by Siobhan Hall (S&P Global Platts) Spring meeting in Brussels ahead of COP25 in Chile; Wants rules that ensure real emission reductions; EU to meet its 2030 CO2 cut target with own rules -- The European Commission wants to help broker an accord on
carbon credit
Back TO HOMESome of the Biggest Green Groups Have Cold Feet over the “Green New Deal”
by Emily Atkin (The New Republic) More than 600 organizations signed a letter supporting the ambitious proposal, but eight of the largest ones did not. -- ... Sent by 626 environmental groups on Thursday, the letter calls on lawmakers to support the idea, popularized by freshman
January 16, 2019 Read Full Article
A Carbon Price Can Benefit the Poor While Reducing Emissions
by Helen Mountford and Molly McGregor (World Resources Institute) ... Recent research from the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate finds that bold climate action could deliver at least $26 trillion in economic benefits through 2030. ... On the other side of the
December 27, 2018 Read Full Article
RNG Poised for Midwestern Growth
by Sam Spofforth (Clean Fuels Ohio/ACT News) The natural gas vehicle (NGV) industry and seasoned fleet users are quite familiar with the growth of renewable natural gas (RNG) in the transportation sector. This growth has been driven by a combination of
December 21, 2018 Read Full Article
Carbon Markets, NGOs and IATA Urge Countries at COP24 Climate Talks to Adopt Robust Rules on Double Counting
(GreenAir Online) Carbon market representatives, IATA and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have urged countries currently meeting at the UNFCCC’s COP24 in Poland to adopt strong rules to avoid double counting on emissions reductions under the Paris Agreement and ICAO’s CORSIA carbon
December 15, 2018 Read Full Article
California Drivers Pay Growing Cost for Climate Program
by David R. Baker (San Francisco Chronicle) A California program to fight climate change may now add more to the cost of gasoline than the state gas-tax increase that many voters want to repeal. The Low Carbon Fuel Standard, designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions
August 10, 2018 Read Full Article
On the Rise: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Biogas, Its Markets and Production and Treatment Technologies
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What’s up with biogas? The U.S. market has lagged in the development of biogas facilities because of the low cost of electricity, natural gas and vehicle fuels derived from petroleum. The passing of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS)
August 09, 2018 Read Full Article
Expert Opinion on... CORSIA: The Potential Impact on the SAF Market
by Karlijn Arts (SkyNGR Market Update) Recently new decisions were made in the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Karlijn Arts, who started at SkyNRG as Policy & Sustainability Manager last
August 08, 2018 Read Full Article
EU Pushes Back against Weakening of Aviation Emissions Deal
by Julia Fioretti (Reuters) European countries are pushing back against any weakening of the rules underpinning a landmark global agreement to cap airline emissions at 2020 levels, especially those related to the types of aviation biofuels that can be used. France, Norway, Finland,
June 07, 2018 Read Full Article
California May Tweak Climate Program That’s Pushing up Gas Prices
by David R. Baker (Seattle Times) ... Last week, the California Air Resources Board issued proposed changes that would delay some of the program’s targets, giving fuel providers more time to reach them. Instead of needing to cut the carbon intensity of
March 12, 2018 Read Full Article
California Cars Are Running on Restaurant Grease
by Robert Tuttle (Bloomberg Technology) Renewable diesel use surges amid low-carbon fuel program; Second-biggest source of low-carbon fuel credits after ethanol -- California’s battle against climate change is being fought more fiercely in fast food restaurants than in Tesla Inc.’s car factory in Fremont. Seven
October 25, 2017 Read Full Article
California LCFS Guides Advanced Biofuels Industry
by Heather Zhang (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Carbon credit prices recover and multiple new pathways are certified as the state’s program gets back on track. -- California’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions from the transport sector are racing to make progress
June 27, 2017 Read Full Article
Updating and Improving the Social Cost of Carbon
(Resources for the Future) The social cost of carbon is an economic tool used to quantify the societal benefits of reducing —or conversely the damages of emitting—one ton of carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. The estimate informs billions of dollars
June 09, 2017 Read Full Article
Canada Ready to Impose Pollution Caps, Fuel Tax on Provinces
By David Ljunggren (Reuters) Canada said on Thursday it planned to impose a cap on pollution in provinces that refuse to adopt a national price on carbon, setting up a potential fight with the country's powerful energy-rich west. Last December the
May 19, 2017 Read Full Article
Ethanol and Biodiesel: Dropping Below the Production Cost of Fossil Fuels?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... As you can see from the hard data, the production cost for ethanol today is $1.22 per gallon, which translates to $51.24 per barrel. Now, on an energy basis — given that ethanol has 67%
May 19, 2017 Read Full Article
Great Leaf Forward: The Top 10 Trends Driving the Canadian Advanced Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Although the bigger players — China, the US, Brazil and the EU take most of the headlines in the advanced bioeconomy, Canada is definitely “boxing above its weight class” these days, as the saying goes. In
May 02, 2017 Read Full Article
Derisking: A Strategy for Growing the Biobased Economy
by Neil A. Belson (LeafPro Bioproducts/Biofuels Digest) ... Despite its potential benefits and some very real achievements, the biobased economy has overall progressed more slowly than many had hoped. There are several reasons for this slow progress. Technological challenges involved in
October 28, 2016 Read Full Article
U.N. Aviation Emissions Pact to Let States Opt out in First Phase: Sources
by Allison Lampert and Julia Fioretti (Reuters) A new global deal on curbing aviation emissions will likely give states the right to opt out of its initial voluntary phases, according to sources familiar with the matter, in a concession to
August 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Bind It or Blend It: Accelerating the Renewable Jet Fuel Market
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We would like you to consider the proposition that alcohol-to-jet fuels, known as ATJ to the 3-letter acronym enthusiasts, deserve two RINs. and two credits under the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard. For cellulosic jet fuels,
July 21, 2016 Read Full Article
California Ponders Changes to Fuel Rules as Tesla Cries Foul
by John Lippert (Bloomberg) ... The rapid growth of Tesla Motors Inc. and the increasing range of other electric vehicles have the state contemplating new requirements that anger both Tesla and competitors like Honda Motor Co. They say California is changing
July 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Psst! Heard on the Floor at the International Bioenergy Conference
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The eyes of the world might well be on tiny Prince George, British Columbia these days — because that is the proposed site of Canfor’s commercial-scale biofuels and chemicals project. The success of such a
June 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Point/Counterpoint: Is It Time for Greens To Reassess Their Opposition to Ethanol?
by Senator Timothy Wirth and C. Boyden Gray (Yale Environment 360) The criticism of ethanol by environmentalists is misguided and just plain wrong. In fact, thanks to improvements in farming techniques, increasing the amount of corn ethanol in U.S. gasoline
May 28, 2016 Read Full Article
Feature: Ethanol Producers Say California 'Carbon Intensity' Scores Still Too High
by Josh Pedrick (Platts) Most "legacy" ethanol producers who sell their product in California are unhappy with updated "carbon intensity" scores, saying the application process was inconsistent and left scores too high to meet the state's Low Carbon Fuel Standard. Legacy
May 16, 2016 Read Full Article
NGOs Clash over Eligibility of REDD+ Forestry Credits under ICAO's Proposed Aviation Carbon Offsetting Scheme
(GreenAir Online) ... UNFCCC launched in 2008 a programme called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD, later enhanced to REDD+) in developing countries through which a financial value could be created on the value for the carbon stored in
April 22, 2016 Read Full Article
A Model of State and Federal Biofuel Policy: Feasibility Assessment of the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Adam Christensen, Benjamin Hobbs (Science Direct/Applied Energy) Biofuel policy is under near constant review at both the federal and state level. For example, as part of on-going implementation of the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), the California Air
March 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Meeting the California Low Carbon Challenge
by Susanna Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Eighty-nine ethanol producers west of the Mississippi River prepare for the revised LCFS. ... After a couple of years in limbo due to challenges to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, the California carbon credit
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Top 10 Bioeconomy and Biofuels Predictions for 2016
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A mere “The Year in Rewind” as we reach the end of 2015? Not the good ship Digest! Instead, we dust off our crystal ball and peer into tomorrowland. As the sunset of 2015 gives way
January 04, 2016 Read Full Article
$1M USDA Grant Awarded to The Climate Trust to Build Conservation Investment Fund
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the Climate Trust received a $1 million Conservation Innovation Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to launch their inaugural investment fund; structured to provide carbon finance to biogas, forestry and
September 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Kyoto Protocol's Carbon Credit Scheme ‘Increased Emissions by 600m Tonnes’
by Arthur Neslen (The Guardian) Major UNFCCC carbon trading scheme hit by serious corruption allegations involving organised crime in Russia and Ukraine -- A key carbon offsetting scheme was so open to abuse that three quarters of its allowances lacked environmental
August 25, 2015 Read Full Article
Oil Industry Kills California Assembly Bill to Support Biofuel Expansion
by Peter Waldman (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) The oil industry did some intellectual gymnastics last week over California’s low-carbon fuel standard, a 2007 mandate that gasoline refiners reduce the carbon intensity of their transportation fuels 10 percent by 2020. After arguing for
June 12, 2014 Read Full Article
Carbon Market Lessons and Global Policy Outlook
by Richard G. Newell, William A. Pizer, Daniel Raimi (Science Magazine) Prices in the European Union's (EU) Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS) spent 2013 at historic lows. Elected officials have promised to repeal the Australian carbon market. Yet five new regional carbon
March 21, 2014 Read Full Article
Colonialism and the Green Economy: Villagers Defy Pressure to Forfeit Farms for Carbon-Offset
by Daniel C Marotta and Jennifer Coute-Marotta (Truthout) All names are fictitious as sources requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation. Anonymity and people's requests that no pictures be taken were prerequisites for attaining interviews. No one wanted to go
January 14, 2013 Read Full Article
Carbon Credits Gone Awry: Coolant Companies Raise Output of Harmful Gas
By Elisabeth Rosenthal and Andrew W. Lehren (The New York Times) ...But where the United Nations envisioned environmental reform, some manufacturers of gases used in air-conditioning and refrigeration saw a lucrative business opportunity. They quickly figured out that they could earn one carbon
August 09, 2012 Read Full Article
KLM Biofuel Flight to Rio Takes off as Innovative Programme Is Launched to Involve Global Corporations in Aviation Biofuels
(GreenAirOnline) As a KLM Boeing 777-200 was readied for yesterday’s longest-ever commercial biofuel flight from Amsterdam to Rio de Janeiro, KLM and aviation biofuel supplier SkyNRG announced a new programme that will involve global corporations in participating in the development
June 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Soil Erosion Increasing Global Warming Threat: UNEP
by Nina Chestney (Reuters) Global warming will get worse as agricultural methods accelerate the rate of soil erosion, which depletes the amount of carbon the soil is able to store, a United Nations' Environment Programme report said on Monday. Soil contains
February 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Carbon Dioxide Applications – A Key to Ethanol Project Developments
by Sam A. Rushing (Biofuels Digest) ...All ethanol ventures should take a fresh look at CO2 as a great opportunity for future revenue developments, probably as a primary reason, would be for CO2 recovery and marketing. The second reason, of
November 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Carbon Corner: A New Commodity Futures Contract with a Carbon Twist
by Dawson Williams (Carbon Advisory Services/Biofuels Digest) ...It may be not so long in coming considering the volumes of biotech crops and their lower energy footprints. Should there be a new commodity contract that captures the market value of these
March 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Bahamas Waste Biodiesel Hit by 'Poor' Oil Quality
by Alison Lowe (The Tribune) Bahamas Waste's biodiesel production has been delayed after the company discovered used cooking oil donated for conversion was "in far worse shape" than expected. Having expected the first batch of biodiesel to be produced at its $750,000
December 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Carbon Dioxide Recycling in the Biofuels Industry,” a Special Digest report
by Sam A. Rushing (Biofuels Digest) ...Since CO2 has been shown to be the globe’s worst offender as a greenhouse gas, the very use of this gas in a technology which would foster the production of viable basic chemicals, plastics,
September 14, 2010 Read Full Article
Carbon Mitigation, Carbon Market Opportunities for Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington at the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference, Rick Gilmore, President/CEO of The GIC Group discussed possible carbon mitigation strategies which the biofuel industry could pursue as U.S. regulations and mandates come online. Of key
May 03, 2010 Read Full Article
UN Seen Backing Biofuels in Carbon Mechanism
(Economic Times, Reuters) A United Nations panel has approved the inclusion of biofuels in a global scheme to reduce cargon emissions, a move that should boost investments in such projects, a Brazilian government official said on Friday. "The United Nations has