(AP) BP's catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is fueling opposition to the University of California, Berkeley's research partnership with the British company, with activists on the famously liberal campus demanding a severing of ties. The oil giant gave UC
California
Back TO HOMECARB Proposes LCFS Soil Sustainability Provisions
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel) The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is far from over on discrediting biofuels as part of their mandated policy known as the Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS). For the past year, the ethanol industry has been
July 30, 2010 Read Full Article
2010‐2011 Investment Plan for the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program
(California Energy Commission) The investment plan for the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (program) serves as the guidance document for the allocation of program funding and is prepared annually based on input and advice of the Assembly
July 06, 2010 Read Full Article
Climate Policies Drive California’s Economic Future
by Mary Nichols (California Air Resources Board, Sustainable Industries) When California Gov. Schwarzenegger cut the ribbon at the opening of the world’s first bio-butanol plant earlier this year, he credited California’s climate action law Assembly Bill 32. ... In the case of
June 03, 2010 Read Full Article
Project Jatropha
(Environmental Protection Agency) President's Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA) Winner: Adarsha Shivakumar, Apoorva Rangan, and Callie Roberts Pleasant Hill and Martinez, California - The Project Jatropha Team promotes the cultivation of Jatropha curcas, a perennial shrub with oil-rich seeds, as an ecologically
May 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Rep Appointed to California Panel
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) At least one ethanol industry representative has been appointed to an expert work group attempting to assess the true carbon footprint of all fuel sources under the California’s proposed Low Carbon Fuel Standard. POET Senior Vice President
February 23, 2010 Read Full Article
U.S. Foodservice-SF Moves to B5
(Biodiesel Magazine) U.S. Foodservice-San Francisco, the only green-certified broadline food distributor in California—one of only a handful across the country—is now running its entire delivery fleet on B5. All of the San Francisco division’s 136 tractors and 148 trailers began using
February 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Is Ethanol from Corn Bad for the Climate? The Obama Administration Says No, California Says Yes. Who Is Right?
by Douglas Fischer (Scientific American) The Obama administration last week gave the green light to corn ethanol as a low-carbon renewable fuel – in apparent contradiction to California's declaration last summer that the biofuel's carbon footprint was too big to
February 17, 2010 Read Full Article
Truckers, Oil Refiners Sue California to Overturn State's Low-Carbon Fuel Standard
(edmunds.com) Oil refiners and truckers have sued California to overturn the state's low-carbon fuel standard. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, alleges that the LCFS violates the Constitution's commerce clause, which reserves
February 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Propel Fuels of Sacramento Receives $20-million Investment
by Tiffany Hsu (Los Angeles Times) Propel Fuels received $20 million in funding, the renewable-fuels retailer said. Along with a $12-million investment from Craton Equity Partners, Nth Power and @Ventures, the company received $8 million in debt financing. The funds
February 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Southland Panel Rejects Funds for Ethanol Fueling Stations
by Catherine Saillant (Los Angeles Times) Members of the Southern California Assn. of Governments reject $11 million in federal stimulus money to set up 55 stations throughout the Southland. They say ethanol causes environmental problems. A regional panel Thursday turned
February 11, 2010 Read Full Article
California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard: Testing the Boundaries of Green Federalism
Mackinnon Lawrence (Biofuels Digest) California, a long-time pioneer in the area of environmental law and policy, is now the target of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of its recently adopted Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), given final approval by the
February 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Keyes Ethanol Plant to Reopen in Spring
by John Holland (Modesto Bee) ...The Keyes plant, the only ethanol operation in Stanislaus County, has dominated the landscape but produced little fuel since it was finished next to a feed mill on the west side of the highway. ...
January 28, 2010 Read Full Article
BIO Comments on Preliminary Draft Regulation for the California Cap-and-Trade Program
Comments by Brent Erickson, Executive Vice President, Industrial and Environmental Section of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) to the California Environmental Protection Agency and Air Resources Board (January 11, 2010): ... The essence of the cap-and-trade program is the establishment
January 18, 2010 Read Full Article
California Governor Launches Cobalt Technologies Low Carbon Fuel Plant
Cobalt Technologies, the leader in commercializing biobutanol as a renewable fuel and chemical, today formally launched its first facility. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Silicon Valley cleantech leaders were on hand, demonstrating the importance of clean technology to the state’s
January 12, 2010 Read Full Article
U.S. Development Group Begins Operations at Southern California Ethanol Handling and Distribution Terminal
U.S. Development Group LLC (USDG), an industry leader in ethanol handling and distribution terminals, announced today that its West Colton Rail Terminal has begun to receive and offload ethanol railcars. The terminal, located in Rialto, Calif., is served by the
January 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Ethanol Groups Sue California Over Low-Carbon Rule
by Stephen Power (Wall Street Journal) Two groups representing ethanol producers asked a federal court on Thursday to strike down a California rule that calls for a reduction in the carbon content of fuels sold in that state, saying the
December 29, 2009 Read Full Article
Synterra Fuels to Commercialize Next-Generation Biorefineries
(Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal) Pacific Renewable Fuels (Sacramento, California) and Red Lion Bio-Energy (Toledo, Ohio) have announced that they have formed Synterra Fuels, a joint venture, to focus on the commercialization and deployment of integrated biorefineries for the production
December 09, 2009 Read Full Article
City's Solid Waste Management Division Offers Oil and Grease Recycling Service for Santa Monica Restaurants
In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, combat climate change and curb the growing number of clogged sewers plaguing residents and businesses, the City of Santa Monica launched an innovative solution to collect fats, oil and grease (FOG) free
December 04, 2009 Read Full Article
Biofuels: Growing toward Sustainability
by Bryan M. Jenkins, Chris Somerville, James J. Stapleton (California Agriculture) Biofuels — fuels derived from plant materials and other kinds of biomass — have ridden a rollercoaster of public debate. When Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on U.S. energy supplies
December 03, 2009 Read Full Article
Can Feedstock Production for Biofuels Be Sustainable in California?
by Stephen R. Kaffka (California Agriculture) The use of crops and crop residues as feedstocks for biofuels increases domestic and global supplies, creates new industries, and may result in reduced greenhouse-gas emissions. Uncertainty about the best crop and residue sources,
December 03, 2009 Read Full Article
Model Estimates Food-Versus-Biofuel Trade-Off
by Deepak Rajagopal, Steven Sexton, Gal Hochman, David Roland-Holst, David Zilberman (California Agriculture) Biofuels have been criticized for raising food prices and reducing food production. While biofuels have rightly been blamed for contributing to reduced food security at a time
December 03, 2009 Read Full Article
Biofuel Policy Must Evaluate Environmental, Food Security and Energy Goals to Maximize Net Benefits
by Steven Sexton, Deepak Rajagopal, Gal Hochman, David Zilberman, David Roland-Holst (California Agriculture) The biofuel industry has received billions of dollars in support from governments around the world, as political leaders respond to new environmental and energy-security imperatives. However, a
December 03, 2009 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Biomass Could Help Meet California's Transportation Fuel Needs
by Charles E. Wyman, Bin Yang (California Agriculture) Cellulosic biomass, which includes agricultural and forestry residues and woody and herbaceous plants, is the only low-cost resource that can support the sustainable production of liquid fuels on a large enough scale
December 03, 2009 Read Full Article
Plant and Microbial Research Seeks Biofuel Production from Lignocellulose
by Laura E. Bartley, Pamela C. Ronald (California Agriculture) A key strategy for biofuel production is making use of the chemical energy stored in plant cell walls. Cell walls are a strong meshwork of sugar chains and other polymers that encircle
December 02, 2009 Read Full Article
Sustainable Use of California Biomass Resources Can Help Meet State and National Bioenergy Targets
by Bryan M. Jenkins, Robert B. Williams, Nathan Parker, Peter Tittmann, Quinn Hart, Martha C. Gildart, Steve Kaffka, Bruce R. Hartsough, Peter Dempster (California Agrigulture) Biomass constitutes a major renewable energy resource for California, with more than 30 million tons
December 02, 2009 Read Full Article
California Energy Commission Awards UCR $1M Grant for Synthetic Fuel Facility
The California Energy Commission has awarded a $1 million grant to UC Riverside’s College of Engineering-Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) to build a process demonstration unit (PDU) to convert biosolids to clean synthetic diesel fuel. The PDU will be
November 30, 2009 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Calls on ARB to Allow Public Comment on Undisclosed LCFS Documents
Growth Energy, the coalition of U.S. ethanol supporters, called on the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to allow the public to comment on documents pertaining to their low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) rulemaking that were not disclosed and should influence the
November 23, 2009 Read Full Article
Interest in Algae's Oil Prospects is Growing
by Tiffany Hsu (Los Angeles Times) Firms and scientists are racing to figure out how best to separate the oil produced in algae organisms for biofuel. The San Diego area has become a hotbed for these efforts that are drawing investors. To
September 17, 2009 Read Full Article
Embracing Pond Scum: Algae Farms Taking Root in High Desert
by Brooke Edwards and Natasha Lindstrom (Victor Valley Daily Press) That green, slimy scum that makes swimmers and pool owners cringe may soon grow the High Desert into a hotbed for algae-based biofuel production. The algae technology can be used to
August 17, 2009 Read Full Article
Solazyme Awarded California Energy Commission Grant to Develop Clean Fuel from Local Cellulosic Feedstocks
Solazyme, Inc., a renewable oil production company and algal biotechnology company, was awarded a $789,697 Biosynthetic Transportation Fuel Production grant from the California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program. ... The PIER Program Opportunity Notice (PON) announced that
August 11, 2009 Read Full Article
California's Largest Biodiesel Plant Opens
California's largest biodiesel plant is ready for business. State Sen. Dean Florez joined executives Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Crimson Renewable Energy's new Kern County plant off Interstate 5. The plant is designed to produce 30 million gallons of
July 31, 2009 Read Full Article
EPA Grants California Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards Waiver Request
EPA is granting California’s waiver request enabling the state to enforce its greenhouse gas emissions standards for new motor vehicles, beginning with the current model year. ... The first California waiver request was made in December 2005 and was subsequently
July 01, 2009 Read Full Article
Meeting Ethanol Mandates in California: A 5-Part Series
Spot.us, a new venture dedicated to crowdfunded reporting, was able to commission Wired.com staff writer Alexis Madrigal to move forward with his article on meeting ethanol mandates in California. Gas2.0 is proud to be the first media source to publish Alexis’