naphtha, and
February 22, 2022
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by Jack Levy (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) Turning Bamboo Into Ethanol Could Make Developing Nations Less Reliant on Gasoline and Help Mitigate Climate Change — … A team of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and around the globe has co-developed a process to convert bamboo into an ethanol fuel for
February 8, 2022
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(Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Previously known as the Clean Energy Prize @ MIT competition, CEP is now the Climate & Energy Prize @ MIT competition to be inclusive of all climate related problems and to move the world closer to net zero carbon emissions. We are the largest and longest-running competition
January 27, 2022
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by David Chandler (MIT News) Study reveals why some attempts to convert the greenhouse gas into fuel have failed, and offers possible solutions. — If researchers could find a way to chemically convert carbon dioxide into fuels or other products, they might make a major dent in greenhouse gas emissions. But
January 26, 2022
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The International Research Conference is a federated organization dedicated to bringing together a significant number of diverse scholarly events for presentation within the conference program. Events will run over a span of time during the conference depending on the number and length of the presentations. With its high quality, it
January 18, 2022
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by Mary Byrne (The Reporter) Nearly six years after its anticipated opening, Northeast Biodiesel LLC — a biofuel manufacturing plant located in the Industrial Park — is once again gearing up to start operation. The new general manager, Rick Durepo, who was brought on in August, said his understanding of the
January 17, 2022
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(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $13.4 million to seven projects for research and development of novel recycling processes and technologies that that will cut plastic waste and reduce the energy consumption and carbon emissions of single-use plastics at every stage of their lifecycle. Single-use plastics – plastic bags, wraps, and films – are incredibly energy-intensive to make. In
January 11, 2022
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by Tom Whipple (Bloomberg) The U.S. trucking industry is set to be transformed by a handful of states adopting zero-emission vehicle requirements. Oregon, Washington , New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts followed California in approving the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule late last year, requiring a growing percentage of all
January 7, 2022
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by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) It has been a dream of mine to tell the story of the carbon cycle from the point of view of a carbon atom. After attending a Wilson Center webinar on Inspiring Environmental Good through Games, I asked a Google Group for ways to
January 7, 2022
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by Tony Harrington (GreenAir Online) New US-based short-haul carrier Connect Airlines has announced plans to become “America’s first zero-emission airline”, signing a letter of intent to retrofit up to 24 turboprop aircraft with hydrogen propulsion systems from California’s Universal Hydrogen. The airline has committed to 12 conversion kits for Dash 8-300
January 4, 2022
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by María Paula Rubiano A. (Grist) New Jersey joins California, Oregon, and Washington in setting ambitious goals to electrify trucks by 2035. — The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection earlier this week adopted a rule to phase out diesel-powered trucks – meaning anything bigger than a delivery van – starting in
January 3, 2022
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) The Biden administration on Tuesday finalized a reversal of a rule issued under then-U.S. President Donald Trump that sought to pre-empt California’s vehicle emissions regulations. The Department of Transportation said it was issuing final rules rescinding the Trump action, which sought to bar the most populous state
December 23, 2021
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by Charlie Uglietto (Cubby Oil & Energy/Mechanical Hub) … There are better alternatives than electrification, and the best option we have available right now, at least for homes with an existing oil boiler, is Bioheat® fuel. Bioheat is a liquid fuel oil alternative that’s 100% renewable and available right now.
December 17, 2021
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by Laura Sanicola (Reuters) U.S. energy companies are pressing states to speed development of low-carbon fuel markets, warning that numerous proposed projects to make renewable natural gas and other biofuels may fizzle. State programs, led by California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), reward fuel producers for decarbonizing by producing renewable fuels,
December 13, 2021
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by Leslie Josephs (CNBC) -Sustainable aviation fuel accounts for much less than 1% of global aviation fuel. -The FAA is giving research grants in effect to help drive down the high cost of greener sustainable fuel. -Airlines, trade groups and governments are striving to meet ambitious targets to reduce aviation
December 11, 2021
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by Bella Carpentier (Minnesota Daily/Associated Press) After years of pressure from student groups and numerous resolutions passed within the University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Student Association (MSA), the University recently announced plans to fully divest from fossil fuels in the next five to seven years. … The student-led movement to divest from
December 6, 2021
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by Sabrina Shankman (Boston Globe) Mayor Michelle Wu of Boston signed a measure to divest city funds from the fossil fuel industry on Monday, adding Boston to the small number of major US cities that have taken the step to combat the climate crisis. After running on a Green New Deal
November 29, 2021
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(E&E News) The Transportation and Climate Initiative — a cap-and-trade program covering cars in three Northeastern states and the District of Columbia — was abandoned last week after Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) pulled the plug on the program. The announcement represents the latest
November 23, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Activate organizes and manages two-year fellowships to turn technology concept into a product. Fellows receive a yearly living stipend of $80,000 to $110,000 plus a health insurance stipend and travel allowance. This enables them to focus on their project full-time. Each project also receives $100,000 in
November 12, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Winter is coming, and renewable heating as well as power are in the seasonal conversation. For those facing big heating bills this winter from an expected shortage of fossil natural gas and propane, the remedy is clear — renewable biogas and RNG. Companies have been developing
November 11, 2021
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(U.S. Department of Agriculture) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today an investment of more than $146 million in sustainable agricultural research projects aimed at improving a robust, resilient, climate-smart food and agricultural system. This investment is made under the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Sustainable
October 7, 2021
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by David Shepardson (Reuters) A group of 21 state attorneys general, the District of Columbia, and several major U.S. cities urged the Biden administration to finalize significantly stricter vehicle emissions rules than it has proposed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in August called for reversing the Trump-era loosening of vehicle
September 28, 2021
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(Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Tech Xplore) … Daniel Cohn, a research scientist at the MIT Energy Initiative, and Leslie Bromberg, a principal research scientist at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, have been working on a high-efficiency, gasoline-ethanol engine that is cleaner and more cost-effective than existing diesel engine technologies.
September 17, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Ag-Grid Energy is working on not letting waste go to waste. Find out how in this slide guide on their latest projects in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York, where they see the RNG industry going and why, their expansion strategy, current Ag-Grid partnerships, and more.
August 19, 2021
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by Lia Russell (Bangor Daily News) The town of Lincoln may see a refinery for a wood-based heating fuel move onto its former mill site. Biofine Developments Northeast Inc. said Thursday it had reached a tentative agreement with Lincoln and Lincoln Lakes Innovation Corp. to open a multi-phase biofuels refinery development on
August 2, 2021
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, a Stoughton fuel delivery company, Diesel Direct, LLC, and its chief executive officer and senior vice president will pay $850,000 to resolve allegations that the company knowingly delivered nonconforming petroleum diesel fuel to state agencies while charging for a higher-priced and more environmentally-friendly biodiesel
July 27, 2021
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by Eduardo Garcia (Treehugger) Cambridge, Massachusetts became the first U.S. jurisdiction to introduce “gas is bad” labels warning drivers of how fuel contributes to climate change. — A new study argues that adding labels to gas pumps warning about the links between driving conventional cars and carbon emissions will help people
July 26, 2021
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by Maxine Joselow (E&E News Climatewire) Two years ago, Exxon Mobil Corp. took to Twitter to promote its research into algae biofuel. The oil giant tweeted a photo of swirling beakers of bright green liquid to its hundreds of thousands of followers. “We’re researching algae biofuel with about 40% of its mass as fat,
July 22, 2021
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(Smart Freight Centre) Smart Freight Centre and MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics launch new greenhouse gas accounting and insetting guidelines for sustainable aviation fuel — The air transportation industry is responsible for a significant amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions each year. Immediately before the COVID-19 crisis, the industry emitted
July 21, 2021
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(Ameresco) Innovative renewable natural gas plant at McCarty Road Landfill reached commercial operations in Q2 2021 — Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC), ), a leading cleantech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, today announced that it achieved commercial operations at its landfill gas to renewable natural gas plant at Republic Services’ McCarty Road
July 19, 2021
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We’re pleased to announce the North American Conference 2021 registration is now open. This year it will be held at the Seaport Hotel in Boston, USA on September 27-29, 2021, giving you the opportunity to network in-person The forest products markets have seen a lot of change this year: DIY and home renovations contributed to skyrocketing
July 19, 2021
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by Nikk Ogasa (Science News) The process could tap underused sources of renewable fuels — … But by tweaking a gene in common baker’s yeast, researchers have engineered a strain that can defuse those deadly by-products and get on with the job of turning sugar into ethanol. The new yeast was
July 8, 2021
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(U.S. Department of Energy) Projects Support DOE’s Recently Announced Hydrogen Energy Earthshot to Lower Cost, Advance Breakthroughs for Clean Hydrogen Technology — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $52.5 million to fund 31 projects to advance next-generation clean hydrogen technologies and support DOE’s recently announced Hydrogen Energy Earthshot initiative to reduce
July 7, 2021
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by Anne Trafton (Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Phys.Org) To try to expand biofuels’ potential impact, a team of MIT engineers has now found a way to expand the use of a wider range of nonfood feedstocks to produce such fuels. At the moment, feedstocks such as straw and woody plants are difficult to use
June 28, 2021
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by Lawrence Ulrich (AutoBlog) … Beyond the worst examples of greenwashing — including opportunistic start-ups like Nikola and Lordstown Motors that seem more like vaporware with each day — most major automakers seem sincere and serious about transitioning their businesses. Eventually. Tesla’s existential threat, China’s bid to dominate the EV and
May 28, 2021
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(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today (May 14, 2021) announced $35 million in funding that will help slash carbon emissions and scale up the volume and efficiency of renewable biofuel. The 15 awarded research projects are housed at colleges, universities, and labs across nine states and
May 17, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, Ginkgo Bioworks and Soaring Eagle Acquisition Corp. have agreed to a business combination that will result in Ginkgo becoming a publicly-listed company. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021. The $15B valuation and $2.5B to Ginkgo in proceeds The
May 12, 2021
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(Advanced Biofuels USA) Advanced Biofuels USA suggests an expansion of transportation emissions reduction in the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) proposed Draft Model Rule (TCI-P) in public comments filed today. Currently, the proposed emission reduction program is limited to on-road fossil-derived motor gasoline and diesel fuel. Advanced Biofuels USA argues
May 7, 2021
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by Oliver Milman (The Guardian) Joe Biden’s administration, seeking deep cuts to planet-heating emissions, is facing pressure to take a previously unthinkable step: declare the end of the internal combustion engine in the US. Washington state has moved to call time on the age of gasoline and diesel cars, with the legislature
May 4, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Enymatic hydrolysis, thermomechanical pretreatment, bioconversion and other ways to recycle plastic waste can change the way we look at plastics and polymers. Check out this illuminating slide guide from the University of Massachusetts on waste-to-energy, advanced recycling methods, and more. READ MORE Mattel Introduces New
April 30, 2021
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by Chris Mallory (The Counter) Agrivoltaics—putting solar panels on farmland—lead to astonishing productivity gains and improved energy efficiency. Except when they don’t. — … Mounted on 9-foot-tall beams, so lofty a tractor could pass below them, the solar panels slant against the blue sky of the high desert, throwing shade on
April 6, 2021
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(World Energy/PR Newswire) Both Companies Broaden Scope of Reach Through Partnership — World Energy, a low-carbon fuel provider for the transportation sector, and Community Fuels, a leading advanced biofuel production and distribution company based in Stockton, California, today announced a partnership to enhance access to low-carbon fuels throughout California. World Energy, which owns
April 6, 2021
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(Renewable Energy Group/Business Wire) Fleets Immediately Reducing Carbon Emissions with 100% Biodiesel — Fleets across the nation are improving their emission reductions by implementing B100 (100% biodiesel) technology into their fleets. Renewable Energy Group (REG) (NASDAQ: REGI) fleet customers in Iowa, Washington, D.C. and Massachusetts are ramping up the use
April 1, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What’s the life cycle system for corn starch ethanol? What is the current best estimate for carbon intensity of corn ethanol? What about ethanol biorefinery energy use intensity and land use change carbon intensity? What is the potential for further reductions in carbon intensity? READ
March 11, 2021
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by Maxine Joselow (E&E News) In 2006, a federal judge issued a scathing ruling that would reverberate across the country. “Over the course of more than 50 years, Defendants lied, misrepresented and deceived the American public,” Judge Gladys Kessler of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia wrote in a
March 10, 2021
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(Office of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey) Peterson Oil Delivered Heating Oil with up to Eight Times the Allowed Biofuel — A Worcester fuel company will pay $450,000 and improve its record-keeping processes to resolve allegations it knowingly provided state entities noncompliant heating oil in violation of its contracts with the
March 5, 2021
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(Transportation and Climate Initiative) On March 1, TCI state agency staff shared updates on the TCI-P, including a Draft Model Rule and proposed processes for public engagement to ensure that equity, environmental, climate, and transportation justice considerations are at the center of TCI-P development and implementation. Individuals and organizations are encouraged
March 1, 2021
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by David L. Chandler (Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Phys.org) Systems for capturing and converting carbon dioxide from power plant emissions could be important tools for curbing climate change, but most are relatively inefficient and expensive. Now, researchers at MIT have developed a method that could significantly boost the performance of systems that
January 28, 2021
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(Renewable Fuels Association) A comprehensive new study by scientists from Harvard University, Tufts University and Environmental Health & Engineering Inc. shows that using corn ethanol in place of gasoline reduces greenhouse gas emissions by almost half. The “central best estimate” of corn ethanol’s carbon intensity is 46% lower than the average carbon intensity
January 26, 2021
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by Kristoffer Tigue (Inside Climate News) The new state laws address the disproportionate impact of climate change and pollution on communities of color. Joe Biden is promising to do the same in Washington. — In Oregon, new legislation would require state officials to consider the “cumulative” impact on neighborhoods already overburdened
January 15, 2021
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by Mike Timko (Worcester Polytechnic Institute/Biofuels Digest) A recent study led by a team from Worcester Polytechnic Institute shows that metal-oxide-based catalysts reduce char build up during biofuel conversion processes, increasing bio-crude oil yield and decreasing yields of low-value byproducts. … Utilizing wet food waste requires a fast and efficient
December 24, 2020
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(Transportation and Climate Initiative of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States) TCI-P will invest $300 million every year to modernize transportation, improve public health and combat climate change — The governors of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, and the mayor of the District of Columbia announced today that theirs will be the
December 21, 2020
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by Sebastian Blanco (Car and Driver) Cambridge, Massachusetts, this week became the first city in the U.S. to put health and environment warning labels on its gas pumps. – In related news, a nine-year-old girl in South London, England, became the first person whose death certificate lists her cause of
December 21, 2020
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(Aarhus University/EurekAlert!) Using an unusual, light-dependent enzyme and a newly discovered enzymatic mechanism, researchers from Aarhus University and MIT have enabled the biological synthesis of high-yield industry relevant production of climate neutral drop-in fuels from biowaste — … A special light-dependent enzyme, which was first discovered about three years ago, is
December 18, 2020
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(Biobased Diesel Daily) Researchers at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture have been awarded a $250,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to evaluate regional biomass supply chains with regard to their potential for supplying feedstock for domestic fuel production as well as rural economic development―a potential game changer for
November 24, 2020
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(Solutions from the Land) A 20-minute video presentation in which Solutions from the Land farmer leaders offer a vision of solutions that farming operations can deliver to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promoted by UN member nations is now available on YouTube. This presentation, Solutions from the Land: Enabling Farmers
November 20, 2020
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(Insider NJ) Groups Push For “Strong Safeguards and Guarantees for Overburdened and Underserved Communities” in 12 TCI States & DC; Need for State Leadership Seen As U.S. Formally Abandons Paris Climate Agreement. — The largest and most diverse collection ever of health, community, business, transportation, environmental and other groups have come
November 12, 2020
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by Benjamin Storrow (E&E News) … “Algae. A renewable source of energy. ExxonMobil is researching it. To revolutionize biofuels. For more energy. And fewer emissions.” Biofuels represent one of Exxon Mobil’s primary answers to climate change. In television ads and presentations to investors, the company showcases it as an example of
November 3, 2020
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by Rebecca Pool (Engineering and Technology) A growing band of scientists and engineers wants to feed and fuel the world with seaweed. –… The last decade has seen a surge in seaweed aquaculture, driven by a rising interest in using the aquatic plant as a biofuel. It’s easy to see
October 31, 2020
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(The New England Council /New England Diary) “The National Energy & Fuels Institute (NEFI) has announced a plan to eliminate fossil-fuel energy reliance in the heating-oil industry by 2050. The pledge is intended to reduce emissions and ultimately turn heating oil into renewable fuel. “The announcement follows a pledge made last year by
October 13, 2020
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by Nora Goldstein (BioCycle Magazine) Totally enclosed operation is designed to preprocess 250 tons/day of food waste, much of it in packaging. Slurried feedstocks are hauled to dairy farms equipped with AD systems. — In 2015, one of the tours during BioCycle’s 15th Annual Conference on Renewable Energy From Organics Recycling in
October 7, 2020
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(Bioenergy Insight) The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected 12 organisations and projects to receive around $3 million (€2.55 million) in funding to help reduce food loss and waste and divert food waste from landfills by expanding anaerobic digestion (AD) capacity in the US. The project types chosen for
October 6, 2020
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(Yield10 Bioscience) Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq:YTEN), an agricultural bioscience company, today announced it has completed the harvest for its 2020 Field Test Program for Camelina and canola trials conducted in the United States and Canada. Yield10’s 2020 Field Test Program is designed to evaluate several novel traits in Camelina and canola, and the Company expects to begin
October 5, 2020
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(BP) bp and five additional businesses from a range of industries announced they are launching an integrated advocacy campaign to encourage a group of East Coast states to enact the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI), a regional carbon pricing policy designed to reduce emissions from the transportation sector. The Coalition for a
September 25, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) “Biofuels proven as most affordable, immediate path to net-zero carbon,” says NEFI. — In Washington, representatives from the National Energy & Fuels Institute (NEFI) and global management consulting firm Kearney announced a plan for the heating oil industry to eliminate fossil energy use by 2050. This will
September 25, 2020
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(Houston Chronicle) Using current and past Census data, Stacker tracks the way the American farming industry has changed over the past century. Over the past century, American farming has changed dramatically. Crops with long histories like tobacco are still prevalent throughout the South, while many farmers across the country are now
September 5, 2020
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by Naureen S Malik (Bloomberg) … In 2014, Bar-Way began working with Vanguard Renewables to install a biodigester, which uses specialized bacteria to convert organic material—for example, cow poop—into biogas, a versatile fuel. Once it’s purified, this biomethane, also known as renewable natural gas (RNG), is chemically identical to the
September 4, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) News just in from Yield10 Bioscience, Inc., a Massachusetts-based agricultural bioscience company, that they have obtained a positive response from USDA-APHIS’s Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) for its CRISPR genome-edited trait C3007 in canola plant lines developed for increased oil content and now have plans for
August 24, 2020
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by David Iaconangelo (E&E News) … But efficiency researchers say activists’ favored alternative to natural gas — electric heat — is still a costlier option for consumers. Mass adoption of electric heating could overload the grid without significant infrastructure upgrades, other analysts warn. And an all-electric push would drag gas
August 4, 2020
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This session is designed for anyone interested in learning more about trucks, construction and farm equipment use in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions including Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC. The live session will explore
July 21, 2020
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by David Abel (Boston Globe) … For years, their family used the patch of forest in this suburb west of Boston to hike, sled, walk their dog, and experience wildlife close at hand. Then two years ago, a developer began clear-cutting the woods, denuding more than a dozen acres of maples,
July 14, 2020
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(Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) Strengthening U.S. air quality standards for fine particulate pollution to be in compliance with current World Health Association (WHO) guidelines could save more than 140,000 lives over the course of a decade, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study,
July 1, 2020
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by Michael Bates (NGT News) The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has adopted a first-in-the-world rule – the Advanced Clean Truck regulation – that requires truck manufacturers to transition from diesel trucks and vans to electric zero-emission trucks beginning in 2024. By 2045, every new truck sold in California will be zero-emission. …
June 30, 2020
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by Valerie Volcovici (Insurance Journal/Reuters) The attorney general for the District of Columbia on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corp, BP Plc, Chevron Corp, and Royal Dutch Shell Plc for “systematically and intentionally misleading” consumers about the role their products play in causing climate change, the latest action by a
June 26, 2020
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by Jim Morrison (Washington Post) When Randy Jordan, a fifth-generation dairy farmer in central Massachusetts, looked into turning manure from his 300 cows into natural gas more than a decade ago, he just wanted to find a way to lower his increasingly painful electric bill. He knew that biodigesters, a sort
June 17, 2020
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by Josh Siegel & Abby Smith (Washington Examiner) ELECTRIC CARS’ EQUITY PROBLEM: Top energy officials from New York and Massachusetts are raising the fear that requiring increasing use of electric cars could impose financial hardships on poor people. That is especially if utilities bear the cost of building out charging infrastructure and
June 15, 2020
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(University of Massachusetts Amherst) Nine projects have received a total of more than $29,000 in grants from the Sustainability, Innovation and Engagement Fund for its 2019-20 funding cycle. Established in August 2013, the fund is designed to foster a strong culture of sustainability on our campus by providing financial support to
June 11, 2020
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by David Vander Griend (Urban Air Initiative/Biofuels Digest) … Whether in New Delhi, Kansas City, New York, or Beijing, less driving has resulted in cleaner air. Vistas that previously were only foggy images have burst through as crystal clear pictures of what clean air actually looks like. If we thought we
May 25, 2020
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HB 3859, Filed by Rep. Marjorie Decker, Would, If Passed, Set a Clean Fuel Standard in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Hearing June 14, 2023
by Colin Mulvey (Shawmut Strategies Group/The Coalition for a Carbon-Free Commonwealth (CCFC)) HB 3859, An Act Relative to Fuel Standards, filed by Rep. Marjorie Decker, would, if passed, set a clean fuel standard in the Commonwealth, putting the state on its path to Net Zero carbon emissions by the year 2050.