(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
Big Oil/Oil Majors
Back TO HOMETrump 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
Project COCONUT Launched in Quezon
by Danny Estacio (Manila Bulletin) Coconut farmers in Quezon have a brighter future to look forward to following the recent launch of COllaboration for COconut Productivity and NUrturing Farmers’ Trade or Project COCONUT of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, through its social
June 07, 2018 Read Full Article
RFS Changes on Hold
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) ASSUME DEAL DEAD: Sen. Joni Ernst's decision to lay into embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt over his alleged about-face on ethanol appears to have paid off. Ernst spoke to President Donald Trump Tuesday night, she wrote on Twitter,
June 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Total Keeps Biorefinery Launch on Track Despite Farmer Blockade Threat
by Bate Felix (Reuters) French oil major Total is continuing talks with farmers opposed to its planned La Mede biodiesel refinery and plans to use 50,000 tonnes of French rapeseed to supply the facility, Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanne said on Friday. Pouyanne
June 05, 2018 Read Full Article
On The Front Lines: The Old Battle between Ethanol and Oil Takes Center Stage with the RFS.
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Ethanol Producer Magazine recaps the many recent attempts to hinder the policy, and looks beyond 2022. -- ... But leaders in the ethanol industry are quick to point out this fight is not new; it’s the
June 04, 2018 Read Full Article
Exclusive: U.S. EPA Grants Refiners Biofuel Credits to Remedy Obama-Era Waiver Denials
by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded tens of millions of dollars worth of biofuel blending credits for this year to refiners HollyFrontier and Sinclair Oil after they argued the agency had wrongly denied
May 31, 2018 Read Full Article
Back to the Future All Over Again: ExxonMobil Targets Algae Fuels at Scale by 2025, as Oil Prices Rise
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) So, ExxonMobil and Synthetic Genomics have announced a new phase in their joint algae biofuel research program that could lead to the technical ability to produce 10,000 barrels of algae biofuel per day by 2025. With that,
May 25, 2018 Read Full Article
Here Is the SHOCKING BUT TRUE Story of Big Oil’s Hypocrisy About Ethanol
by Marc J. Rauch (Auto Channel/Daily Caller) The website “FillUpOnFacts.com” is sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute (API). It exists to bash ethanol and its hypocrisy begins with the website’s name. The website is filled-up with lies. This website lists 13 categories,
May 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Fuel-Efficient Cars Will Be Worse for Oil Than Electric Vehicles: BNEF
by Heesu Lee (Bloomberg) Fuel efficient engines to cut oil demand by 7.5m b/d by 2040; Demand from cars to peak in 2022 before falling to 15.9m b/d -- Oil demand is set to face an even bigger threat from fuel-efficient engines than
May 23, 2018 Read Full Article
Will Battle Between 'Big Corn' And 'Big Oil' Stall Next Generation Biofuels?
by Aaron Smith and Vincent Smith (Investor's Business Daily) ... The most immediate impact of the RFS wars is to focus attention on corn ethanol and petroleum gasoline at the detriment of second-generation biofuels. These fuels — produced from the inedible parts
May 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Parties to White House Biofuel Deal Disagree What's Agreed
by Jennifer A Dlouhy and Mario Parker (Bloomberg) Tentative agreement struck during a White House negotiation; Refiners could benefit with biofuel exports allowed for quotas -- A tentative deal on U.S. biofuel policy struck at the White House would allow year-round sales of higher-ethanol gasoline in
May 09, 2018 Read Full Article
Debate over the RFS Is Playing out on the Political Stage: The Public Discussion Rarely Considers American Consumers.
by Donnell Rehagen (National Biodiesel Board/Biofuels Digest) The biofuels industry found itself in an unusual position for much of the past 12 months. Typically confined to debates in the trade press, biofuels-related headlines are now splashed across the mainstream media. It’s new
May 07, 2018 Read Full Article
UPDATE 1-Biofuel Group Asks U.S. Court to Review EPA's Refinery Waivers
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) A biofuels trade group asked a federal court on Tuesday to rule whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency violated the law in granting a growing number of small refineries exemptions from renewable fuel laws, according to a
May 02, 2018 Read Full Article
Utilities, Oil Interests Clash over EV Policy at Conservative Policy Summit
by Gavin Bade (Utility Dive) Utility companies clashed with oil industry interests over electric vehicle and fuel subsidies at a meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative political group, last Friday. Oil-backed groups led by the Institute for Energy
May 01, 2018 Read Full Article
Marathon Petroleum to Acquire Andeavor for $23B
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The deal creates the largest US oil refiner (and a top-five refiner globally) at 3.1 million barrels per day of capacity — Valero is around the same size, but that includes overseas operations. ... The (Marathon Petroleum)
May 01, 2018 Read Full Article
Washington Insider: Biofuels Mandates Under Pressure
(DTN The Progressive Farmer) Oil state partisans, including certain refiners, have raged about a credit-trading market within the program that they say causes undue economic pain. The biofuels industry counters that those compliance credits, known as renewable identification numbers, are essential
April 26, 2018 Read Full Article
The New War Over Ethanol, And How It Might Affect You
by F. Todd Davidson (Forbes) A seemingly small action from the Environmental Protection Agency could spark a new war between Big Oil and Big Ag that could have far-reaching effects on the U.S. agricultural, energy, and transportation industries. Last month the EPA granted an
April 23, 2018 Read Full Article
Where Do Biofuels Stand? You Can't Always Get What You Want
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) Despite efforts by President Donald Trump to settle a long-running dispute between ethanol backers and the refining industry, progress on a biofuels deal has stalled. Instead, the administration has taken a piecemeal approach to the
April 23, 2018 Read Full Article
Farm State Senators Tell EPA to Stop Giving Big Oil Refiners a Pass on Biofuels Rules
by Tom DiChristopher (CNBC) Bipartisan senators on Tuesday asked the EPA to stop issuing waivers that allow oil refiners to avoid obligations to blend biofuels into gasoline. --EPA has reportedly issued 25 of the "hardship" waivers, usually reserved for small,
April 20, 2018 Read Full Article
Shell Releases Energy Transition Report: Commits to 50% Lower Emissions by 2050, Biofuels to Top Oil by 2100 in “Sky” Scenario
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the Netherlands and England, Shell released its most definitive statement yet on its low-carbon future and committed to 50% lower emissions by 2050 and net zero by 2070 in its operations and emissions from its
April 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Exclusive: Chevron, Exxon Seek 'Small Refinery' Waivers from U.S. Biofuels Law
by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters) Global energy giants Chevron Corp and Exxon Mobil have asked U.S. regulators for exemptions to the nation’s biofuels policy that have historically been reserved for small companies in financial distress, according to sources familiar
April 13, 2018 Read Full Article
In Boost for Farmers, Trump Says He May Allow E15 Gasoline Sales All Year
by Jeff Mason (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration may allow the sale of gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol year-round, which could help farmers by firing up corn demand but faces opposition from Big Oil. ... “We’re going to
April 13, 2018 Read Full Article
Trump to Put Biofuel Reform Push on Ice, for Now: Sources
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The Trump administration will delay any moves to reform the nation’s biofuel policy for about three months, according to three sources briefed on the matter - a decision one of the sources said was meant to shield
April 11, 2018 Read Full Article
Shell — Yes, That Shell — Just Outlined a Radical Scenario for What It Would Take to Halt Climate Change
by Chris Mooney and Steven Mufson (The Washington Post) Royal Dutch Shell on Monday outlined a scenario in which, by 2070, we would be using far less of the company’s own product — oil — as cars become electric, a massive carbon
March 30, 2018 Read Full Article
Big Oil Faces Big Test in Climate-Change Court Showdown with SF, Oakland
by Kurtis Alexander (San Francisco Chronicle) A San Francisco judge who must decide whether to hold the world’s largest oil companies responsible for global warming is ordering up what many are calling the most comprehensive, and unusual, debate on climate change
March 20, 2018 Read Full Article
The U.S. Is about to Be the World’s Top Crude Oil Producer. Guess Who Didn’t See It Coming.
by Charles Lane (Washington Post) ... Domestic crude production was not inherently “limited,” as O’Connell told Congress in 2011, it just needed a better mouse trap. Fracking was it. Entrepreneurs broke the oil-import addiction, even though the main thing they intended to
March 18, 2018 Read Full Article
'Keep It In The Ground' Activists Optimistic Despite Oil Boom
by Jeff Brady (National Public Radio) The United States oil business is booming and the country could soon be the largest crude oil producer in the world. Despite this record-breaking production, climate change activists campaigning to move away from fossil fuels
March 16, 2018 Read Full Article
Refiners Try to Hold Trump's Attention
(Politico's Morning Energy) With a settlement between refiner Philadelphia Energy Solutions and EPA in hand and voting in the Pennsylvania special election over, some biofuels observers think the issue may fall off Trump's radar. A biofuels source told ME Tuesday they
March 14, 2018 Read Full Article
White House Postpones Talks on US Biofuel Mandate: Refinery Source
by Meghan Gordon bankr(Platts) The White House has postponed a fourth round of talks between refinery and biofuel interests about reforming the US biofuel mandate, according to a refinery source close to the negotiations. The meeting set for Thursday may have been
March 13, 2018 Read Full Article
RIN Price Cap a Demand Cap: Oil Industry Study Makes Ethanol Industry's Case on Motive, Impact
by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) A study commissioned by the country's largest oil refiner explains how a waiver credit would freeze ethanol demand. Ethanol industry groups are pointing to several statements in the oil industry's own report to make the
March 12, 2018 Read Full Article
Big This Week: Oil Execs to Huddle with Trump
by Amy Harder (Axios) Lots to discuss: Top oil-and-gas industry executives will meet Thursday with President Trump at the White House, according to sources familiar with the plan. Why it matters: The meeting arrives amid a rough patch in the industry's relationship with
March 12, 2018 Read Full Article
Statoil, Total, Shell Prove Precocious in Weaning from Oil
by Cassandra Sweet (GreenBiz) When it comes to addressing climate change, oil companies are all over the map. Meeting this week in Houston at CERAWeek, the world’s biggest oil and gas conference, the world’s biggest oil companies talked about oil and climate change
March 12, 2018 Read Full Article
UPDATE 1-U.S. Refinery Workers Head to Washington to Urge Biofuels Reform
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) A delegation of workers from U.S. oil refining companies that oppose the nation’s biofuels policy will converge on Washington on Wednesday to lobby lawmakers to find a way to lessen the regulation’s costs without hurting corn farmers
March 07, 2018 Read Full Article
Exxon Thinks It Can Create Biofuel From Algae At Massive Scale
by Adele Peters (Fast Company) The oil and gas giant says it could be making 10,000 barrels a day within a few years–a small drop in the amount of oil it produces, but a huge boost in the amount of algae-based
March 07, 2018 Read Full Article
First U.S. City to Ban Fossil Fuel Expansion Offers Roadmap for Others
by Kevon Paynter (Yes! Magazine) Portland, Ore., climate activists celebrate a win against Big Oil as city- and state-level initiatives gain momentum across the country. -- ... A key piece of Shell’s arctic drilling fleet, the vessel had arrived in Portland for
February 28, 2018 Read Full Article
Carbon Capture Coalition Expands & Rebrands
by Amy Harder (Axios) ... The effort, called the Carbon Capture Coalition, is a rebranded and broadened version of an earlier group, called the National Enhanced Oil Recovery Initiative, which had a narrower focus. That coalition focused primarily on advocating for
February 27, 2018 Read Full Article
White House Pushes for More Talks after 'No Deal' on Biofuels
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump has asked for more talks between representatives of the oil and corn industries after a meeting on Tuesday failed to yield an agreement on how to help refiners cope with the country’s
February 27, 2018 Read Full Article
Can Updated Tax Credits Bring Carbon Capture Into the Mainstream?
by Emma Foehringer Merchant (GreenTechMedia) Expanded credits in the budget bill could “absolutely make the difference” for the economic viability of carbon capture and sequestration. -- Among the energy credits tucked inside the budget deal eked out in early February lies a controversial measure: carbon capture and sequestration (CCS)
February 26, 2018 Read Full Article
The Wisdom of Thumper
by Ron Lamberty (Ethanol Producer Magazine/American Coalition for Ethanol) ACE's Ron Lamberty reviews a letter the Petroleum Marketers of America recently sent to the Federal Trade Commission. ... It’s reasonable to want to tear the letter apart and point out the pieces of
February 19, 2018 Read Full Article
API Urges EPA Not to Exempt Small Refiners from US Biofuel Mandate
by Meghan Gordon (Platts) The American Petroleum Institute has come out against a campaign by small refineries to avoid their obligations under the US biofuel mandate, according to a letter released Tuesday. More than two dozen refineries with throughput of less than
February 15, 2018 Read Full Article
Exclusive: U.S. Small Refiners Make Surge of Biofuel Waiver Requests - Sources
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) More than two dozen small U.S. refineries are seeking waivers from the nation’s biofuels law, an unusually high number that reflects growing oil industry resistance to the program, according to sources familiar with the matter. Prices of the
January 25, 2018 Read Full Article
Big Oil, Biodiesel Join Forces to Combat Electrification
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Even though the petroleum and biodiesel industries rarely see eye to eye on U.S. energy policy, the two factions find common ground in a new threat to all liquid fuels—electric vehicles. The opening general session of
January 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Bill de Blasio: This Is Why New York Is Suing and Divesting from Big Oil
by Bill de Blasio (New York City Mayor/Washington Post) ... America’s largest city, 8.5 million strong, is taking decisive action on two separate fronts. We are demanding compensation from those who profit from climate change. And we plan to withdraw our
January 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Rick Santorum: Refiners Attack President Trump at Their Peril
by Rick Santorum (Washington Examiner/Americans for Energy Security and Innovation) ... But some petroleum companies seem to be taking their influence for granted, and that could prove their undoing with a White House that is known for drawing a clear line
January 03, 2018 Read Full Article
A New Years Resolution for EPA: Do Your Job!
by Doug Sombke (South Dakota Farmers Union/Biofuels Digest) ... I am referring to the mandatory requirements in the Clean Air Act that EPA enforce section 202 (l), the “clean octane” provision designed to reduce the use of toxic aromatic compounds in gasoline.
January 03, 2018 Read Full Article
White House Pressures Big Corn to Meet on U.S. Biofuels Policy
by Richard Valdmanis and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) President Donald Trump’s administration called two lawmakers from the U.S. corn belt to convince them to join talks about potential changes to biofuels policy to ease the burden on oil refineries, according to a spokesman for