(Pollution Online/PR Newswire) BC Designates Trestle Energy as Lowest Emissions Ethanol Producer in U.S. Today, Trestle Energy – an American startup with facilities in Mason City, Iowa – announced that British Columbia, Canada has officially approved its groundbreaking process for producing advanced biofuel, clearing the way
California Air Resources Board (CARB)
Back TO HOMECalifornia Soliciting Comments on LCFS Rule Overhaul
by Isabel Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, the Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS) is being overhauled, and the California Air Resources Board (ARB) is requesting input during the rulemaking comment period by November 17th. Two of the issues most important
November 10, 2014 Read Full Article
California Air Resources Board (ARB) Overhauls Low Carbon Fuel Standard
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) is in the midst of an overhaul of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). Two of the issues most important to the low carbon fuels industry are the carbon intensity curve and cost containment
November 05, 2014 Read Full Article
RFA Hammers CARB on ILUC Analysis
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Renewable Fuels Association’s (RFA) President and CEO Bob Dinneen has submitted a letter to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) where he expresses concern over their analysis of indirect land use (ILUC). He writes, “serious
October 17, 2014 Read Full Article
Bioethanol Plant Fuelling CHP Facility
By David Appleyard (Co-Generation and On-Site Power Production) A new bioethanol production plant that has been commissioned in Brazil is helping to fuel an adjacent cogeneration facility that supplies process steam, as well as electricity to the grid. Granbio has
October 10, 2014 Read Full Article
Capturing the California 'Golden Gallon'
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Biodiesel produced from corn distillers oil (CDO) is assigned an extremely low carbon intensity (CI) score under the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard, making it a tremendously attractive compliance option for regulated
October 01, 2014 Read Full Article
GranBio Starts Cellulosic Ethanol Production at 21 Million Gallon Plant in Alagoas, Brazil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) World’s largest-known cellulosic ethanol project to date comes online in Brazil in record time. In Brazil, GranBio has initiated production at the first commercial-scale plant for second-generation ethanol in the Southern Hemisphere. The Bioflex 1, unit
September 25, 2014 Read Full Article
Producers Share Revolutionary Efforts at Corn Ethanol Plants
by Katie Fletcher (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Many ethanol advocates attending and speaking at the 2014 American Coalition for Ethanol conference are not strangers to the ethanol industry. Even though they have been with the industry for a while, many reject
August 07, 2014 Read Full Article
LCFS Developments: Proposal to Simplify Application Process
by John Sens (EcoEngineers/Biodiesel Magazine) On May 31, the California Air Resources Board held a workshop outlining some of its proposed changes to the low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) program. Among the changes proposed were those related to the new
July 02, 2014 Read Full Article
California Low-Carbon Rule Survives Big Legal Challenge
By Dale Kasler (Sacramento Bee) California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, one of the centerpieces of the state’s fight against global warming, survived a significant legal challenge Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a lawsuit brought by oil-industry and out-of-state farm
July 01, 2014 Read Full Article
CARB’s ILUC Analysis Out of Date, Out of Step with Current Independent ILUC Studies
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has submitted comments to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) pertinent to CARB’s draft indirect land use change (ILUC) analysis. Geoff Cooper, RFA’s senior vice president, notes in his submission that RFA is greatly concerned
April 14, 2014 Read Full Article
EPA Seeks Small Entity Participation on Upcoming Medium- and Heavy-Duty Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards
(US Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting small businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations to participate as Small Entity Representatives (SERs) for a Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel. This panel will focus on the agency’s
April 02, 2014 Read Full Article
Scientists Urge CARB to Revisit LCFS Land Use Change Penalties
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) According to the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) and other media organizations, 14 scientists and researchers submitted a letter to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on March 6 urging the agency to meaningfully reduce its
March 11, 2014 Read Full Article
California to Consider Updating ILUC for Biofuels
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The California Air Resources Board (ARB) is holding two public workshops regarding the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) this week – one to discuss general updates to the LCFS regulation, and the second to discuss updates to the
March 11, 2014 Read Full Article
California Air Resources Board to Hold Hearing on Biodiesel March 20
(California Air Resources Board) ARB's diesel fuel regulations are geared toward controlling criteria pollutant emissions from hydrocarbon-based fuels and are not intended to provide a market pathway for alternative diesel fuels (ADF), such as biodiesel. With the advent of the policies
March 08, 2014 Read Full Article
California to Expand Low Carbon Fuel Standard to 2030 with More Stringent Targets
by Herman Wang (Platts) California plans to expand its first-in-the-nation Low Carbon Fuel Standard with more aggressive emissions-reduction rules through 2030, even as the current program faces a possible US Supreme Court challenge. ... In the scoping plan, which outlines how CARB
February 13, 2014 Read Full Article
Iogen Announces New Drop-In Cellulosic Biofuel
(Iogen) Iogen Corporation today announced it has developed and patented a new method to make drop-in cellulosic biofuels from biogas using existing refinery assets and production operations. The company estimates there is refining capacity in place to incorporate 5-6 billion gallons per year
February 12, 2014 Read Full Article
ARB Delays New Biodiesel Rules To Address South Coast NOx Concerns
(Inside EPA) State air board officials this week postponed until March the possible adoption of new rules for biodiesel and other "alternative diesel" fuel blends, in order to consider last-minute concerns raised by South Coast air district officials that the
December 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Big Changes in California LCFS Are Called for in a New Report
by John Kingston (Platts) The University of California-Davis has a new study out about California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. Once you get past the standard dry academic writing, much of it is fairly startling. We care about the source of the report
November 20, 2013 Read Full Article
Ninth Circuit Upholds California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Dana Hull (San Jose Mercury News) In a victory for environmentalists, clean energy advocates and state regulators, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld California's clean-fuel standards in a 2-1 decision Wednesday. The fuel standard is a cornerstone of
September 19, 2013 Read Full Article
California, Federal Methods to Push Renewable-Fuel Use Stir Conflict
by Evan Halper (Los Angeles Times) It's even possible that conflicting state and federal policies on renewable fuels, both aimed at reducing global warming, could actually make things worse, some scientists say. California and the federal government want drivers to use
August 29, 2013 Read Full Article
Court Rules to Uphold California LCFS, but Requires Corrective Action
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On July 15, California’s Fifth District Court of Appeal issued its opinion in the lawsuit filed by Poet LLC against the California Air Resources Board. The lawsuit, originally filed in November 2011, challenged the
July 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Chevron VP: Forget Cellulosic Biofuel, Build Better Cars
by David R. Baker (San Francisco Chronicle) The oil industry is mounting a concerted push to roll back biofuel mandates, both in Washington and Sacramento. At the federal level, oil lobbyists have joined with environmentalists and ranchers — a Coalition of the Unlikely — to
February 08, 2013 Read Full Article
RFA Urges CARB to Revise Carbon Intensity Values under the LCFS
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Renewable Fuels Association is urging the California Air Resources Board to revise indirect land use change (ILUC) penalties assigned to certain biofuels under the state’s low carbon fuel standard (LCFS). In a letter RFA President
January 24, 2013 Read Full Article
Slow Rollout of E15 in California Means Higher Prices at Pump
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Approval of E15 in California is moving slowly and, ultimately, the losers are consumers, who will pay more for gasoline, said Andy Foster, spokesperson for Aemetis Inc., a biofuel producer that’s a member of
November 16, 2012 Read Full Article
California, No Longer the State Where the Future Happens First
by James L. Stewart (Biofuels Digest/BioEnergy Producers Association) For the past decade, repressive provisions in statute have discouraged developers of conversion technologies from operating in California. Among its statutory roadblocks, the state has a scientifically inaccurate definition of gasification, which, if
October 31, 2012 Read Full Article
Diesel Technology Forum Statement on the UC-Berkeley Study on Secondary Organic Aerosols
(Diesel Technology Forum) The Diesel Technology Forum issued the following statement today regarding the study published this week by the University of California-Berkeley comparing diesel and gasoline emissions. Allen Schaeffer, the Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum, issued this statement: “There
October 25, 2012 Read Full Article
California Defends Greenhouse Gas Regulation for Fuels
by Rory Carroll (Reuters) California attorneys advocating for a program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fuels came under stern questioning from a three-judge panel on Tuesday (October f16, 2012), in a case that threatens a key component of the
October 24, 2012 Read Full Article
$1-2/gal Price Hikes, Refinery Closures Seen Under California LCFS
(Opisnet.com) While already suffering through the highest pump prices in the continental U.S., Californians could face even higher gasoline and diesel costs when new low carbon fuel regulations gain traction Jan. 1, warn fuel experts. Price hikes of as much
October 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Fueling California Releases First of its Kind Comprehensive Issue Brief on California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS)
(Fueling California) Issue brief reviews and highlights, the best and most current research and analysis on all viewpoints of the LCFS Fueling California released “A Comprehensive Analysis of Current Research and Outlook for the Future,” a first of its kind comprehensive
September 13, 2012 Read Full Article
UC Riverside Developing Biofuel Formulations for California
by Sean Nealon (UCR Today) Research supports several California measures that aim to increase the use of renewable fuels and reduce greenhouse gases Researchers at the University of California, Riverside’s College of Engineering – Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) are
August 30, 2012 Read Full Article
When, Where and How Wood Is Used Impact Carbon Emissions from Deforestation
(Environmental Research Web) A new study from the University of California, Davis, provides a deeper understanding of the complex global impacts of deforestation on greenhouse gas emissions. The study, published May 13 in the advance online edition of the journal Nature
May 29, 2012 Read Full Article
California Wins Temporary Reinstatement of Carbon Fuel Standard
By Karen Gullo and Lynn Doan (Bloomberg) California won temporary reinstatement of its low-carbon fuel standard, which was blocked last year by a federal judge. The U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco yesterday granted a request by California officials to put on hold the Dec.
April 24, 2012 Read Full Article
California to Appeal Ruling against Fuel Standard
(Equipment World) States considering a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) will be watching the federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to see if it will overturn a lower court’s decision that California’s LCFS is unconstitutional. The appellate court has set an April 16
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Judge Denies Petition to Implement California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill denied the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) motion to stay the decision he issued on December 29, 2011 that had halted the enforcement of the California’s Low Carbon Fuel
January 24, 2012 Read Full Article
The ILUC Debate, Four Years Later
by Bob Dineen (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...The scientific community has better data, improved modeling tools, and a better appreciation of the uncertainty and complexity involved in ILUC analysis. But, above all, they have the benefit of some
January 12, 2012 Read Full Article
Cool Planet BioFuels Announces Road Testing of Negative Carbon Gasoline Begins in California
(Cool Planet BioFuels/MarketWatch) Cool Planet BioFuels announced today it has received approval from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to begin fleet-testing its negative carbon gasoline. Cool Planet BioFuel's technology converts low-grade biomass -- such as grass and woodchips --
January 12, 2012 Read Full Article
US Federal Court Issues Injunction against California Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Jim Lane and Todd Guerrero (Biofuels Digest/Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.) Us federal judge rules that California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard interferes with the “maintenance of a national economic union unfettered by state-imposed limitations on interstate commerce.” Today, we look
December 30, 2011 Read Full Article
CARB Releases 2011 LCFS Review Report
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The California Air Resources Board has completed the first required formal review of the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, a regulatory program that requires stakeholders to reduce the carbon intensity (CI) of fuels sold
December 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Doing the Ethanol Shuffle
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) There’s a hot new craze called the “Ethanol Shuffle” that’s sweeping seaports from Sao Paulo to Los Angeles. No, it’s not a new dance, this shuffle is all about the “confounded realignment of the
December 14, 2011 Read Full Article
For Obama’s Green-Car Revolution, Fits and Starts
by Carol D. Leonnig and Joe Stephens (The WashingtonPost) The Obama administration has poured roughly $5 billion in taxpayer funds into the electric-car industry, offering incentives to manufacturers, their suppliers and even car buyers who might want to go green. But analysts say
December 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Fulcrum Bioenergy’s $115M IPO: The 10-Minute Version
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The first zero-cost feedstock biofuels company comes to the public markets with its IPO. ...Fulcrum becomes the 12th company to file for an IPO in the industrial biotech boom, which began with a successful listing on
September 26, 2011 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Sets Sail
by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine) A high percentage of biodiesel is used by consumers on land, and marine operators are trying to match that same level of usage by sea ...Perhaps no one understands the trials and tribulations of biodiesel better
August 23, 2011 Read Full Article
California Studies Present Conflicting Views on Ethanol
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Two recently released studies examining California’s future energy needs address biofuels’ role in contributing to the state’s fuel mix. Both reports are aimed at evaluating methods to reduce the state’s overall emissions, but reach
June 02, 2011 Read Full Article
CARB Tackling Crude Oil’s Carbon Intensity in LCFS
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) ...(S)till under fire is CARB’s final ruling on the carbon intensity levels given for ethanol and biodiesel. When CARB determined the original levels of corn ethanol, it essentially barred the fuel from qualifying as a low
February 23, 2011 Read Full Article
2 Studies Target Sticking Points, Gaps in Life-Cycle Calculations of Biofuels
by Jenny Mandel (New York Times/Greenwire) Conducting in-depth life-cycle assessments of the environmental impacts of biofuels is complicated, and new research suggests some questions in comparing biofuels to alternatives like petroleum-based fuels will never be answered. Furthermore, one study argues, consumer
February 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Gets Seat on California LCFS Panel
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Vice President of Research and Analysis Geoff Cooper has been selected to represent the ethanol industry on the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS) Advisory Panel. Panel
February 18, 2011 Read Full Article
CARB to Review Ethanol Carbon Intensity Amendments
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The California Air Resources Board will hold a public hearing Feb. 24 to consider 25 amendments proposed by various ethanol producers, representing 1.6 billion gallons of annual domestic production, to reduce the carbon intensity
January 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Popping the Hood on California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard: A Digest Special Series
by Brooke Coleman (NewFuelsAlliance/Biofuels Digest) ...(W)hat’s good and what needs to be fixed in the LCFS? Where should the biofuels industry be happy, be hopeful, or be hopping mad? Brooke Coleman of the New Fuels Alliance – who knows this better
January 06, 2011 Read Full Article
California Regulator's Move Helps Corn-Based Ethanol Demand: RFA
(Platts) A decision this week by California regulators to lower corn-based ethanol's so-called indirect land use penalty is good for that product's demand, but timing of the change is not, the Renewable Fuels Association said Friday. California is in the midst
November 22, 2010 Read Full Article
California Unveils Greenhouse Gas Trading Plan
by Peter Henderson (Reuters) California unveiled on Friday its final blueprint of a market system to curb greenhouse gases, relaxing expected rules in the face of a weak economy in a measure that could set the tone for the nation's climate
November 03, 2010 Read Full Article
EPA and NHTSA Announce a First Step in the Process for Setting Future Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Economy Standards for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks
(US Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), are announcing the next step toward reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fuel
October 08, 2010 Read Full Article
Calif. Officials Write Law By Overestimating Pollution 340%
(Jalopnik) The California Air Resources Board put tough restrictions on off-road trucks three years ago based on estimating such machines burned 1 million gallons of diesel a year. Its estimates were off 340%, and now CARB has to weaken its rules. Turns
October 08, 2010 Read Full Article
Cheers to Biomass in Boston; CARB States Petroleum Has No Indirect Effects
by Anna Austin and Lisa Gibson (Biomass Magazine) ...Director of the Northeast Regional New Fuels Alliance Andrew Schuyler, who followed Cleaves, explained some policies the organization has been working on, primarily the development of a Low Carbon Fuel Standard similar
September 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Opinion: Making Sure We Get It Right on Biofuels
By Patricia Monahan (Capitol Weekly) This year we’ve had no shortage of examples of why we need to move away from fossil fuels, from the oil disaster in the Gulf and continued dependence on Middle Eastern oil to the record-hot temperatures
September 02, 2010 Read Full Article
Air Resources Board Is Clinging to Old Science
by Joe Irvin (Capitol Weekly) This week, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) convened a group of experts to discuss issues related to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) that was approved last year. The Expert Working Group has been
August 19, 2010 Read Full Article
CARB 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
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
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
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