(Minnesota Department of Agriculture) Report aims to help Minnesota meet renewable energy goals -- The Governor’s Council on Biofuels has given Gov. Tim Walz its consensus report on the steps needed to grow Minnesota’s biofuels industry and get the state back
environmental justice/socially inclusive
Back TO HOMEThoughts on the Energy Leaders Webinar Series: Energy Justice
by Hannah DelSordo* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The Energy Leaders Webinar Series hosted a webinar entitled “Energy Justice” on October 28, 2020. The webinar featured guest speakers Dr. Michael K. Dorsey, the Co-founder & Treasurer of the Sunrise Movement and Co-founder
October 28, 2020 Read Full Article
Biden's Energy Future
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) Joe Biden put some space between his clean energy plan and that of the Green New Deal during last night's town hall, while also pitching renewables and carbon capture. ... Former Vice President Joe
October 16, 2020 Read Full Article
Community Voices at the Center of Environmental Justice Now Tour
by Joseph Glandorf (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) In a project called the “Environmental Justice Now Tour,” Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee are holding a series of discussions with community leaders and activists on environmental justice. The tour is
October 14, 2020 Read Full Article
New TRECH Project Research Update on Health Benefits of TCI Policy Scenarios
(Harvard Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment) Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States and in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions at about 28% and 30%, respectively (EPA 2020, TCI 2010).
October 07, 2020 Read Full Article
US EPA Announces $3 Million for 12 Food Waste AD Projects
(Bioenergy Insight) The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected 12 organisations and projects to receive around $3 million (€2.55 million) in funding to help reduce food loss and waste and divert food waste from landfills by expanding anaerobic digestion
October 06, 2020 Read Full Article
ATTENTION OIL INDUSTRY: California Is Banning Gasoline Powered Vehicles -- You have one chance to save yourselves and COME CLEAN
by Marc J. Rauch (The Auto Channel) Today, September 23, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state will ban the sale of new gasoline powered passenger cars and trucks starting in 2035. The ban is an attempt to push the use
September 24, 2020 Read Full Article
How Do We Move around in a Zero-Carbon World?
by Bill Gates (Gates Notes) We want more people to be able to travel without contributing to climate change. ... For some of the world’s poorest people—like smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa—the ability to move goods from rural areas to city markets
September 08, 2020 Read Full Article
WEBINAR: Transportation & Climate Initiative: Ensuring Environmental Justice and Equity in a Regional Low-Carbon Transportation Program --- September 29, 2020
The webinar will focus on proposed measures intended to ensure the program fosters equity for overburdened and underserved communities, building on states’ longstanding commitment to designing a program that benefits all communities, including those on the frontlines of air pollution
September 04, 2020 Read Full Article
California Issues 190% More New Oil and Gas Drilling Permits
(Our Daily Planet) While California Governor Gavin Newsom has called his state “a leader in the fight to transition away from fossil fuels,” watchdog groups have been calling out the fact that California is continuing to issue oil and gas extraction permits.
September 03, 2020 Read Full Article
Parsing the Climate Message
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) Night 3 of the Democratic National Convention featured a lengthy 11-minute take on Joe Biden's climate and clean energy strategy that hammered home some of his big themes rather than the wonky details (which you
August 20, 2020 Read Full Article
Scaling Up 2020 Virtual LIVE: Harnessing Bio-Based Resources for a Low Carbon Economy --- Tuesdays September 8-October 27, 2020 --- ONLINE Free
Scaling Up 2020, Canada’s 5th annual international industrial bioeconomy business conference, will be Virtual this year. During the months of September and October, we will host a series of eight one-hour webinars featuring some of the globe’s leading speakers in the
August 18, 2020 Read Full Article
Dems’ Unity Platform: Combat Climate Change, Build Clean Energy Economy, and Environmental Justice
(Our Daily Planet) ... In late July, according to E&E News, the Party added to the platform climate change provisions championed by progressives including an amendment to endorse the goal to keep global warming less than 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial
August 17, 2020 Read Full Article
EPA ‘Reset’ Recommendation Addresses RFS, LCFS
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A group of six former U.S. EPA administrators representing both republican and democratic administrations are calling for a “reset” of the agency as it approaches its 50th anniversary. The Renewable Fuel Standard and a potential federal
August 14, 2020 Read Full Article
Former EPA Officials Call for 'RESET'
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) Six former EPA administrators spanning both Democratic and Republican administrations called for a "reset" at the agency Wednesday to steer it in "a new, forward-looking direction" and address issues such as climate change and environmental
August 13, 2020 Read Full Article
Joe Biden Picks Kamala Harris as Running Mate and What This Means for Climate in 2020
(Our Daily Planet) ... (U.S. Senator Kamala) Harris has been a steady champion of climate action in the Senate but perhaps her strongest stance has been her newly-released landmark legislation called the Climate Equity Act which would ensure that any environmental regulation or
August 12, 2020 Read Full Article
Inside the DNC's Draft Climate Platform
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) The drafting of the Democratic Party's platform was "the latest front in a tug-of-war between moderates and progressives over the direction and breadth of the party's agenda," POLITICO's Holly Otterbein reports. A draft of the 80-page platform obtained
July 23, 2020 Read Full Article
Funding Programs Available for Clean Truck Technology and Fuels to Reduce Diesel Exhaust Impacts in New York City
by Lidia Henderson (ACT News) ... The webinar focused on renewable natural gas (RNG) and its benefits as a vehicle fuel. RNG is essentially biogas made by capturing and extracting methane emissions from our waste in landfills, large animal agricultural
June 19, 2020 Read Full Article
Slip-up Reveals Chevron Ties to Architect of Climate Attack
by Corbin Hiar (E&E News) It was an audacious messaging campaign: White environmentalists are hurting black communities by pushing radical climate policies that would strip them of fossil fuel jobs. The email to journalists, sent by a public affairs firm at the
June 19, 2020 Read Full Article
Daily on Energy: State Officials Worry Electric Car Expansion Could Hurt Low-Income People
by Josh Siegel & Abby Smith (Washington Examiner) ELECTRIC CARS’ EQUITY PROBLEM: Top energy officials from New York and Massachusetts are raising the fear that requiring increasing use of electric cars could impose financial hardships on poor people. That is especially if utilities
June 15, 2020 Read Full Article
Advocates, New York Officials and Business Leaders Address Racial and Environmental Justice issues in the South Bronx
(Energy Vision) New Funding Offered for Clean Truck Technology and Fuels to Reduce Diesel Exhaust’s Impacts on Bronx Air Quality and Respiratory Illness -- At a webinar this week sponsored by the non-profit Energy Vision, the NYC Department of Transportation and
June 15, 2020 Read Full Article
At Last, a Climate Policy Platform that Can Unite the Left: The Factions of the Democratic Coalition Have Come into Alignment on Climate Change.
by David Roberts (Vox) ... Robinson Meyer captured it well in a 2017 piece in the Atlantic: “Democrats Are Shockingly Unprepared to Fight Climate Change.” But something different has been happening lately, as groups across the left come together to hash
May 28, 2020 Read Full Article
Higher COVID-19 Fatality Rates among Urban Minorities Come Down to Air Pollution
by David Vander Griend (Urban Air Initiative/Biofuels Digest) ... Whether in New Delhi, Kansas City, New York, or Beijing, less driving has resulted in cleaner air. Vistas that previously were only foggy images have burst through as crystal clear pictures of
May 25, 2020 Read Full Article
Update from Dave on COVID-19, Air Pollution and Ethanol
(Urban Air Initiative) The last few months have been tough, the sudden distress caused by COVID-19 has caused so much harm and heartache for all of us. But if there is something positive coming from this pandemic, it is the world's attention
May 13, 2020 Read Full Article
Rep. McEachin and Chair Grijalva Unveil Landmark Environmental Justice Legislation Following Year-Long Collaborative Effort
(Blue Virginia) Great work by Rep. Donald McEachin (D-VA04) on the landmark Environmental Justice for All Act, which they introduced at a at a press conference earlier today on Capitol Hill. As Rep. McEachin said, “With today’s introduction of the Environmental Justice
February 27, 2020 Read Full Article
New Framework for Biofuels Leaves Many Questions Unanswered
by (Business Maverick) The recently published Biofuels Regulatory Framework is an important step in the attempt to develop a national biofuel industry, but it is far from sufficient to ensure the full benefits of biofuels while minimising the risks. -- On
February 20, 2020 Read Full Article
Democrats Debate Climate Change Issues in Las Vegas — Finally
(Our Daily Planet) At the Democratic Debate in Las Vegas last night, the moderators asked a series of questions on climate change and environmental issues, and the candidates had a chance to both explain their plans and to talk about their
February 20, 2020 Read Full Article
Dems Tee up Climate Plans
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) The legislative framework that senior Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee want to move this year to combat climate change calls for reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the building, industrial, transportation
January 09, 2020 Read Full Article
Biofuels Take up Little Space
(Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP)) Although the share of the area for biofuels production increased by 1 percentage point in 2018, it is still very small. Cultivated plants such as cereals, oilseeds, protein, sugar and fiber plants,
January 08, 2020 Read Full Article
Virtual and Free Scaling Up 2020 Harnessing Bio-Based Resources for a Low Carbon Economy --- September-October, 2020 --- ONLINE series
Scaling Up 2020, Canada’s 5th annual international industrial bioeconomy business conference, will be Virtual this year. During the months of September and October, we will host a series of eight one-hour webinars featuring some of the globe’s leading speakers in the
December 20, 2019 Read Full Article
McEachin, Haaland, Dingell, Blumenauer, Tonko & Pingree Introduce 100% Clean Legislation
(Office of A. Donald McEAchin (D VA-04)) Today, Congressman A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) introduced the 100% Clean Economy Act of 2019 with Representatives Deb Haaland (NM-01), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Paul Tonko (NY-20) and Chellie Pingree (ME-01). This legislation sets
December 17, 2019 Read Full Article
Govs. Walz and Noem for Support of E30
(Grand Rapids Herald Review) Recently, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the chair of the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition, along with South Dakota Gov. and coalition vice chair Kristi Noem, sent a letter to President Trump urging the administration to consider 30 percent ethanol
December 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Environmental Justice Takes the Spotlight
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE GETS 2020 FOCUS: 2020 Democratic front-runner Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, author Marianne Williamson, former Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney will participate in a forum today focused on
November 08, 2019 Read Full Article
Intermediate and High Ethanol Blends Reduce Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from Gasoline Direct Injection Vehicles
by Patrick Roth, Jiacheng Yang, Weihan Peng, David R. Cocker III, Thomas D. Durbin, Akua Asa-Awuku, and Georgios Karavalakis (Atmospheric Environment) Highlights: Higher ethanol fueling will reduce SOA formation from GDI vehicles. Gasoline with higher aromatics will adversely affect SOA formation.
October 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels USA's Public Comment to Maryland's Commission on Climate Change on Benefits of Biofuels in Climate Change Mitigation Plan
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Maryland's Commission on Climate Change advises the state's Governor and General Assembly "on ways to mitigate the causes of, prepare for, and adapt to the consequences of climate change." The MCCC is chaired by
October 16, 2019 Read Full Article
Ethanol Blog: Governors Ask Trump to Take Executive Actions on Biofuels
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) First and foremost, the group asked Trump to expedite any new rulemaking process aimed at the waivers issue. ... As part of the biofuels announcement last week, the Trump administration also directed EPA and USDA to
October 10, 2019 Read Full Article
Car Pollution in Boston Area Neighborhoods Poses Health Risk To Residents, New Research Finds
by Craig LeMoult (WGBH) This is the first story in a three-part series on transportation-related air pollution in the Boston area. Read Part 2 here and Part 3 here. Highways are crucial arteries of our transportation system, but the air pollution from all those
October 07, 2019 Read Full Article
Julián Castro Unveils Climate Plan Centered on Green New Deal Principles
by Alex Samuels (Texas Tribune) The plan carries a $10 trillion price tag and calls on the country to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045. -- ... Over the course of the next decade, Castro is calling for “immediate and significant”
September 04, 2019 Read Full Article
Facts Not Furor: What the 2020 Candidates Should Be Focused On
by Daniel Gage (ACT News/NGV America) ... One candidate said we have less than 10 years to act. Many candidates agree that we don’t have time to wait. So why then are we waiting for large scale light-duty electric vehicle adoption
August 19, 2019 Read Full Article
RNG Continues to Move Passengers on the Big Blue Bus, LAX
(Clean Energy Fuels Corp/Biomass Magazine) The demand for clean, cost-effective renewable natural gas (RNG) as a transportation fuel continues to rise. Clean Energy Fuels Corp. announced it has inked contracts to provide its Redeem renewable natural gas (RNG) to power fleets across multiple
August 14, 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
The Energy 202: Kamala Harris and Jay Inslee's New Climate Plans Target 'Environmental Injustice'
by Dino Grandoni (Washington Post) ... On Monday, two contenders, Sen. Kamala Harris of California and Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, released climate plans aimed at ensuring communities already facing an exceptionally large amount of pollution don't get saddled with any more. The proposals
August 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Clean Energy Opens Renewable Natural Gas Station in South Bronx
by Lidia Henderson, Emily Vickers (Empire Clean Cities/ACT News) On July 10th, 2019, Empire Clean Cities, New York City officials, and members of the community joined Clean Energy Fuels Corp. for the grand opening of their renewable natural gas (RNG) fueling station located
July 22, 2019 Read Full Article
EU Conference Discusses Ethical Dimensions of Transition into Bio-Economy
(Xinhua) Social sustainability and justice in bio-economy were the leading themes as 350 bio-economy experts gathered in Helsinki on Tuesday. The Bio-economy Scene 2019 conference was organized by the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the European Commission. Matti Hayry, Professor
July 11, 2019 Read Full Article
New Congress, New House Push for Environmental Civil Rights
by David Schultz (Bloomberg) Newly Democratic House may pursue environmental justice legislation; Many freshman lawmakers cite the issue as top priority -- The new 116th Congress may spend more time examining the intersection of race and the environment, and specifically look at how poor
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
Opinions: Why the Time Has Come for a Green New Deal
by Katrina vanden Heuvel (Washington Post) Almost 20 years ago, writer Mark Hertsgaard suggested a bold idea to upend the climate debate. Arguing that ambitious climate action was politically impossible without simultaneously meeting people’s economic needs, he proposed a massive public works program to “retrofit everything
December 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Here’s How to Win on Climate-Change Policy
by Ted Halstead (Washington Post/Climate Leadership Council) ... The real lesson to learn from these setbacks is that the political prospects of carbon taxation depend on how the revenue is used. As long as the public perceives a carbon tax
December 11, 2018 Read Full Article
Will Dems Act on GHGs after a Midterm Win? It's Complicated
by Nick Sobczyk (E&E News) Democrats have long billed themselves as the party of climate science, and if they take back the House in November, they want to put global warming back on the congressional calendar. "It's the 800-pound gorilla," said Rep.
September 03, 2018 Read Full Article
An Open Letter to ARB: Don’t Miss Out on California’s Opportunity for the Fastest, Most Cost-Effective Path to Cleaner Air
(Diesel Technology Forum) The following is an open letter from Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, regarding the California Air Resources Board’s scheduled vote on the State’s spending plans for $423 million from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation
May 30, 2018 Read Full Article
California Biofuel Event Showcases Dynamics of Evolving Industry
(The California Advanced Biofuels Alliance /Biodiesel Magazine) At the California Advanced Biofuels Conference March 1 in Sacramento, Jennifer Case, chair of California Advanced Biofuels Alliance, gave her annual address to a packed house that has evolved to include major industry players, both
March 07, 2018 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
In a special to the Biofuels Digest, South Dakota Farmers Union president, Doug Sombke, pointed out that "Section 202(l) provision (of the Clean Air Act) requires EPA to regulate and reduce toxics in gasoline to the “greatest degree achievable”. In a review
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
SoCalGas Model Energy Design Includes RNG Focus
by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) is partnering with the University of California-Irvine’s Advanced Power & Energy Program to design an “Advanced Energy Community” in an underserved neighborhood in Huntington Beach. The community will be planned as a
December 14, 2017 Read Full Article
New Report Details Racial, Economic Injustice of Pollution Trading Programs
(Food & Water Watch) Under plans like California’s “cap-and-trade” program, pollution and public health impacts actually increase in lower-income communities of color. -- New analysis published today details the disproportionate burdens of air and water contamination and serious human health effects placed
November 13, 2017 Read Full Article
California's E85 Sales Top 14M Gallons in 2015
(Convenience Store News) Research shows consumers are loyal to low-carbon fuels. -- California led the nation with 14.77 million gallons of E85 sold in 2015, according to a consumer research study published by fuels retailer Propel Fuels Inc. The study, Low
September 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Driven by Propel Fuels, California Now Leads the Nation in Low Carbon Fuels
(Propel/MarketWired) Young and Diverse Californians at the Center of Surge in Low Carbon Fuel Volumes in Major Oil Industry Transition -- California's Big Oil disrupting climate-change policies have been extended to 2030, and the state now leads the nation in
September 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Present Solution to Harmful Airborne Chemicals
by David Vandergriend (Sacramento Bee) ... But the day-to-day threat facing many communities doesn’t come from carbon. It comes from airborne chemicals with less attention-grabbing names like volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and ozone. As with carbon,
September 11, 2016 Read Full Article
E85 Consumers Attracted by Value, Convenience
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Getting the right business model drives E85 sales. ... Protec in the East and Propel in California are learning what it takes to drive E85 sales. With both companies reaching about a decade