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
Big Oil/Oil Majors
Back TO HOMEOil 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
U.S. EPA Stalls Biofuel Waiver Transparency Plan after White House Blowback
by Jarrett Renshaw, Chris Prentice and 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
April 30, 2019 Read Full Article
Inside California's Fight against Pollution
by Miranda Green (The Hill) ... Asked who she (Mary Nichols, head of the California Air Resources Board (CARB)) thought would benefit the most from the Trump rule change, which she has argued automakers are largely opposed to, Nichols points to
April 30, 2019 Read Full Article
Oil and Renewable Industries Locked in Tug of War over Trump's Ethanol Plan
by John Siciliano and Josh Siegel (Washington Examiner) The deadline for comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed plan to allow year-round sales of 15% ethanol fuel closes at midnight, but neither side in the fight — that is, the oil and
April 30, 2019 Read Full Article
ABLC 2019 Round-Up
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... ABLC 2019 kicked off on Wednesday with about 540 delegates in Washington, D.C. at the U.S. Department of Agriculture building complete with secret service protection and escorts for some big-name super star speakers, with
April 08, 2019 Read Full Article
Fuel Standards to Prevent Overdependence on Foreign Oil Are Out of Date
by Merrill Matthews (The Hill/Institute for Policy Innovation) ... President Trump wants to roll back unattainable Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards imposed by President Obama. And he wants those revised fuel efficiency ratings to apply nationwide, including California, according to The Hill. But
March 28, 2019 Read Full Article
Daily on Energy: Trump Quietly Makes New Energy Inroads in Brazil
by John Siciliano and Josh Siegel (Washington Examiner) The Trump administration is quietly negotiating an energy partnership with Brazil, the largest economy in South America, to encourage more oil and natural gas production by tapping the expertise of U.S. energy firms, with
March 22, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Waivers Reduce Incentive to Produce Biofuels
(KCRG) Between 2017 and 2018, U.S. ethanol consumption dropped for the first time in a decade and the Renewable Fuels Association says that's because of the Environmental Protection Agency hurting demand. One of the reasons former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned from
March 20, 2019 Read Full Article
Amy Klobuchar Knocks EPA's Secret Waivers that Boost Big Oil
by Pat Rynard (Iowa Starting Line) Senator Amy Klobuchar blasted the Trump Administration’s continued use of blending waivers for renewable fuels usage while in Iowa this weekend. Using it as an example of how Donald Trump’s presidency has hurt rural America,
March 20, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Grants More RFS Waivers, Undercuts Add’l Demand for Biofuels
by Ron Kotrba (Biomass Magazine) U.S. EPA retroactively granted five new small refinery exemptions for 2017, releasing them from their obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The five new small refinery exemptions reduced the 2017 renewable volume obligation (RVO) for biomass-based
March 15, 2019 Read Full Article
We Can't Tackle Fossil Fuels without Addressing Freight, Flying, Plastics and Chemicals
by Mike Carr (The Hill/New Energy America) ... In fact, he (oil tycoon Harold Hamm) significantly undercounted the depth of the U.S. Government support for the breakthrough technologies of directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing. In addition to the incentives for private sector risk taking,
March 14, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard Is Not Working: Marathon CEO
by David Gaffen and Erwin Seba (Reuters) The U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) laws are not working and there is an “opportunity for a reset” of the standard in Washington, Marathon Petroleum Corp Chief Executive Gary Heminger said on Tuesday. ... Heminger said
March 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Washington House Passes Clean-Fuels Legislation Sought by Inslee
by Joseph O’Sullivan and Hal Bernton (Seattle Times) Washington House Democrats approved clean-fuels legislation Tuesday night after overcoming fierce Republican opposition that was expressed in an hourslong floor debate. House Bill 1110, which would lower the greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels,
March 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Washington State Tackles Transportation Emissions
by Jeremy Martin (Union of Concerned Scientists) ... The largest source of pollution in Washington state is transportation, which is another way to say burning petroleum-based fuels like gasoline and diesel. Tackling emissions from transportation requires policies that focus on vehicles
March 09, 2019 Read Full Article
The Energy 202: Oil Giant Makes Business Case for Taking Climate Change Seriously
by Steven Mufson (Washington Post) The chief economist of one of the world’s biggest oil companies is urging other companies to take climate change seriously — and sooner rather than later. If not, it might be bad for business. That’s the warning from
March 08, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Changed Rules to Help Profitable Refiners Get Biofuel Waivers: Lawsuit
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) U.S. environmental regulators quietly changed the way they assess applications from refineries for waivers from the nation’s biofuels law, making it possible for highly profitable plants to secure lucrative exemptions, according to court documents filed by a
March 08, 2019 Read Full Article
ExxonMobile Commercial
(Algae Industry Magazine) View the latest algae biofuel pitch from ExxonMobile: ”From petri dish to pond to potential biofuel, watch how we are continuing our algae research in Calipatria, CA with Synthetic Genomics.” READ MORE
March 01, 2019 Read Full Article
API Study: EPA’s Proposal for Reforming RINs Exacerbates Broken Fuels Mandate
(American Petroleum Institute) Today (February 26, 2019), the American Petroleum Institute released a new study that found EPA’s proposal to reform the Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) market will only worsen program. This could ultimately harm consumers. “API’s new study makes clear that the EPA’s
February 27, 2019 Read Full Article
Icahn-Backed Refiner Saves $189 Million on EPA's Biofuel Tweaks
by Mario Parker and Jennifer A. Dlouhy (Bloomberg) CVR Energy Inc., backed by billionaire investor Carl Icahn, saved $189 million under the U.S. biofuels mandate last year. That’s largely thanks to a campaign he helped ignite to lower costs for compliance. CVR Energy,
February 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Republicans Shift on Climate
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) Republicans appear to be changing their tone and launching fewer attacks on climate science. Instead, some in the party have touted longstanding support for innovation to address the problem — a sign of the changing
February 22, 2019 Read Full Article
Exclusive: Delta Trying to Unload East Coast Refinery - Sources
by Jarrett Renshaw and Jessica Resnick-Ault (Reuters) Delta Air Lines wants to sell its oil refinery in Trainer, Pennsylvania, after attempts to offer a partial stake in the plant late last year failed, according to two people familiar with the matter. The
February 04, 2019 Read Full Article
Exclusive: Oil Giant ConocoPhillips Backs Carbon Tax Push
by Amy Harder (Axios) In the latest sign of a global oil industry shifting on climate change, ConocoPhillips is now helping fund a multi-million dollar political advocacy campaign that's lobbying Congress for a tax on carbon emissions. Why it matters: The move
December 18, 2018 Read Full Article
US Ethanol Producers: We Are Oil’s Biggest Competitor, Cleaner Too
by Sarantis Michalopoulos (EURACTIV) Increasing ethanol use will help countries around the world meet their Paris Agreement climate goals in a cheaper way, US producers told EURACTIV.com, staking their claim to a higher role for the fuel, alongside electricity, in decarbonising transport. Speaking
December 14, 2018 Read Full Article
The Climate Battle: Fuels vs Emissions
by Amy Harder (Axios) Getting off fossil fuels or reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a central sticking point emerging here at a conference to hash out details of the 2015 Paris Agreement to combat climate change. Why it matters: Nations rich with
December 14, 2018 Read Full Article
The Oil Industry’s Covert Campaign to Rewrite American Car Emissions Rules
by Hiroko Tabuchi (New York Times) When the Trump administration laid out a plan this year that would eventually allow cars to emit more pollution, automakers, the obvious winners from the proposal, balked. The changes, they said, went too far even for
December 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Relieving the Pressure: There’s Movement at Last to Obtain an RVP Waiver for E15 ...
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... “There’s a very tight window between today and June 1,” says Brian Jennings, CEO of the American Coalition for Ethanol. “The big-picture goal is for the proposed rule to be out for public comment
December 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Demand Destruction from Small Refinery Exemptions is Clear and Continuing
(Renewable Fuels Association) There has been a media blitz lately by the oil industry saying that ethanol demand has been unaffected by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rampant grants of Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) exemptions to small refineries. Recently, even some
December 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Algae ‘Blooms’ in Automotive Industry
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Mazda is investing in it. Honda is using it for R&D and potential byproducts. Algenol, AlgaEnergy and others grow and develop it. Euglena began producing it for biojet fuel at its new biofuel refinery plant in Japan. The U.S. government has a whole R&D department that
November 26, 2018 Read Full Article
Global Oil Demand under Growing Threat from Electric Cars, Cleaner Fuel
by Amanda Cooper (Reuters) Oil demand seen peaking in 2040 at 106.3 mln bpd - IEA; Demand forecast raised by over 1 mln bpd vs last year; But electric cars, fuel efficiency to have bigger impact -- Electric vehicles and more efficient fuel technology
November 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Big Oil Spent 1 Percent on Green Energy in 2018
by Ron Bousso (Reuters) Top oil and gas companies jointly spent around 1 percent of their 2018 budgets on clean energy, but investments by Europe’s giants vastly outpaced their U.S. and Asian rivals, a study showed. ... Shell leads the pack with future
November 14, 2018 Read Full Article
American Biofuels Deserve Certainty
by Dan Kleiss (Morning Consult) ... By all rights, that anti-biofuel campaign should have wrapped up in December 2016, when regulators dialed up conventional — typically corn-based — ethanol targets to 15 billion gallons, the legal maximum. Since then, gasoline consumption has
November 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Iowa Senator Says Expect Fewer Biofuel Waivers from Wheeler's EPA
by Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may issue fewer biofuel waivers to small refineries under Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler than it did under its previous leadership, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa said on Tuesday. “I sense
November 14, 2018 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK -- Urban Air Initiative
"Emails between the EPA and the oil industry show that EPA asked oil industry employees what test fuels they would “prefer to see tested” and then revised the test fuels in response to their input. The EPA also threw out
November 13, 2018 Read Full Article
Ethanol Lobbying Is Up, and It Seems to Be Paying Off
Elvin Anawaguna (Roll Call/MSN) Biofuel groups upped their spending on lobbying this year as they pressured lawmakers and the Trump administration on issues related to the Renewable Fuel Standard, which sets minimum volumes of biofuels to be used to power cars
November 07, 2018 Read Full Article
E15 Faces More Speed Bumps EPA’S Rule for Year-Round E15 Sales Is Still Not in Federal Register.
by Dan Looker (Success Farming) When President Donald Trump told a campaign rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa, last month that his administration will approve year-round sales of E15, farmers and the ethanol industry were pleased. They looked forward to more sales of
November 06, 2018 Read Full Article
The Complex Dynamics of Coprocessing
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) While oil refiners adding a small percentage of renewable feedstock to their operations sounds simple, the political, economic, technical, societal and market consequences are anything but. In 2007, at the height of the biodiesel boom, ConocoPhillips and
November 06, 2018 Read Full Article
For the Times They Are a Changin’ – Conversions Abound from Diesel to Renewable Diesel
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... Phillips 66 and REG’s announcement about a new renewable diesel plant on the U.S. West Coast planned for 2021 comes after a notable increase in refineries that are being converted and changed over to renewable diesel. Change
November 05, 2018 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to the Energy Outlook through 2040
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The BP Energy Outlook explores the forces shaping the global energy transition out to 2040 and the key uncertainties surrounding that transition. It shows how rising prosperity drives an increase in global energy demand and how
November 02, 2018 Read Full Article
The Road to Feedstock Flexibility
by Chris Abrams (Biodiesel Magazine/Imerys Filtration) Imerys personnel have spent much of 2018 talking about new and diverse feedstocks for biodiesel production, and how to help biodiesel manufacturers incorporate them into their existing processes. Here is an overview of that discussion. ... We
October 31, 2018 Read Full Article
Lightfast Polyurethane; YPF Adds Biofuels; Mars, BH Improve Cacao, Chocolate; 20 New Food Waste Start-Ups; Fossil-Free Ocean Freight: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of October 24th
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of October 24th. ... #2 Oil and gas giant YPF to start producing biofuels In Argentina, Miguel Gutiérrez, President of
October 26, 2018 Read Full Article
A 14-Year-Long Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico Verges on Becoming One of the Worst in U.S. History
by Darryl Fears (Washington Post) An oil spill that has been quietly leaking millions of barrels into the Gulf of Mexico has gone unplugged for so long that it now verges on becoming one of the worst offshore disasters in U.S.
October 25, 2018 Read Full Article
RFA President Says February Not Soon Enough for E15 Rulemaking
(WNAX) This week, the Environmental Protection Agency published its rule making agenda for 2019 and in it said they’’ll start the rulemaking process for year-round use of E15 in February of next year. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper
October 22, 2018 Read Full Article
The Truth about E15 and Smog
(Renewable Fuels Association) On October 9, President Trump announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will soon begin a rulemaking process to allow year-round sales of E15 (gasoline containing 15% ethanol) in conventional gasoline markets, which account for nearly 70% of
October 15, 2018 Read Full Article
Alternative Fuels Ethanol and Air Quality – Separating Fact from Fiction
by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) ... After Tuesday’s announcement, the oil industry and some environmental groups were quick to claim that increasing the volume of ethanol in the fuel supply would worsen air quality. However, the evidence suggests
October 15, 2018 Read Full Article
D.C. Circuit Will Be All Ears for RFS Arguments
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) A panel of D.C. Circuit appellate judges today will hear yet another iteration of arguments over the Renewable Fuel Standard. The court has allowed an hour and 40 minutes to delve into the issues
October 05, 2018 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK -- Cassidy Walter
As Cassidy Walter of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association points out in a recent Gazette op-ed, "In fact, not only has Big Oil enjoyed federal tax subsidies for the past 100 years, the federal government actually mandates all vehicle fuel
October 01, 2018 Read Full Article
Contrary to Columnist's Claims, the RFS Works
by Cassidy Walter (The Gazette/Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) As an outspoken libertarian in favor of open markets, it is unfortunate that in a recent column, Adam Sullivan did not look closer at the history of U.S. energy policy before disregarding the Renewable Fuel
October 01, 2018 Read Full Article
Small Refinery Exemptions and Ethanol Demand Destruction
by Scott Irwin (FarmDocDaily) Small refinery exemptions (SREs) represent the latest controversy to engulf the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). When the U.S. Congress first created the RFS in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58) it included a temporary exemption
September 17, 2018 Read Full Article
Why Donald Trump Is Feeling the Heat From Midwestern Farmers
by Justin Worland (Time Magazine) On the campaign trail, Donald Trump made two big promises: renegotiating free trade agreements and helping corn growers by supporting ethanol. ... As tensions over trade have proven painful to Midwestern farmers in the short term, demands
September 14, 2018 Read Full Article
EPA Pushes Back on Urban Air Challenge of Faulty Emissions Model
(Urban Air Initiative) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has refused to acknowledge it used faulty science and blending practices to paint an inaccurate picture of ethanol emissions in a long-awaited response to the Urban Air Initiative (UAI). In January 2017,
September 13, 2018 Read Full Article
Guest View: Kavanaugh Is No Friend to Midwestern Farmers
by Tammy Duckworth (Quad City Times) ... Time and again, he’s (Judge Brett Kavanaugh) chosen Big Oil over everyday Americans, serving as the lone dissenter in decisions that have pitted the fossil fuel industry against our farmers. In a recent case,
September 10, 2018 Read Full Article
US Ethanol Industry Razzes 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard Proposal: The Why and the Who
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The 2019 proposed US Renewable Fuel Standard proposed volumes attracted a major raspberry from the ethanol industry. As the American Coalition for Ethanol noted: “Unfortunately, EPA continues to take actions which undermine the letter and spirit of the
August 24, 2018 Read Full Article
DOE Mulls Scrapping of Biofuels Mandate
by Myrna M. Velasco (Manila Bulletin) Having been apprised by industry players that this could yield bigger cost reduction to consumer-motorists, the Department of Energy (DOE) said it will be studying the propounded scrapping of the biofuels mandate to fuel products. Energy
August 23, 2018 Read Full Article
Has Ethanol Hit Its Peak?
by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) More than 15 billion gallons of ethanol flows into the U.S. fuel supply each year, big business for midwestern corn farms and a drag on oil refineries in Texas. But with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency now
August 16, 2018 Read Full Article
Iowans Tell EPA Chief President Made E15 Promise, It’s Time to Deliver
by O. Kay Henderson (RadioIowa) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s acting administrator met privately with Iowa commodity group leaders at the Iowa State Fair today — but Andrew Wheeler told reporters afterwards there is no decision yet on regulations that would
August 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Time for EPA to Clean up the Mess It Made of the RFS
by Timothy J. Rudnicki (Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) ... Let’s be clear here. There are legitimate complaints from the biofuel industry because (acting Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew) Wheeler’s predecessor turned over the agency to Big Oil. How else can you explain
August 01, 2018 Read Full Article
Judge Throws out New York City's Climate Change Lawsuit against 5 Major Oil Companies
by Tom DiChristopher (CNBC) A federal judge dismissed New York's lawsuit against five big oil and gas companies for their role in climate change. New York argued the companies should compensate the city for the cost of mitigating the effects of global warming. U.S.
July 23, 2018 Read Full Article
EPA Scraps Detailed Plan to Force U.S. Refiners to Blend More Biofuels
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ditched a detailed plan that would have forced refiners to blend more biofuels into their gasoline and diesel in 2019 to compensate for volumes likely to be exempted under the agency’s small
July 12, 2018 Read Full Article
An FAQ on 45Q: What Federal Carbon Storage Tax Credit Means for Midwest
by Frank Jossi (Energy News) A federal tax credit passed earlier this year could increase the amount of carbon being stored underground. The revamped “45Q” tax credit boosts the amount of money available to companies willing to capture and store carbon
July 11, 2018 Read Full Article
Brett Kavanaugh Could Be Good for Ethanol
by John Siciliano (Washington Examiner) President Trump's nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court could be good news for the ethanol industry and clean energy programs where adherence to the law is often challenged. Trump said Kavanaugh, in his twelve years as
July 10, 2018 Read Full Article
Big Oil, Utilities Are Lining up for an Electric Vehicle War
by Kelly Gilblom and Anna Hirtenstein (Bloomberg) BP and Shell have bought electric-car charging companies; Power utilities are boosting sales to homes, chargers on roads -- A red-hot electric vehicle market has triggered a face-off between Big Oil and utilities. Oil majors, who’ve sold fossil
July 05, 2018 Read Full Article
Ethanol, Not Oil, Should Be Focus of EPA
by Dale Christensen (Argus Leader) The new EPA Director, E. Scott Pruitt is reworking the EPA. It appears their new mission is to rewrite all the rules to benefit the Oil Industry! The old rule of order was to help create a
June 26, 2018 Read Full Article
Oxy Considering Carbon Capture Project
by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) The Houston oil company Occidental Petroleum is studying a carbon capture project to deliver carbon dioxide to its oil fields in West Texas, the company announced Tuesday. Engineers are expected to spend six months studying the feasibility
June 20, 2018 Read Full Article
Pruitt Heads out on Ethanol Visit
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is expected to travel to Kansas this morning, where he'll stop by East Kansas Agri-Energy's ethanol plant in Garnett. The trip comes a week after the White House quashed the release
June 12, 2018 Read Full Article
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