by Patty Judge (The Gazette) Rural voters are growing tired of Donald Trump. Recently, the Iowa Poll put Vice President Biden one point ahead of President Trump and Iowa moved from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican” on the Cook Political Report.
Big Oil/Oil Majors
Back TO HOMEOmar, Sanders, Merkley, Markey, Barragán Introduce Bill to End Corporate Handouts to the Fossil Fuel Industry
(Office of Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)) Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) together with Sen. Merkley (D-Ore.), Sen. Markey (D- Mass.) and Rep. Barragan (D-Calif.) introduced legislation to close tax loopholes and eliminate other federal subsidies for the
July 27, 2020 Read Full Article
Trump Tailors Exaggerations and False Claims to Election Battlegrounds
by Linda Qiu (New York Times) ... Likewise, Mr. Trump has sought to curry favor with corn farmers in Iowa and the Midwest by claiming to have “kept our promise on ethanol” and falsely charging Democrats with wanting to “wipe out,
July 27, 2020 Read Full Article
The Corn And Energy Price Link Could Tighten As U.S. Election Looms
by Andy Hecht (Investing.com) ... The biofuel may see lots of volatility in the run-up to the 2020 US election -- The US election in early November will determine the path of energy policy in the world’s leading oil and gas
July 21, 2020 Read Full Article
EPA Now Considering 58 Gap-Year SRE Requests
(DTN's Washington Insider) At least 58 retroactive small refinery exemption (SRE) requests have been received by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to the latest update from the agency. The push by refiners for the retroactive “gap-year” exemptions stems from a 10th
July 17, 2020 Read Full Article
World Biggest Oil Majors Set Collective Goal to Cut Carbon Emissions
by Charles Kennedy (OilPrice.com) Some of the biggest oil companies in the world set their first joint target to cut their collective carbon emissions from upstream operations in a move that saw Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil joining European majors in pledging
July 17, 2020 Read Full Article
Energy Companies Begin Turning to Renewables to Power Oil and Gas Operations, New IHS Markit Research Shows
(IHS Markit) “Striking pace of growth” in renewable projects powering oil and gas field operations -- Oil and gas field operations are beginning to be fueled by a surprising source—renewable energy, according to new research by IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO), a
July 13, 2020 Read Full Article
Takeaways: 10 Big Bioeconomy Trendlines at ABLC for Fuels, Chemicals, Materials, Food and Feed
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Here are the Top 10 Trendlines we saw and heard from the 8000+ delegates and viewers at ABLC 2020. 1. The thundering herd. One informed firm that does extensive amounts of technology scouting, due diligence and market price
July 13, 2020 Read Full Article
Top 10 ESG Trends in Energy
by Brandon Johnson & Uday Turaga (ADI Analytics) Investors and consumers are pressuring companies to seriously incorporate Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices into their culture and operations. ESG has gone from a nice-to-have feature to a must-have pre-requisite as
July 10, 2020 Read Full Article
District of Columbia Sues 4 Oil Majors for Misleading Consumers on Climate Change
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
June 26, 2020 Read Full Article
Clean Fuels for All: A Potential Pathway to Climate Neutrality by 2050
(FuelsEurope) The ambition of the European Union is to be climate neutral by 2050. The European refining industry supports the same ambition. Our industry is transforming, and we have developed a comprehensive potential pathway of how we, together with our partners, can
June 25, 2020 Read Full Article
CEO Reflects on Ethanol Industry Crises a Year after Trump Visit
by Glenn Minnis (The Center Square) ... The president was there to help industry executives celebrate his administration’s removal of a regulation that up until then prohibited companies from selling gasoline containing 15% ethanol year-round. “It was a terrific event for
June 25, 2020 Read Full Article
Republicans Back Bill to Help Oil Sector
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) REPUBLICANS BACK BILL TO HELP OIL SECTOR: Texas Sen. John Cornyn introduced legislation on Tuesday to help the hard-hit oil sector during the coronavirus pandemic by reducing the royalty rate for payments due from oil, gas, minerals and coal
June 24, 2020 Read Full Article
Greenfield: Wheeler Must Step Down Immediately
by Paul Deaton (Blog for Iowa) At a June 22 press conference U.S. Senate candidate Theresa Greenfield said since Joni Ernst hasn’t called for the resignation of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler over 52 new Renewable Fuel Standard
June 23, 2020 Read Full Article
Coronavirus Will Hasten ‘Peak Oil’ by Three Years, Says Research Firm
by Myles McCormick (Financial Times) Rystad Energy says its estimate of recoverable barrels of crude has dropped by 282bn -- An influential research firm has cut its estimate of potential oil production by an amount that exceeds the reserves of
June 22, 2020 Read Full Article
Slip-up Reveals Chevron Ties to Architect of Climate Attack
by Corbin Hiar (E&E News) It was an audacious messaging campaign: White environmentalists are hurting black communities by pushing radical climate policies that would strip them of fossil fuel jobs. The email to journalists, sent by a public affairs firm at the
June 19, 2020 Read Full Article
52 Petitions Filed by Refineries Seeking RFS Exemptions
(Renewable Fuels Association/National Biodiesel Board/Farm Progress) Renewable Fuels Association, National Biodiesel Board critical of these petitions, say refiners are trying to circumvent court ruling. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today disclosed that 52 new petitions have been received from small
June 19, 2020 Read Full Article
Post-Coronavirus: What’s Next in the Environmental Commodity Markets – 23 Key Takeaways
by Mike Newman (Parhelion Underwriting Inc./Biofuels Digest) ... The focus was on renewable fuels in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RINs) and California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS credits). Stakeholders came from all corners of the market, from the refining industry,
June 16, 2020 Read Full Article
U.S. Biofuel Group in Talks with Biden, Trump Campaigns to Boost Industry
by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) A leading U.S. biofuel trade group said on Thursday it had started conversations with the campaigns of both Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and incumbent Donald Trump to discuss potential policy fixes for the ailing industry. The discussions
June 12, 2020 Read Full Article
Orion Energy, GCM Grosvenor and Voya Close a $365 Million Strategic Capital Partnership with Bakersfield Renewable Fuels, a Global Clean Energy Holdings Subsidiary
(Orion Energy, GCM Grosvenor, Voya/Global Clean Energy/CISION/PR Newswire) Orion Energy Partners, L.P. ("Orion Energy"), GCM Grosvenor and Voya Investment Management ("Voya") are pleased to announce a capital partnership with Bakersfield Renewable Fuels ("BKRF"). BKRF is a special purpose vehicle wholly
June 04, 2020 Read Full Article
Bioenergy: The Great Continuum
by Gerard J. Ostheimer and Douglas L. Faulkner (below50/“the Clean Tech Conservative”/Leatherstocking LLC/Biofuels Digest) ... (W)e would like to point out a number of anniversaries put biofuels and bio-based products into a deeper and provocative historical context: 85 years ago,
June 02, 2020 Read Full Article
RFA Calls on EPA to Deny Secretive “Gap Year” Refinery Waiver Requests
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association on Friday urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to deny new petitions submitted by refiners for past-year waivers from their renewable volume obligations. In a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, RFA President and
May 26, 2020 Read Full Article
Rockefeller Heirs to Big Oil Find Dumping Fossil Fuels Improved Bottom Line
by Steven Mufson (Washington Post) Since severing investments in fossil fuels, Rockefeller Brothers Fund has outpaced its financial benchmarks. -- Five years ago, members of the Rockefeller family walked away from the fossil fuels that made them rich, alarmed that
May 25, 2020 Read Full Article
Oil Exec: It Would Be a Mistake for the US Government to Bail Us out
by Dan K. Eberhart (CNN Business Perspectives) ... President Trump indicated that some sort of financial bailout for the US oil industry -- and the millions of jobs it supports -- could be in the works. ... "We will never let the
May 22, 2020 Read Full Article
Oil Firms See Relief from Stimulus Tax Provision
by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) Oil and gas companies that have struggled for years under low crude prices are reaping hundreds of millions of dollars in tax refunds under a provision of the $2 trillion stimulus package passed by Congress
May 22, 2020 Read Full Article
Ethanol Production: Sugar Mills Pitch for Tripartite Contracts with Banks, OMCs
by Ty Jayan (The Hindu Business Line) Govt recently approved an additional ethanol capacity of 600 crore litres -- Sugar industry, which has been trying to augment ethanol production to meet the requirement for fuel blending in the country, has made
May 20, 2020 Read Full Article
EPA Biofuel Policy Fight Stalls Out At Supreme Court
(Law360) The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency policy that fuel blenders aren't responsible for mixing biofuels into gasoline, in a defeat for refiners who claim the EPA is unlawfully giving blenders a free
May 19, 2020 Read Full Article
This Is Not the Green Stimulus You're Looking for
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) House Democrats unveiled a $3 trillion package on Tuesday to respond to the coronavirus crisis that they're planning to vote on at the end of the week. The 1,815-page measure is largely a messaging bill with
May 13, 2020 Read Full Article
Ethanol and Biodiesel Industry Groups Commend 24 Senators’ RFS Letter to President
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, D.C., two biofuels groups, Iowa Biodiesel Board and Renewable Fuels Assocation, both released notes of thanks to 24 Senators that signed the bipartisan letter to President Trump urging him to uphold the
May 11, 2020 Read Full Article
Big Oil Overreaches on COVID-19 Bailout
by Jim Talent (The Gazette) ... Oil companies have requested special access to a $600 billion lending facility at the Federal Reserve, and the administration seems keen to deliver. The president just announced that the Secretary of Energy and Secretary
May 07, 2020 Read Full Article
Dems on COVID-19 Relief: Leave Fossil Fuels out of This
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin led 60 Democratic lawmakers in a letter to House leadership Monday opposing any efforts by the fossil fuel industry to use Covid-19 recovery legislation to "confer immunity" for climate change or pollution, citing efforts that
May 05, 2020 Read Full Article
Fossil Fuel Firms Linked to Trump Get Millions in Coronavirus Small Business Aid
by Emily Holden (The Guardian) Revealed: Oil and mining firms – some with ties to Trump officials – taking advantage of funding, review shows -- US fossil fuel companies have taken at least $50m in taxpayer money they probably won’t have
May 04, 2020 Read Full Article
Energy Transition to Be Shaped by World Response to COVID-19
by Allison Good, Taylor Kuykendall and Dan Testa (S&P Global) ... The coronavirus pandemic may accelerate a shift from fossil fuel spending to investments in renewable energy, but the pace of that transition depends heavily on how governments direct economic recovery
May 04, 2020 Read Full Article
Coalition Opposes API Petition on 2020 RFS Obligations
(Renewable Fuels Association) A coalition of ethanol and farm groups today sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency opposing the American Petroleum Institute’s recent petition requesting reconsideration of the 2020 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) final rule. API claims reconsideration of the
May 01, 2020 Read Full Article
With Oil Reeling under Pandemic, Clean Energy Looks to Capitalize
by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) As a sudden drop in demand decimates the oil industry, international efforts are underway to ride the lull in fossil fuel consumption to expedite the clean up of the world’s energy sector. Even as the coronavirus
May 01, 2020 Read Full Article
Trump Poised to Offer Bridge Loans to Ailing Oil Companies
by Saleha Mohsin, Ari Natter and Jennifer A. Dlouhy (Bloomberg/RigZone) The Trump administration may announce as soon as Thursday a plan to offer loans to the ailing oil industry possibly in exchange for a financial stake, according to two people familiar
April 30, 2020 Read Full Article
Vilsack Warns Administration Continues to Ignore Biofuels
by Jacqui Fatka (Feedstuffs) ... (Former Agriculture Secretary Tom) Vilsack said the biofuel industry hasn’t been invited to the White House like the airline or oil industries have to discuss ways to help cover their losses. A number of conservative
April 30, 2020 Read Full Article
Tax Groups, Think Tanks Want RFS Waiver: Letter Cites Diversion of Hand Sanitizer Production as Reason for Request
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Pressure is mounting on President Donald Trump to change the Renewable Fuel Standard in light of the economic downturn brought on by COVID-19. A number of tax, environmental and political think tanks sent a letter
April 29, 2020 Read Full Article
The Great Texas Oil Shutdown Has Begun
by James Osborne, Sergio Chapa and Erin Douglas (Houston Chronicle) ... The mass shutdown of Texas oil fields has begun after an unprecedented crash that last week drove crude prices into negative territory for the first time in history. From
April 27, 2020 Read Full Article
Oil Prices Have Fallen below $0 a Barrel. What Does It Mean for the Climate? This Could Be an Opportunity to Reshape Our Energy System. But It Could Also Simply Lead to a Bailout of Oil Companies.
by Adele Peters (Fast Company) ... Fracking companies have lost billions over the past decade. Some investors may be even more reluctant to invest in the sector now. “I think on the financial side, I would think twice as a
April 24, 2020 Read Full Article
An Economic Rebound Will Need Ethanol
by Doug Durante (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/Biofuels Digest) ... I want build on the theme that now, when we’ve been knocked down and are on the mat is when we need support, but from an additional angle—to preserve some sense of energy
April 23, 2020 Read Full Article
Economist Expects "Battle Royal" over RFS in Washington
by Larry Lee (Brownfield Ag News) An ag economist expects Washington lawmakers will be revisiting the Renewable Fuel Standard. Scott Irwin with the University of Illinois says, “I think we’re going to see the mother of all political battles over the RFS
April 22, 2020 Read Full Article
As Price of Oil Drops, Trump Orders Plan to Help U.S. Energy Companies: Energy Secretary Says Funds from Fed’s Main Street Loan Program Might Be Needed to Help Oil Companies
by Will Englund (Washington Post) President Trump said Tuesday he has ordered his administration to come up with a plan to provide federal assistance to the oil and gas industry in the United States, which has been staggered by the
April 22, 2020 Read Full Article
Coronavirus Stimulus Money Will Be Wasted on Fossil Fuels
by David Roberts (Vox) Oil and gas companies were already facing structural problems before Covid-19 and are in long-term decline. -- ... I wrote about how shortsighted it is for Republicans (enabled by learned Democratic passivity) to reject aid for the
April 21, 2020 Read Full Article
New RFA Analysis: Ethanol Industry Could See $10 Billion in Losses Due to COVID-19
(Renewable Fuels Association) As the COVID-19 pandemic and crude oil glut continue to ravage world fuel markets, U.S. ethanol sales in 2020 could fall by more than $10 billion and the industry’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) could drop by
April 21, 2020 Read Full Article
States Ask EPA for Nationwide Biofuel Waiver to Help Oil Refiners Weather Coronavirus
by Laura Sanicola (Reuters) The governors of five U.S. states have asked the Trump administration for a nationwide waiver exempting the oil-refining industry from the nation’s biofuel laws to help it survive a demand meltdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak, according
April 16, 2020 Read Full Article
The Coronavirus Clean Energy Crisis
by Matt Carr (New Energy America/The Hill) The novel coronavirus pandemic could not have come at a worse time for America’s clean energy industry. After overcoming years of attacks by the Trump administration, the resultant loss of demand is threatening to decimate
April 13, 2020 Read Full Article
Ahead of Stimulus Talks, Voters Back Relief for Renewables More Than for Oil and Gas
by Lisa Martine Jenkins (Morning Consult) -- 38% of voters support a bailout for the oil and gas industry, compared to 54% backing for a renewables industry bailout. -- Republicans are nearly as supportive of a renewables bailout (49%) as
April 03, 2020 Read Full Article
Trump Administration Cuts Fuel Economy, CO2 Standards with Final Regulations
by Sean Szymkowski (Road Show) The changes, wrapped into the SAFE Vehicles Rule, will result in less stringent CAFE improvements through 2026. -- The SAFE Vehicle Rule, announced by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, lowers
April 01, 2020 Read Full Article
What's Lining up for Phase Four?
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) ... Both the House and Senate have begun work on surface transportation bills ahead of a September deadline to act, but lawmakers haven't been able to settle on how to pay for the legislation, Pro's
March 30, 2020 Read Full Article
Deal in Congress Axes Funding to Fill SPR with US Crudes
by Meghan Gordon and Brian Scheid (S&P Global Platts) Trump administration sought $3 billion to buy US crudes; Analyst sees market hit from US failing to take 'no-brainer policy' -- The Trump administration's plan to fill the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve with
March 25, 2020 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuels Coalition Welcomes Administration’s Decision Not to Seek Re-Hearing of Tenth Circuit SRE Ruling
(Renewable Fuels Association) Ethanol and farm groups today welcomed the Trump administration’s decision not to seek a re-hearing of a recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit that struck down certain small refinery exemptions (SREs) under
March 25, 2020 Read Full Article
New Report Reveals Global Banks Funneled $2.7 Trillion into Fossil Fuels Since Paris Climate Agreement, with Financing on the Rise Each Year
by Gabby Brown (Sierra Club) The latest version of the most comprehensive report on global banks’ fossil fuel financing, Banking on Climate Change 2020, was released today (March 18, 2020), revealing that 35 global banks have not only been sustaining but expanding the
March 19, 2020 Read Full Article
Trump Pulled Back into Oil-Ethanol Fight
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Poltico's Morning Energy) JUST WHEN HE THOUGHT HE WAS OUT:The president is once again caught in the middle of a spat between oil refiners and ethanol producers centered around small refinery exemptions under the RFS, Pro's Eric
March 16, 2020 Read Full Article
White House Likely to Pursue Federal Aid for Shale Companies Hit by Oil Shock, Coronavirus Downturn
by Jeff Stein, Will Englund, Steven Mufson and Robert Costa (Washington Post) ... The White House is strongly considering pushing federal assistance for oil and natural gas producers hit by plummeting oil prices amid the coronavirus outbreak, as industry officials close
March 10, 2020 Read Full Article
How Will Oil Be Affected by the Energy Transition?
by Meghan Gordon (S&P Global Platts) While a future beyond oil remains hard to picture, investors and consumers around the world are demanding more focus on sustainability. Oil companies are responding by writing off long-cycle investments and moving into alternatives. Governments are
March 09, 2020 Read Full Article
Trump’s Biofuel Plan Triggers Fallout in U.S. Farm Country
by Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg) Appeal would be ‘a stunning betrayal’ of farmers, groups warn; Move allows EPA to keep waiving refineries from biofuel quotas -- President Donald Trump’s decision to defend the U.S. government’s power to broadly exempt oil refineries
March 09, 2020 Read Full Article
UPDATE 2-U.S. EPA Mulls Ways to Stabilize Biofuel Costs for Refiners, with Waiver Program at Risk
by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday it is mulling new measures to help oil refiners cope with the cost of complying with the nation’s biofuel policy, as the agency faces a sweeping legal challenge
March 05, 2020 Read Full Article
Shell Is Looking Forward: The Fossil-Fuel Companies Expect to Profit from Climate Change. I Went to a Private Planning Meeting and Took Notes.
by Malcolm Harris (Vox Media Intelligencer/New York Magazine) ... I asked Fries (Steven Fries, Shell’s chief economist) if Shell is serious about transition, then couldn’t it voluntarily speed it up by leaving some of its wells fallow, constraining oil output
March 04, 2020 Read Full Article
Wall Street Backs away from Arctic Drilling amid Alaska Political Heat
by Yereth Rosen (Reuters) Three big U.S. banks have publicly announced break-ups with Arctic drilling in recent months, reflecting Wall Street's increasing desire to cast itself as environmentally friendly amid a political firestorm in Alaska. ... Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) & Co said on Monday
March 04, 2020 Read Full Article
GUEST ARTICLE: Lessons that Novel Proteins Should Learn from Biofuels
by Mark Warner (Warner Advisors LLC/Food Navigator) Can 60% of current meat consumption be replaced by novel vegan meat replacements and cultured meat in the next 20 years? That is what AT Kearney has recently projected, but the analysis does
March 03, 2020 Read Full Article
Here We Go Again: Senate Letter Plagued by Myths and Mistruths about RINs
by Scott Richman (Renewable Fuels Association) Yesterday (February 27, 2020), a group of senators wrote a letter to President Trump regarding the January 24 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit that found the EPA improperly exceeded its
March 02, 2020 Read Full Article
Udall, Grassley Introduce Bill to Ensure Taxpayers Get Fair Share for Public Lands Leasing
(Office of Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)) On the 100 year anniversary of the Mineral Leasing Act, senators introduce the Fair Returns for Public Lands Act of 2020 to modernize the country’s antiquated public lands royalty system, increase return to federal
February 27, 2020 Read Full Article
Big Oil Explores Adding More Cheap Ethanol to Gasoline in Iowa
by Jeffrey Bair and Michael Hirtzer (Bloomberg/Yahoo! Finance) BP Plc and Royal Dutch Shell Plc are exploring adding more ethanol in gasoline in top corn state Iowa to take advantage of how cheap the biofuel has become. The oil majors are gauging
February 20, 2020 Read Full Article
Oil and Gas Firms 'Have Had Far Worse Climate Impact than Thought'
by Jonathan Watts (The Guardian) Study indicates human fossil methane emissions have been underestimated by up to 40% -- ... Although the research will add to pressure on fossil fuel companies, scientists said there was cause for hope because it showed
February 20, 2020 Read Full Article
Whatcom County Stakeholders Fight for Canceled Renewable Diesel Facility
by Teya Heidenreich (Western Front) After its cancellation on Jan. 21, the Green Apple Renewable Fuels facility is seen by many as a missed opportunity -- After over a year of planning, the Green Apple Renewable Fuels facility in Ferndale and
February 11, 2020 Read Full Article
Making Big Oil Pay for Climate Change May Be Impossible
by Erik Larson (Bloomberg) Across America, cities and states are using the courts to force energy companies to address the damage done by fossil fuels. It’s not going well. -- Exxon Mobil dodged a bullet last month when a judge
January 24, 2020 Read Full Article
Klobuchar Pledges to Roll Back Refinery Exemptions if Elected
by John Herath (Farm Journal Ag Web) If elected president, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) plans to immediately roll back all of the small refinery exemptions made to the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). Klobuchar made the pledge on the AgriTalk Radio
January 24, 2020 Read Full Article
Capture Carbon Dioxide to Reduce Climate Change
by John R. Snyder (Post Register) ... That is, to reverse climate change, carbon dioxide currently in the atmosphere must be removed and new emissions of CO2 must stop. ... Carbon dioxide from coal and industrial plant emissions and the atmosphere
January 23, 2020 Read Full Article
IEA Warns Oil Companies Doing Nothing on Emissions Is Not an Option
by Bate Felix (Reuters) Oil and gas companies must boost investment in low carbon energies or face an increasing backlash that could threaten their long-term profits and social acceptance, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Monday. In a report with the
January 21, 2020 Read Full Article
Why Ethanol Endures as Important Market for Midwestern Farmers
by Jim Spencer and Mike Hughlett (Star Tribune) The biofuel's intended uses for energy independence and greenhouse gas reduction have become matters of debate. But no one questions its political clout, economic importance or staying power. -- ... Janet McCabe is
January 20, 2020 Read Full Article
API Uses Annual Energy Report to Continue Its Attack On Biofuels
(DTN Progressive Farmer) The American Petroleum Institute (API) utilized a portion of its State of American Energy 2020 report to reiterate its complaints about U.S. biofuel policy. “Biofuel mandates distort the marketplace to use products that can damage vehicles,” API stated. API maintained
January 09, 2020 Read Full Article
Petrobras Accelerates Biofuels Exit
(Kallanish Energy) Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras is seeking to accelerate its exit from the biofuels segment and has started the process to sell a large stake in BSBios Biodiesel, Kallanish Energy reports. The sale of the 50% stake in the biofuels company will be
December 28, 2019 Read Full Article
Oil Majors Bet on Compact Bio-gas to Tackle Emission Woes in India
by Shahkar Abidi (Auto Car Pro) Over 500 letters of intent (LoIs) have been issued to entrepreneurs by three government-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) for setting up of Compact Bio-Gas (CBG) plants, claims a top official from the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
December 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Common Ground
by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The future of liquid fuels, whether derived from renewable resources or not, might depend on a collaboration between ethanol and petroleum interests. -- While electric vehicles are gaining popularity, experts say a quick transition
December 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Refiners Bummed RFS Reset Rule Withdrawn
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) The refining industry is disappointed that EPA on Thursday withdrew a proposed rule to set a biofuel blending schedule under the Renewable Fuel Standard for 2020 through 2022. The agency said it needs to
December 20, 2019 Read Full Article
Is Big Oil Feeling the Heat?
by Matt Carr (New Energy American/The Hill) ... In 2016 Big Oil received the gift of the century in a Donald Trump presidency. Despite promises in Iowa to grow the renewable fuels industry and to promote clean air, he immediately set out to do exactly
December 19, 2019 Read Full Article
How the Fossil Fuel Industry Is Attempting to Buy the Global Youth Climate Movement
by Alleen Brown (The Intercept) ... CEOs from fossil fuel corporations including BP, Royal Dutch Shell, and Norway’s Equinor were attending the annual gathering of the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative in New York, which includes industry leaders who claim to
December 17, 2019 Read Full Article
The Kodak Moment: The World’s Airlines Consider Their Low-Carbon Options in an Era of Flight-Shaming
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Now, the airlines were just about the first customers to clamor for advanced biofuels. In 2006, Richard Altman of the recently-formed Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative showed up at one of the earliest advanced biofuels
December 14, 2019 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels Canada Comments on BC Fuel Price Inquiry, LCFS Impact
(Advanced Biofuels Canada) Factsheet addresses key findings and corrects commentary -- Advanced Biofuels Canada (ABFC) has released a factsheet to summarize the outcomes of the BC Utility Commission inquiry into high fuel prices in BC, and to address inaccurate commentary about fuel regulatory
December 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Opportunity for Aviation in Europe’s Green Deal
(International Air Transport Association) The International Air Transport Association (IATA) asked the European Union to support aviation's energy transition to sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) as part of the bloc's Green Deal, being launched tomorrow. "Aviation has high hopes for the European Commission's
December 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Stop the Anti-Ethanol Ridiculousness--An Open Letter Reply to an Unmistakable Editorial Failure
by Marc J. Rauch (The Auto Channel) This past Saturday, a media outlet called THE ATLANTIC published an anti-ethanol editorial titled "STOP THE ETHANOL MADNESS." ... The following is my rebuttal to him and THE ATLANTIC: Dear Editors - The anti-ethanol editorial written by
November 25, 2019 Read Full Article
Amy Klobuchar: Donald Trump's Presidency of Broken Promises Is further Dividing America
by Amy Klobuchar (Argus Leader) 'When we’re straight with the American people, we can build an even bigger coalition with an optimistic economic and justice agenda for this country.' -- From town halls to fish fries, debate stages to Hall of
November 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Flood of Oil Is Coming, Complicating Efforts to Fight Global Warming
by Clifford Krauss (New York Times) A surge of oil production is coming, whether the world needs it or not. The flood of crude will arrive even as concerns about climate change are growing and worldwide oil demand is slowing. And it
November 04, 2019 Read Full Article
Correcting the Record on the Impact of Small Refinery Exemptions
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) Earlier this week, I had the honor of testifying before a House Energy & Commerce Committee subcommittee on the devastating impact of small refinery exemptions (SREs) on the U.S. ethanol industry. My testimony described the demand destruction that
November 04, 2019 Read Full Article
Americans Would Rather Reduce Oil and Gas Exploration than ‘Drill, Baby, Grill’
by Darryl Fears and Scott Clement (Washington Post) A new poll finds that a clear majority of Americans say oil and natural gas drilling should be curtailed or maintained at current level. But opinions were divided along partisan lines. In a nationwide
October 28, 2019 Read Full Article
Lawmakers Pitch Plan to Trash Ethanol Mandate Amid Industry Clashes
by Brian Dabbs (National Journal) ... Now, though, two retiring Republican House members want to carve out a new future for U.S. liquid transportation fuel policy. Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois, who represents some of the most prolific corn-producing counties
October 18, 2019 Read Full Article
In Blow to Total, France Upholds Law Banning Palm Oil from Biofuel Scheme
by Geert De Clercq and Gus Trompiz (Reuters) France’s constitutional court on Friday upheld a law excluding palm oil from the country’s biofuel scheme, rejecting an appeal by energy company Total (TOTF.PA) which says the measure puts at risk its
October 14, 2019 Read Full Article
Catch & Kill: The Velocys, Oxy, Cemvita, Carbon Engineering, BHP, Ginkgo Chase to Catch Waste, Kill Emissions, Armed with New Organisms to Liberate Value
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Mississippi, Velocys’ Bayou Fuels project has signed with Oxy Low Carbon Ventures to capture carbon dioxide from Velocys’ planned Bayou Fuels biomass-to-fuels project in Natchez, Mississippi, and securely store it underground in a geologic
October 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Oil Firms to Pour Extra 7m Barrels per Day into Markets, Data Shows
by Jonathan Watts, Jillian Ambrose and Adam Vaughan (The Guardian) Projected production surge in next 12 years to be led by Shell despite climate crisis; Video: why we need political action to rein in the fossil fuel industry; Timeline: Half a century
October 10, 2019 Read Full Article
President Trump's 'Giant' Biofuels Package Is Decidedly Small
by Tristan R. Brown (Seeking Alpha) Summary -- The "giant package" that President Donald Trump had promised to the U.S. biofuels sector back in August was finally unveiled late last week. While the plan's details continue to be scarce, those
October 08, 2019 Read Full Article
US Voters Show Strong Support for Ethanol, Renewable Fuel Standard
(Biofuels International) A new nationwide US survey conducted by Morning Consult has found strong support for ethanol and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Support for the latter has reached its highest level since the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) began polling
October 07, 2019 Read Full Article
An Identity Crisis—Ethanol Blending is a Refinery?
by Dave VanderGriend (Urban Air Initiative/Biofuels Digest) ... (A)nyone who owns a blender pump woke up one day in June to find out they were a refiner! Actually, a “fuel manufacturer” to be exact, with all the numbing, strangling regulations that
October 03, 2019 Read Full Article
Farm-State Fury Creates Pressure for Trump as Trade, Energy Pain Collide
by David J. Lynch (Washington Post) ... After two decades, Siouxland (Energy Cooperative) this month halted operations following the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to exempt 31 small oil refiners from a federal law requiring them to blend ethanol in their
October 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Audio of Private Meeting Shows Oil Industry Ripping into Trump Administration
by Ben Lefebvre (Politico) At a closed-door meeting this summer, oil and gas industry lawyers criticized the Trump administration's failure to recruit enough qualified people to secure policy victories that would outlast this presidency, according to a recording of the gathering. The
September 30, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump’s Billion-Dollar Gambit: An Ethanol Deal to Meet the Demands of Farmers and Big Oil
by Tim Mullaney (CNBC) President Trump is planning an ethanol deal to please U.S. farmers angry that many oil refiners have been freed from obligations to use oil-based fuel. The deal, still not yet reduced to a written bill, is
September 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Collaboration Focus Of U.S. Ethanol Presence At Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference
(U.S. Grains Council) U.S. Grains Council (USGC) staff, consultants and members attending the Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC) in Singapore this week found reason for enthusiasm for ethanol’s future in the region. “This is the first time the Council has participated in
September 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Oil Refining Representatives to Rally in Toledo against Trump Biofuels Policy
by Jon Chavez (The Blade) Members of Ohio’s oil refining industry will rally in Toledo Thursday at One Government Center downtown to urge President Trump not to tamper with laws regulating U.S. biofuels policy, because doing so could put smaller refineries,
September 12, 2019 Read Full Article
White House Presses Biofuel, Oil Executives for Compromise
by Mario Parker and Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg/Investors Business Daily) Discussions aimed at breaking logjam over biofuel plan; Friday deadline issued for ideas on potential compromise -- Trump administration officials are squeezing biofuel and oil refining executives to agree to
September 12, 2019 Read Full Article
Biofuel Plan Faces Fresh Backlash from U.S. Agricultural Trade Groups
by Chris Prentice, Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) U.S. agricultural trade groups on Friday told the Trump administration a proposed biofuel reform package falls short of expectations, four sources familiar with discussions said, complicating plans the administration had for
September 08, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump in High-Stakes Balancing Act between Oil and Corn ahead of 2020 Bid
by Humeyra Pamuk and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) At a closed-door meeting at the White House on Aug. 19, President Donald Trump looked increasingly alarmed as his top envoy to China delivered evidence of rising Farm Belt frustration over his biofuel policy
September 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Delta Sugar Invests $2m in JV with Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company
(Mubasher/Zawya) Delta Sugar’s board of directors approved contributing 5% to the Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company’s (ECHEM) facility for producing bioethanol from molasses. The sugar manufacturing company will contribute $2 million to the project’s capital cost, according to a statement to the Egyptian
September 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump, Biofuels, 2020 and the Prospect of a Farmer Flip
by Matt Carr (Biofuels Digest/New Energy America) ... President Trump has repeatedly buckled under pressure from fossil fuel interests and their Wall Street backers, giving an unprecedented number of “small refinery waivers” to oil refiners that have reported record profits year
September 04, 2019 Read Full Article
Exxon Mobil's Designed 2 Scale Challenge DEADLINE: November 15, 2019
(Designed 2 Scale Challenge) Algae-based feedstocks have shown tremendous potential in providing a safe, secure and locally available source of drop-in liquid fuels for the transportation sector. These feedstocks have the potential to not compete with conventional food crops and
September 03, 2019 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK -- American Petroleum Institute
In a February 2018 letter to the EPA from the American Petroleum Institute: “…RIN costs are largely recovered by refineries, both large and small, through the increased value of gasoline and diesel fuel they supply to the market.” ... “These
September 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Five Reasons Why Big Oil Is Wrong
by Scott Richman (Renewable Fuels Association) On Wednesday, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers and the American Petroleum Institute sent a letter to President Trump in response to reports that the administration is considering measures to mitigate the harm that the
September 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Internal White House Documents: EPA Ignored Trump Administration Recommendations to Redistribute Small Refinery Waived Volumes
(Renewable Fuels Association) Documents obtained by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) show that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ignored strong recommendations from within the Trump Administration to redistribute Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) blending obligations lost to small refinery exemptions in the
August 27, 2019 Read Full Article
Fossil Fuels Offer a Poor Return on Energy Investment
(University of Leeds) An evaluation of the global energy return on investment for fossil fuels and renewable sources reveals a much more level playing field than previously believed. An enduring argument for the ongoing use of fossil fuels is their high
August 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Petroleum Companies Ramp up HVO Production in Europe
(Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen (UFOP)/Biodiesel Magazine) Production of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in the European Union has picked up pace since 2012. Petroleum companies, such as Neste, Eni and Total, were the main entities promoting the creation of
August 22, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump Intervention Triggered EPA's Surprise Biofuel Waiver Decision: Sources
by Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) A phone call from U.S. President Donald Trump last week ended a nearly two-month-long review of the nation’s biofuels program, three sources familiar with the matter said, with the White House siding in favor of oil refiners over
August 16, 2019 Read Full Article
BP, Rosneft Join German Sustainable Aviation Fuels Initiative
(Biofuels International) The Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy in Germany (aireg) has welcomed two new members: Rosneft Deutschland and BP Europa. ... Oil major Rosneft’s biofuels commitment: “Rosneft Deutschland currently produces around 300,000 tonnes of jet fuel annually and implements into-plane aviation fuel
August 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Fact Sheet: Fossil Fuel Subsidies: A Closer Look at Tax Breaks and Societal Costs
by Clayton Coleman and Emma Dietz (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) A recent analysis published in Nature Energy found that continuing current fossil fuel subsidies would make it profitable to extract half of all domestic oil reserves. This could increase U.S. oil production by
August 02, 2019 Read Full Article
South Dakota Farmers Union Meets with EPA Director to Discuss E30
(South Dakota Farmers Union/Farm Forum) South Dakota Farmers Union, together with leaders from 13 South Dakota agriculture organizations, sat down with Gregory Sopkin, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional administrator for District Eight to discuss challenges facing South Dakota farmers and
August 02, 2019 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK -- Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
"EPA is screwing around with the program to the detriment of agriculture and the ethanol industry. EPA needs to stop doing the bidding of big oil companies," Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told reporters July 23, 2019, with regard to small
July 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Energy Department Says EPA Issued RFS Exemptions Against DOE Advice
(Office of Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)) Contrary to assertions by the EPA, the Energy Department confirmed in a letter to Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that the EPA has issued so-called “economic hardship” exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to small refineries, often
July 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Small U.S. Refiners Vow to Sue EPA If It Fails to Issue 2018 Waiver Rulings in 60 Days
by Humeyra Pamuk (National Post/Reuters) Small U.S. refineries plan to sue Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 60 days, if the agency by then fails to issue its decisions on 2018 petitions for waivers from the nation’s biofuel laws, refiners said in a
July 19, 2019 Read Full Article
A Political 'Fight to the Knife' over Ethanol Comes to Wisconsin
by Chris Hubbuch (Wisconsin State Journal) ... “There’s (a) civil war within the Republican Party,” said Scott Irwin, chairman of agricultural marketing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “It’s pitting two significant Republican constituencies of the president and neither one
July 15, 2019 Read Full Article
A 'Volcano' of Oil Is Flowing in the Gulf - and This Ex-Fisherman Is Trying to Contain It
by Darrly Fears (Stars and Stripes) ... A hole as wide as a basketball court had opened on the sea floor and thousands of gallons of Louisiana sweet crude gushed through. Amberjack, a popular sport fish, meandered through millions of toxic
July 15, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump Intervention Delaying EPA Biofuel Waiver Action, Sources Say
by Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump’s request for a review of the administration’s expanded use of biofuel waivers for oil refiners is holding up its decisions on 2018 applications, according to three sources familiar with the matter, two of
July 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Bunge Is in Talks With BP to Join Brazil Sugar-Ethanol Assets
by Fabiana Batista, Isis Almeida and Vinícius Andrade (Bloomberg/Yahoo!Finance) U.S. agribusiness giant Bunge Ltd. is in talks with British oil major BP Plc to form a sugar and ethanol joint venture in Brazil, according to people familiar with the matter. The companies are
July 11, 2019 Read Full Article
The Energy Transition and Oil Companies’ Hard Choices
by Rob West and Bassam Fattouh (The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies) In this Energy Insight, we explore the challenges of the energy transition for international oil companies (IOCs). We argue that energy demand forecasts are inconsistent with meeting Paris Agreement
July 09, 2019 Read Full Article
AFPM Launches Ad Campaign Urging the President to Protect Refinery Jobs
(American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers) Today (July 8, 2019), AFPM launched an advertising campaign asking President Trump to keep his promise to protect U.S. refiners from unchecked ethanol mandates that threaten to kill our jobs. This campaign comes on the heels
July 09, 2019 Read Full Article
Total Starts Up the La Mède Biorefinery
(Total) Total has started up production at the La Mède biorefinery in southeastern France, with the first batches of biofuel coming off the line. It is the final step in converting a former oil refinery into a new energies complex.
July 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Gasolinegate: Three Decades of Flawed Emission Reports Has Endangered Public
(Safe Gasoline Campaign) The 263 million gasoline vehicles on American roadways are emitting significantly more harmful emissions than being reported, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is ignoring the dangers of toxic compounds in gasoline, according to a new
July 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Grassley Statement on New Threats to RFS
(Office of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)) Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today released the following statement in response to recent media reports on new threats to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). “For years, Big Oil and its advocates on and off Capitol
July 02, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Oil Companies Find Energy Independence Isn’t So Profitable
by Clifford Krauss (New York Times) ... In the last four years, roughly 175 oil and gas companies in the United States and Canada with debts totaling about $100 billion have filed for bankruptcy protection. Many borrowed heavily when oil and
July 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Exxon Working to Push Trade Group on Climate Change
by Amy Harder (Axios) ... At issue here is the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, whose focus is oil and gas refining. Driving the news: Royal Dutch Shell, under pressure from activist investors, announced earlier this year it was leaving AFPM, citing "material
July 01, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Senator Says He's Blocking USDA Nominees over Biofuel Waivers
by Chris Prentice and Richard Valdmanis (Reuters) Senator John Kennedy of oil refining state Louisiana is blocking the confirmation of three senior appointees to the Department of Agriculture until the department butts out of parts of the administration’s biofuels policy, according
July 01, 2019 Read Full Article
The Fossil Fuel Industry Is Quietly Undermining Global Climate Talks
by Luke McGrath (Bloomberg/Houston Chronicle) Fossil fuel industry giants such as ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell are maintaining an outsized presence at global climate discussions, working to undermine scientific consensus and slow policy progress, according to findings released Wednesday by an environmental monitoring organization. The Climate Investigations
June 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Pope to Oil Execs: We Don’t ‘Have the Luxury’ to Wait to Fight Climate Change
by Inés San Martín (Crux) ... The June 13-14 meeting was focused on three points: A just transition; carbon pricing; and transparency in reporting climate risk. “Such a transition involves managing the social and employment impact of the move to a low-carbon society,”
June 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump Orders Review of Controversial Biofuel Waiver Program: Sources
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump has directed members of his Cabinet to review the administration’s expanded use of waivers exempting small refineries from the nation’s biofuel policy, after hearing from farmers angry about the issue during his recent
June 21, 2019 Read Full Article
The Energy 202: Want to Address Climate Change? Fix Campaign Finance First, 2020 Democrats Say.
by Dino Grandoni (Washington Post) It is not just about the Earth's rising temperatures. Many Democrats running for president see climate change as symptomatic of another problem: too much money in politics. One White House hopeful, Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-Colo.), on Thursday unveiled an anticorruption
June 21, 2019 Read Full Article
NCGA Ups Pressure on EPA to Follow President's Lead on Ethanol
(National Corn Growers Association) The National Corn Growers Association today will begin airing an advertisement calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to follow President Trump’s commitment to farmers and stop giving Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) waivers to big oil
June 21, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump Officials Face off on Car Rule: King, Nichols Headline Auto Rule Hearing
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) Top EPA and Transportation Department officials will likely face intense grilling from Democrats today at a joint hearing of two House Energy and Commerce subcommittees on the Trump administration's proposed rollback of auto emissions standards.
June 20, 2019 Read Full Article
1 Big Thing: The Persistence of Fossil Fuel Subsidies
(Axios) ... International Energy Agency data shows that worldwide subsidies that lower consumer costs for fossil fuels grew to over $400 billion last year, their highest levels since 2014. Why it matters: The persistence of the payments, despite some progress in pricing reforms in
June 18, 2019 Read Full Article
The Oil Industry and Environmentalists form an Odd Alliance against Trump on Ethanol
by Emily Moon (Pacific Standard) It could be years before farmers see any gains from the rollback of E15 restrictions—or before oil interests and environmental groups see any losses. -- ... For ethanol's biggest opponents, the deregulation could usher in a whole
June 13, 2019 Read Full Article
How Trump (and Iowa) Changed How You Fuel Your Car
by Mario Parker and Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg) Ethanol, the intoxicating alcohol found in beer, wine and liquor, has been powering automobiles in the U.S. since the era of the Model T more than a century ago. Since the 1970s, when oil
June 12, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Refiner Group Sues Trump EPA over High-Ethanol Gasoline
by Richard Valdmanis (Reuters) The main U.S. refining industry association said on Monday it sued to block the Trump administration’s effort to expand sales of higher ethanol blends of gasoline, arguing the move exceeded the administration’s authority. The legal challenge from the
June 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Total Prepares to Begin Operations at La Mède Biorefinery
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) French multinational oil giant Total S.A. is just days away from a much-anticipated startup at its La Mède biorefinery in the south of France. A representative of Total told Biodiesel Magazine that the renewable diesel processing facility is
May 29, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Ready to Scrap Biofuel Market Reform in Bid to Boost Ethanol
by Jennifer A Dlouhy and Mario Parker (Bloomberg) Agency initially planned to bar some traders and cap positions; Rush to propel high-ethanol fuel by June 1 complicated effort -- The Environmental Protection Agency is poised to jettison proposed trading restrictions on a $5.2 billion market
May 29, 2019 Read Full Article
Behind Oil Majors' Lobbying Push
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) Shell and BP, two of the world's biggest oil companies, are backing Americans for Carbon Dividends, the lobbying arm of the Climate Leadership Council, in its push to institute a $40 per ton fee
May 28, 2019 Read Full Article
Duckworth Accuses EPA of Deception, Calls for Probe into Ethanol Waivers
by John Siciliano (Washington Examiner) Illinois Democrat Tammy Duckworth asked the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general Thursday to investigate whether the agency broke the law in granting dozens of waivers to the oil industry to not blend corn ethanol into the
May 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Dems Say Wheeler Misled Congress
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) Senate Environment and Public Works ranking member Tom Carper and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone are calling on Wheeler to provide documents related to the agency's public defense of its proposed Safer
May 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Exclusive: Trump EPA Did Not Await Court Ruling to Loosen Biofuel Rules for Refiners - Documents
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The Trump administration made it easier for oil refineries to get waivers from the nation’s biofuel law at least four months before a 2017 court decision it often cites to justify the move to the corn lobby,
May 16, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Handout Recipients Reap Windfall Profits
(Growth Energy) A new report from the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that net income for oil and gas companies hit a five-year high last year – in stark contrast to claims of “hardship” oil giants have used to
May 14, 2019 Read Full Article
ExxonMobil Promises $100m for Biofuels and CCS Research
(Business Green) Oil giant ExxonMobil this week promised a fresh wave of up to $100m R&D cash to support the development of carbon reduction technologies. The company announced a 10-year agreement with the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory and National Energy Technology
May 12, 2019 Read Full Article
The Low Carbon Coast
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Washington state (House--see correction below) has passed a low carbon fuel standard that would have it join itself to the standards already enacted in California, Oregon and British Columbia and under development now for the
May 09, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Says EPA Plan to Hide Which Refineries Are Allowed to Stop Blending Renewable Fuels Would Hurt Farmers, Rural Communities
(Office of Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said today the Trump Administration’s plan to go back on its promise to name which U.S. oil refineries are allowed to avoid requirements to blend renewable fuels into the nation’s
May 03, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Stalls Biofuel Waiver Transparency Plan after White House Blowback: Sources
by Jarrett Renshaw, Chris Prentice, Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has suspended work on its plan to publish the names of refineries securing exemptions from federal biofuels law after receiving blowback from the White House and parts of the
May 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Donald J. Trump, Our Blue-Collar President
by Curtis Ellis (WND) ... Last week, members of the International Union of Operating Engineers stood alongside President Trump at a union job-training center as he signed executive orders to expedite the construction of oil and gas pipelines and energy infrastructure projects,
May 01, 2019 Read Full Article
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