by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine)  On June 13, the Senate ag committee approved the its version of the 2018 Farm Bill with bipartisan support. The legislation includes an amendment offered by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., that …

by Jesse Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  On Friday, June 8, the Senate Agriculture Committee released the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018. In contrast to the GOP-only bill that has advanced in the House, the bipartisan Senate …

(Office of Senator Tina Smith (D-MN))  Senator Leads Bipartisan Push for Strong Funding and Focus on Energy As Senate Begins Work on Farm Bill in Coming Days  —  As the Senate prepares to begin work on the …

(CNBC/Reuters) The U.S. House of Representatives will vote for a second time on a massive farm bill after the measure was defeated last week, according to a report. The vote on the $867 billion bill …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Breaking news arrives from the Ag Energy Coalition regarding the 2018 Farm Bill. Green Capiltol’s Lloyd Ritter writes: 

Rep. Biggs farm bill amendment was made in order by the Rules Committee …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  …  In a statement, House Ranking Member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., criticized the legislation, calling it “a flawed bill that is the result of a bad nontransparent process.” Cuts to …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  On April 12, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, released a draft of the 2018 Farm Bill, officially titled the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018. The legislation …

by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  Since their inception in the 2002 Farm Bill, Energy Title (Title IX) programs have helped farmers, ranchers, small businesses, and rural communities generate thousands of jobs and millions in economic …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) “The bioeconomy is a catalyst for economic development in rural America, creating new jobs and providing new markets for farmers and ranchers. Investing in the businesses and technologies that support the …

by Keith Loria  (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The 2014 Farm Bill—otherwise known as the Agricultural Act of 2014—places a larger emphasis on energy than past farm bills have. It includes the most recent version of the …

by Sara Taginawa (Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  On Tuesday, July 25, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing examining the future of biofuels and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). According to …

by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  On June 29, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee approved a spending bill for FY2018 providing $144.0 billion to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), $876 million lower …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, the draft House Appropriations Committee’s FY2018 Agriculture Appropriations bill was released, and cut the Rural Energy for America Program from $50 million to $9 million, cut the Section 9003 …

by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  The Farm Bill’s Energy Title provides loans and grants to farmers, ranchers and small businesses to encourage investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and the production of …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Outgoing Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack put it best: “The bioeconomy is a catalyst for economic development in rural America, creating new jobs and providing new markets for farmers and ranchers. …

(U.S. Department of Agriculture) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini today announced that $1.5 million will be available in fiscal year 2017 for farmers and foresters who harvest and deliver …

(U.S. Department of Agriculture)  … The Obama Administration has pursued a carefully balanced approach, deploying technologies that improve the very best of our existing energy sources, while rigorously implementing policies that invest in the second and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  “What color is your parachute?” went the title of a best-selling book from the 80s on job hunting. The concept applies equally to biomass feedstock in the 2010s. There’s one …

(U.S. Department of Agriculture)  U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini today announced that incentives resume this month for farmers and foresters who grow and harvest biomass for renewable energy …

by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Innovation Organization/Biofuels Digest)  … Congress changed mandatory funding for two key bioenergy programs – despite their tangible successes – through its Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) Omnibus spending bill. USDA’s Section 9003 Loan …

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, the USDA has highlighted the economic impacts on rural communities bioenergy investments have made in a new report looking at the $1.1 billion granted for renewable energy through …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Jeffrey Jacobs, who served as Vice President of Chevron Technology Ventures until his recent retirement from Chevron, was appointed CEO of Ensyn Corporation and elected to its Board of Directors. …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  … Several of the achievements listed by the USDA benefited the bioenergy and biofuels sectors. Under the category of climate change achievements, the department highlighted its work with the U.S. …

(Genscape)  Now in the hands of president Obama for final sign off, the budget deal that could end the 1975 oil export ban, could also extend investment and Production Tax Credits (ITC and PTC) that …

Two offerings: Noon to 1:00 pm Eastern AND  7:00 pm to 8:00 pm Eastern
The USDA Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) was reauthorized for new enrollment targets to establish shrub willow, giant miscanthus, and switchgrass for …

(US Department of Agriculture)  U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini announced that enrollment begins today for farmers and forest landowners seeking financial assistance for growing new sources of biomass …

(Agriculture Energy Coalition/BusinessWire) The House Appropriations Committee’s Fiscal Year 2016 Agriculture Appropriations Bill would reduce mandatory spending levels for important Energy Title programs, including the Renewable Energy for America Program, Biomass Crop Assistance Program, and the …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The USDA has announced its intent to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) to assess the potential environmental consequences associated with proposed discretionary changes to the Biomass Crop …

(US Department of Agriculture)  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that incentives will resume this summer for farmers, ranchers and forest landowners interested in growing and harvesting biomass for renewable energy. The support …

by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine)  The USDA has released the final rule for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program, and though the general scope of BCAP is not changing with the recently published rule, there are …

(FarmEnergy.org)  The big news from our nation’s capital this past week has been the passage of the appropriations bill for fiscal year 2015, which began on October 1st. The federal government had been operating on …

By Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Well, plenty. We reported on progress with Section 9003 loan guarantees earlier this week – today, we have a recap of the major other activities, including the Biodiesel Fuel Education …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Now Apply for Renewed Biomass Crop Assistance Program.  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today (June 9, 2014) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin accepting applications June 16 from …

By Danilo Gusmão de Quadros* (Advanced Biofuels USA)  Imagine a world without non-renewable energy sources, where we just use sun, wind, and biomass to generate our electricity for industries and homes, and fuel for transportation. …

by Chris Kick (Farm and Dairy)  …At 10 feet tall and higher, (Jon) Griswold’s “giant miscanthus” surpasses even the tallest of corn hybrids and the tallest of farmers. And its dense, wide-reaching foliage makes for a …

by Lloyd Ritter and Ryan Stroschein  (Agriculture Energy Coalition/Biofuels Digest)  Now that both the U.S. House and Senate are moving toward a conference on the Farm Bill, it’s time to emphasize to both chambers the need …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, BIO begins the week with applause for Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and other members of the Senate Agriculture Committee for including mandatory funding for …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  Legislation to reauthorize the Farm Bill energy title was introduced in the Senate Monday. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Al Franken (D-MN) introduced the Rural Energy Investment Act to “help farmers, ranchers, and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Is there bio-based relief for the harried taxpayer in sight?   Could conservationists, growers and biofuels producers find common ground in adapting the Conservation Reserve Program for bioenergy?   Could the US …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  The Agriculture Energy Coalition (AgEC) today urged Congress to begin work on a new five-year Farm Bill with strong mandatory funding for energy programs.
The coalition notes that programs included in the …

by Luke Geiver (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The Biomass Crop Assistance Program may have been extended through 2013 with the passing of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, but the program’s usefulness in the coming …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  …The bad news is, all mandatory funding for energy title programs were stripped from the farm bill at the last moment. “The programs have lived, but they don’t have …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Florida, BP announced it is canceling plans to build a 36 million gallon commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Highlands County. The company said that it would refocus its US …

by  Kristofor Husted (KBIA)  In the parched, rolling hills of western Missouri, you might expect to see a desolate scene after this summer’s drought. But in this field, hip-high native grass sways across the landscape like …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Despite low levels of publicity, North Dakota and Montana are making great strides in bioeconomy development – with a combination of strong R&D, feedstock abundance and some hot processing technologies.
…The …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In North Carolina, Chemtex announced that it has received a $99 million conditional loan guarantee from USDA, under the USDA’s 9003 Biorefinery Assistance Program for the engineering and construction of …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …Like many states (or countries) that have limited oil reserves or reserves that are economically unfeasible to extract at this time – the path to energy independence lies generally in …

Jannette Pippin (JDNews)  Eastern North Carolina farmers have an opportunity to get involved in growing renewable energy crops for fuel and power through a program that will help pay planting and other start-up costs.
USDA Farm …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  As bio-based companies race across the Valley of Death, in the dash for scale, who’s getting financing now, and how?
The path to financing success in bio-based project development used to …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The nearly $10 million awarded by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency to three energy crop project areas on June 13 will be the only funding distributed through the Biomass …

(Observer-Dispatch)  The U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest $4.3 million to ReEnergy and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry to encourage growth of shrub willow as a renewable energy fuel, according to a news …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Section 9011 of the Farm Bill – the Biomass Crop Assistance Program – USDA deploys $9.6M in new investments in bioenergy crops as questions revolve around the program’s future and …

(Chemtex International/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Chemtex International announced today (June 13, 2012) that it has been selected by the USDA to participate in the Biomass Crop Assistance Program. The $3,996,000 award will support establishing and growing over 4,000 acres …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  A coalition of trade groups and organizations representing renewable energy, energy efficiency, farm and environmental interests is disappointed in a 2012 Farm Bill draft out of the Senate Agriculture Committee that …

by Anna Austin  (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine)  The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has released its 2012 Farm Bill platform, which provides suggestions to improve some federal bioenergy programs. These include the Repowering Assistance Program …

by Josh Rathod (Advanced Biofuels USA) With a refreshing sense of focus, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, opened the hearing on Energy and Economic Growth for Rural America …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA has approved a conditional commitment in the amount of $232.5 million to ZeaChem Boardman Biorefinery, LLC (ZBB) through the Biorefinery Assistance Program. ZBB …

by Jacob Barker (Columbia Tribune)  Despite large cuts to the federal program supporting it and concerns from some groups about environmental impacts, a project to begin growing a giant perennial grass to serve as a …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  It’s only been a few months since Abengoa Bioenergy broke ground on its 23 MMgy multifeedstock cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton, Kan., but so far, construction of its first …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN) and Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R, IN-3rd) have introduced a farm bill that they say would save $40 billion and includes provisions that support the development of advanced biofuels.
“We …

(PR NewsWire/SarTec) SarTec Corporation announced today it has received a $500,000 Department of Energy grant (Award # DE-EE0003127) as part of a larger project to develop and enhance the use of inedible energy crops for the production of advanced …

(Southeast Agriculture and Forestry Energy Resources Alliance)  As you know, Congress is in the midst of negotiations regarding FY2012 appropriations for the Farm Bill. Of particular interest to SAFER is the proposed cuts to the …

(The Record)  Farm officials, hoping to get California farmers to plant as much as 25,000 acres of camelina, an oilseed, for a biomass start-up project are offering incentives to growers in San Joaquin County and …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  With help from the USDA Biomass Crop Assistance Program, Abengoa is on its way to establishing a significantly sized switchgrass plantation in parts of Kansas and Oklahoma surrounding the …

(AirportBusiness.com) Today (August 9, 2011)  U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) toured the cutting-edge laboratories at Targeted Growth in Seattle and announced the launch of Washington state’s first large-scale program for the growth of camelina sativa, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today the creation of four additional Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) project areas in six states to expand the availability of non-food crops to be …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Projects Further Obama Administration’s Effort to Produce Clean Home-Grown Energy, Create Sustainable Rural Jobs
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today the establishment of four additional Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) project areas …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, on a cloture vote in the Senate to proceed to an amendment that would end the current ethanol tax incentive immediately, Senator Coburn’s amendment lost 40-59, falling 20 votes …

by Philip Brasher (Des Moines Register)  Even as President Barack Obama renewed his push for next-generation biofuels, an industry official warned that cuts in biomass subsidies could discourage farmers from providing corn residue and other …

(POET)  First farmers completed BCAP applications Monday
Farmers are now delivering biomass bales to POET’s 22-acre storage site in Emmetsburg, Iowa, the future home of the 25 million-gallon-per-year cellulosic ethanol plant dubbed “Project LIBERTY.”
Area farmers harvested 56,000 …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Washington, the US House of Representatives voted by a 277 to 148 margin to approve the Obama tax deal, which extends the ethanol tax credit through 2011, and retroactively extends the biodiesel …