by Paul Alexander (Huffington Post) ... (H)e must explain his decision to gut the Renewable Fuel Standard and hand Big Oil a decisive political victory. One lingering question is, did high-level White House staffers with close ties to oil companies
environmental policy
Back TO HOMEDOE Report : Ethanol Is Key for Increased Engine Efficiency and Reducing Emissions
(Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) ... According to the DOE's 2015 Quadrennial Technology Review, the internal combustion engine is one of the most promising and cost-effective approaches to improving fuel economy in the near to mid-term. This, the DOE said, can be achieved
October 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Canada Could Slash CO2 Emissions with Existing Technologies, Proven Policies
by Emily Chung (CBC News) Regulation or pricing of emissions is key, Council of Canadian Academies suggests -- Canada could drastically cut its greenhouse gas emissions and meet international climate change commitments using existing commercially available technologies and policies that have
October 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Culling Fossil Fuel Subsidies Would Reduce Emissions By 11%
by Joshua S Hill (Clean Technica) A new report modelling the removal of fossil fuel subsidies in 20 countries showed such a move would reduce national emissions by an average of 11%. --- The call for an end to renewable
October 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Soapbox: Obama’s EPA Needs to More Aggressively Support Biodiesel
by Lisa Mortenson (Community Fuels/Sacramento Bee) California took a major step forward in the fight against climate change recently by adopting an aggressive new low carbon fuel standard that will sharply reduce carbon pollution from our state’s famously car-crazy culture. It’s
October 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Council Members, Oil Lobby Square off in Tense Hearing on Biofuel Bills
by David Giambusso (Politico New York) Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration tacitly endorsed two bills to increase the use of biofuel citywide, but a Monday hearing on them grew heated nonetheless when oil lobby representatives showed up to challenge them. Both
October 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Working Paper: Implementing Effective Carbon Pricing
by James Rydge (New Climate Economy) Support for carbon pricing is growing around the world. Governments, businesses and investors are recognising that nationally-appropriate taxes and trading schemes, as part of a well-aligned package of policies for low-carbon change, can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)
October 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Volkswagen’s Woes Could Affect Ethanol Plants
by James L. Pray (Ethanol Producer Magazine/BrownWinick Law Firm) ... Diesel-powered Volkswagen cars and ethanol plants share more than their common tie to the auto industry. Both must meet rigorous emission standards: For Volkswagen cars, it is the exhaust from the
October 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Carbon Offset Trading – Managing Risk in a Time of Regulatory Uncertainty
by Joshua Belcher and David McCullough (Sutherland Asbill & Brennan/Biofuels Digest) Over the past decade, the market for carbon offsets has waxed and waned with the likelihood of a mandatory greenhouse gas reduction program being passed into law. Carbon offsets
October 26, 2015 Read Full Article
No Rich White Guy Left Behind: The Selling of Electric Cars as Zero Emission Vehicles
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Electric cars and their $1600 cost per ton for CO2 reduction. And, yep, you’re paying for it. Electric cars have environmental benefits, no doubt about it, and anyone who drives one is making a contribution to
October 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Clean Fuels Program’s Next Threat: Disputed Science
by Taylor W. Anderson (The Bulletin) Climate scientist: policies that encourage biofuels must account for indirect emissions -- Before starting to implement Oregon’s low-carbon fuel standard , the state must first deal with some math that is both complicated and
October 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Algenol CEO Exits; Staff Cut by 25%, Investors Re-Up for Two Years, New Direction Tipped
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sudden re-focusing and trimming of Algenol by its lead investors leads CEO Paul Woods to resign; new direction focused on carbon capture, fresh water production until oil prices recover. In Florida, the hammer dropped swiftly and without warning
October 26, 2015 Read Full Article
A Message For EPA: Get Real on Emissions and Clean Fuels!
by Doug Durante (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/Biofuels Digest) In the aftermath of revelations of how Volkswagen had their thumb on the scale as they cheated not just the EPA, but all of us who breathe the air, it raises serious
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
How Could Volkswagen’s Top Engineers Not Have Known?
by DuneLawrence, Benjamin Elgin, Vernon Silver (Bloomberg Business) ... From February through April 2013, they (researchers from West Virginia University's Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions) tested three diesel cars: a Volkswagen Jetta, a Volkswagen Passat, and a BMW SUV. Besch took
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Exxon Sowed Doubt About Climate Science for Decades by Stressing Uncertainty (Part 6)
by David Hasemyer and John H. Cushman Jr. (Inside Climate News) Collaborating with the Bush-Cheney White House, Exxon turned ordinary scientific uncertainties into weapons of mass confusion. ... No wonder: in the opening days of the oil-friendly Bush-Cheney administration, Exxon's chief lobbyist had
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Highlighting the Allure of Synfuels, Exxon Played Down the Climate Risks (Part 5)
by John H. Cushman Jr. (InsideClimate News) In the 1980s, Exxon lobbied to replace scarce oil with synthetic fossil fuels, but it glossed over the high carbon footprint associated with synfuels. Early in the 1980s, ... Exxon believed oil supplies could not
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Exxon Confirmed Global Warming Consensus in 1982 with In-House Climate Models (Part 3)
by Lisa Song, Neela Banerjee, David Hasemyer (Inside Climate News) The company chairman would later mock climate models as unreliable while he campaigned to stop global action to reduce fossil fuel emissions. Steve Knisely was an intern at Exxon Research and Engineering
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels for Transport: A Viable Alternative?
by Lew Fulton (International Energy Agency (IEA)/ OECD Observer) Can biofuels truly compete with petrol? Recent projections suggest that ethanol could represent up to 5% of the world’s transport fuel by 2010. That figure may seem modest at first glance, but
October 22, 2015 Read Full Article
In the U.S. Southeast, Natural Forests Are Being Felled to Send Fuel Overseas
(Natural Resources Defense Council) Demand for wood pellet exports out of the southeastern U.S. is being driven almost exclusively by climate and energy policies in the U.K. and European Union. Europe's forests are often highly regulated, so European power companies
October 22, 2015 Read Full Article
MIT Rejects Demands to Divest Fossil-Fuel Stocks, Joining Yale
by Michael McDonald (Bloomberg Business) The Massachusetts Institute of Technology rejected demands from a student-led group to divest its $13.5 billion endowment of fossil-fuel investments, joining universities such as Harvard and Yale. MIT said in an announcement on Wednesday that it will
October 22, 2015 Read Full Article
Liberals Sweep in Canadian Elections: Are Renewables Back?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In Canada, the Liberal party, under the leadership of 43-year old Justin Trudeau, swept to victory in the Canadian federal elections. ... Incoming Prime Minister Trudeau has pledged that his government will run a short series
October 20, 2015 Read Full Article
Leaders Call for Carbon Pricing Worldwide
(Agence France-Presse/Global Post) A group of world leaders called Monday for countries around the world to put a price on carbon to strengthen the international fight against climate change. As a week of talks on a global climate agreement opened in
October 20, 2015 Read Full Article
Energy Policy Simulator
(Energy Policy Solutions) Designing energy policy correctly is tough work. Well-designed energy policies reduce pollution, cut consumer costs, and minimize dependence on foreign energy supplies. Done wrong, they can do the reverse, and increase pollution, lock in dirty technologies, or
October 20, 2015 Read Full Article
FAO and France Urge Including Agriculture in Global Climate Change Debate
(Food and Agriculture Organization/Ag Professional) All countries should strive to ensure an ambitious agreement to tackle climate change, putting food security and agriculture at the centre of debates on the issue, say FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva and
October 17, 2015 Read Full Article
DOE Warns That Climate Change May Disrupt Growth of Biomass Feedstocks
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On October 9, the U.S. Department of Energy released a report about the threats posed by climate change to the U.S. electricity and fuels sector, U.S. Energy Sector: Regional Vulnerabilities and Resilience Solutions. Climate change
October 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Watchdog to Study Ethanol’s Environmental Impact
by Timothy Cama (The Hill) The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) internal watchdog is launching a project to analyze the environmental impact of the federal ethanol mandate. The EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) sent a letter to agency officials Thursday
October 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Seeking Take-Off and Off-Take: Why Do Some Renewable Technologies Soar and Others Stall?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The high-octane idea that inexplicably struggles, the mid-grade idea that rocks. Here, we look at the critical success factors that provide tail-winds for some technologies and head-winds for others. ... To explain a conundrum, we need a
October 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Carbon Pricing Beats Vehicle Fuel Economy Standards
(Environmental Leader) Currently planned fuel economy standards (extended to the year 2050) would cost 10 percent of the economy’s global gross domestic product (GDP) in 2050, compared with only 6 percent under cap-and-trade carbon pricing, according to a study published
October 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Climate Scientist Faces Backlash for Urging Investigation of Fossil Fuel Companies
by Katherine Bagley (Inside Climate News) A climate scientist who was the lead signatory on a letter urging President Obama to launch a federal investigation into whether fossil fuel companies "knowingly deceived the American people about the risks of climate change"
October 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Oil CEOs Differ on Carbon Strategy, Highlighting Industry Divide
by Sarah Kent And Amy Harder (Morningstar) The chief executives of Royal Dutch Shell PLC and ExxonMobil Corp. laid out contrasting visions this week for reducing fossil-fuel emissions, illustrating a divide between American and European energy companies ahead of a
October 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Not Just about Bin-Busting
by Tom Doran (AgriNews) ... “When it comes to growing corn, no one does it better than America’s family farmers,” National Corn Growers President Chip Bowling said at a Farm Progress Show press conference. “But our challenge today is two-fold: First, we must
October 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Opinion: Our Generation’s Moonshot: A Clean-Energy World by 2050
by Jeffrey D. Sachs (Market Watch) In May 1961, President John F. Kennedy stirred America and the world with these words: “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing
October 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Biotechnology: OSTP Seeks Comment on Clarifying Current Roles and Responsibilities Described in the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology
(Bergeson & Campbell, PC) On October 6, 2015, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit relevant data and information, including case studies that may assist in the development of
October 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Trust Iowa farmers, Not Big Oil
by T.J. Page (Des Moines Register/Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) Letter to the Editor-- It’s disappointing, but not surprising to read a recent letter from a non-Iowan repeating discredited Environmental Working Group statistics to bash corn farmers and ethanol production [“Ethanol plays role
October 05, 2015 Read Full Article
A Secret Password for Advanced Biofuels at Scale? Forget “Open Sesame”, Try “Velocys Inside”
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Four new technologies approach scaled operations, all with one element in common – Velocys technology on the back-end. Why Velocys, why now? The Digest investigates. In Oklahoma, Southeast Oregon, Eastern Ohio, and a site near London
October 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Emissions Testing Is Broken, and Other Lessons from the VW Scandal
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) ... How do you create clean vehicles that consumers want to buy? All of the automakers are currently focused on this question. The Department of Energy’s Quadrennial Technology Review calls for the co-optimization of fuels and
October 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Can Help Slash U.S. Carbon Emissions — Report
by Amanda Reilly (E&E/Governors' Biofuels Coalition) Biodiesel can contribute significantly to U.S. carbon dioxide reduction goals, according to a new analysis released by the industry’s main trade group. The report conducted by Bates White Economic Consulting found that boosting biodiesel production
October 02, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Holds Workshop For Input On Risk Assessment Of Genetically Engineered Algae
(The Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®)) On September 30, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a workshop on genetically engineered (GE) algae to give stakeholders an opportunity to hear about EPA's plans for improving its risk
October 02, 2015 Read Full Article
ICAO Must Design Robust Sustainability Criteria for Aviation Biofuels into Its Market Measure
(GreenAir Online) Aviation industry leaders will gather next week in Geneva for their green conference and congratulate themselves on their efforts to reduce emissions. But a reality check is needed. A bio-fuelled flight here and a more efficient engine there
September 30, 2015 Read Full Article
The 800 Ways Taxpayer Money Supports Fossil Fuel Industries
by Reed Landberg (Bloomberg/Renewable Energy World) If the world seeks to lower carbon emissions, why is support for fossil fuels so strong? --- As world leaders converge on New York for a United Nations gathering that’s expected to have a
September 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Many Conservative Republicans Believe Climate Change Is a Real Threat
by Coral Davenport (The New York Times) A majority of Republicans — including 54 percent of self-described conservative Republicans — believe the world’s climate is changing and that mankind plays some role in the change, according to a new survey conducted by
September 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels, Oil Palm and Agribusiness in Southeast Asia – Planning for Sustainability?
(Stockholm Environment Institute) This brief draws together SEI research done between 2011 and 2014 on agribusiness developments – especially of oil palm – in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The brief presents overarching insights from that work, along with recommendations
September 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Why Do Biofuels Seem to Be Stalled?
(Deutsche Welle) On the heels of the VW scandal, many are asking why eco-friendly transport seems to be stalled. Biofuels that don't compete with food production may indeed play an important future role, says Nicholas Wagner of IRENA. Deutsche Welle: The Paris
September 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Nation's Strictest Regulatory Board Affirms Biodiesel as Lowest-Carbon Fuel
(National Biodiesel Board) In a fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, California's Air Resources Board has spent years looking for the cleanest, most efficient ways to cut carbon. Turns out, biodiesel is at the top of the list. Friday the board
September 28, 2015 Read Full Article
China! Boeing, Algenol, Inventure Deals Propel Industrial Biotech Momentum
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... As President Xi visits North America, China signs 3 major deals in industrial biotechnology. The East is Red, it’s been said, and the future looks that way too. The US is no place to deploy
September 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Excerpts from Pope Francis' Speech at the United Nations
(from text published by Al Jazeera) ... The International Financial Agencies should care for the sustainable development of countries and should ensure that they are not subjected to oppressive lending systems which, far from promoting progress, subject people to mechanisms
September 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Crack Spread, Crush Spread, Fuse Spread
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The most fundamental economic in the oil & gas business has historically been the crack spread, which is the price difference between the value of crude oil and the underlying products after refined, or “cracked”.
September 24, 2015 Read Full Article
Time to Cap Fossil Fuel Pollution
by Mike Bryan (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Instead of setting a blend wall for ethanol, why not set a fossil fuel pollution cap, writes Mike Bryan of BBI International. -- ... I have a crazy idea. Instead of setting a blend wall
September 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Zero Emission Vehicles: Not Really
by Don Siefkes, Debbie Baron and Eileen Broderick (E100 Ethanol Group, Mendo Alcohol Fuel Group) ... California Governor Jerry Brown and other Governors, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), and much of the major media are continuing their unnerving habit
September 21, 2015 Read Full Article
White House Needs Political Courage to Support RFS Targets, Climate Goals
(25 x '25) DOE late last week issued its second Quadrennial Technology Review (QTR), which department officials say examines the current status of clean energy technologies and identifies hundreds of clean energy research opportunities. ... So while the Obama administration would use
September 17, 2015 Read Full Article
David Attenborough Backs Huge Apollo-Style Clean Energy Research Plan
by Damian Carrington (The Guardian) Naturalist says 10-year public research and development programme, that would emulate race to put men on the moon, could halt climate change -- ... In a letter to the Guardian, the group argue that the approach,
September 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Winning Coalitions for Climate Policy
by Jonas Meckling, Nina Kelsey, Eric Biber, John Zysman (Science Magazine) The gap is wide between the implications of climate science and the achievements of climate policy. Natural sciences tell us with increasing certainty that climate change is real, dangerous, and solvable;
September 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Urban Air Iniative: Real Economic Harm Is to Keep Using Gasoline
(Urban Air Initiative/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Officials from the Urban Air Initiative called the recent effort by the American Petroleum Institute to discredit ethanol a smokescreen to hide the fact that the toxic components in gasoline are endangering the lives of millions
September 14, 2015 Read Full Article
How Political Pressure Is Building to Combat Urban Air Pollution – and Creating an Opportunity for Cellulosic Ethanol
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Digest speaks with Sebastian Soederberg, Novozymes’ VP for Biomass Conversion, on how the emotional issue of city smog is creating an opening for cellulosic ethanol, even with currently low oil prices. ... Let me start with air
September 09, 2015 Read Full Article
California Takes the Lead on Climate Policy
by Steven Cohen (Huffington Post/Columbia University's Earth Institute) ... As Alejandro Lazo reported in the Wall Street Journal last week: Democrats in California, which already has the toughest climate-change rules in the U.S., are pushing to strengthen them drastically, an effort that
September 09, 2015 Read Full Article
U.S. Biofuels Boom Threatens Brazilian Organic Farmers
(Foodtank.com) ... Miraci Pereira Silva is an organic farmer from the Roseli Nunes settlement in western Brazil. For years, together with other members of her community, she has grown crops like lettuce, beans, and papaya, which are sold locally and provide
September 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Does EPA’s Left Hand Know What Its Right Hand Is Doing on Octane and CO2?
by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Innovation Organization/Biofuels Digest) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun to examine boosting gasoline octane ratings to achieve greater greenhouse gas emission control standards for passenger vehicles after 2025. Higher octane ratings would enable increased fuel
September 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Sustainable Development Agenda: 2030
by William Colglazier (Science Magazine) On 25 to 27 September, United Nations member states will formally adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as key elements of the post-2015 development agenda (1), successors to the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that focused
September 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Turning Garbage Into Profit
by Olga Grigoryants (Pacific Standard) Last year, Simi Valley Landfill entered what is becoming a fast-growing business of transforming fetid odors from decaying trash into fuel, a feat made possible by the miracles of modern chemistry and government subsidies. ... Last year, the
September 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Aviation and Greenhouse Gas Reductions: A Role for Renewable Jet Fuels
by Tom Ewing (Renewable Energy World) In a July 1 Federal Register notice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presented plans to control greenhouse gases (GHG) from aircraft. In August, in Washington, D.C., EPA held a hearing on its proposal.
September 02, 2015 Read Full Article
No, Obama Isn’t a Climate Hypocrite
by Stephen Stromberg (The Washington Post) President Obama declared climate change to be the defining threat of the century in Alaska this week, before he literally hiked a melting glacier. But, once again proving that virtually nothing will be enough for
September 02, 2015 Read Full Article
As California Sizzles: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Propel operates 43 Flex Fuel and 31 Biodiesel retail locations statewide, representing over 50,000 clean fuel transactions per month and 10,000,000 gallons of fuel sold to individual consumers annually. Between 2012 and 2014, Propel Fuels conducted
September 01, 2015 Read Full Article
Food Waste And Beef Fat Will Be Making Airplanes Soar
by Abbie Fentress Swanson (National Public Radio) ... A growing number of biofuel producers are teaming up with farms, meatpackers and waste management companies to tap gassy waste to meet new demand for renewable jet fuel and diesel for vehicles. Lots of
August 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Do Liberals Hate Biofuels?
by Douglas L. Faulkner (Biofuels Digest) Most liberals don’t hate biofuels. But most don’t love them either, mainly because of their underlying environmental concerns about first-generation biofuels, corn starch ethanol and soy biodiesel. The left’s deep ambivalence toward biofuels is thus
August 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Reading the Green Like a Pro—Heavy Duty Truck GHG Phase 2 Mandates Can Help You Ace It!
by Fran Flynn (Biofuels Digest/ Fleet Advantage) On the putting green, the golfer who putts last has the advantage of watching his predecessor ‘show him the line. ... On June 19, 2015 the Secretary of the Department of Transportation, Anthony R.
August 27, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA’s Estimate of the “Social Cost of Methane” Used to Justify New Source Performance Standards for the Oil and Natural Gas Industry
by Wayne J. D'Angelo (Fracking Insider) On Tuesday, August 18, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued proposed New Source Performance Standards (“NSPS”) under the Clean Air Act covering methane and volatile organic compound (“VOC”) emissions for certain equipment, processes,
August 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Researchers: All Finnish Energy Could Be Renewable in 35 Years
(yle) Researchers say that in 35 years, Finland could theoretically get all of its energy needs using only renewable energy sources. Researchers at the Lappeenranta University of Technology say they've found ways to make such a transition feasible, both economically
August 25, 2015 Read Full Article
COP21 Offers Opportunity to Relaunch Biofuels Debate
by Robert Wright (Ethanol Producer Magazine/ePURE ) While the EU has put strict sustainability rules on biofuels, little to no discussion has taken place about developing similar rules for fossil fuels, writes Robert Wright. -- It’s time to relaunch the debate
August 25, 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
EPA Schedules Workshop on Considerations for Risk Assessment of Biotechnology Algae
(Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is scheduled to publish a notice in the August 25, 2015, Federal Register announcing a public meeting on September 30, 2015, to receive public input and comments on EPA's data
August 24, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Issues 2 Proposals to Reduce Landfill Gas Emissions
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) On Aug. 14, the U.S. EPA issued two proposals to further reduce emissions of methane-rich gas from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. Under the proposals, new, modified and existing landfills would begin collecting and controlling
August 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Methane’s Sputnik Moment? The 7 Hottest Meth Techs to Watch, as US Methane Regulation Steps up
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Are these 7 companies the big winners from the EPA’s proposed rules for oil & gas well methane emissions? -- In Washington, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a set of new regulations for the oil &
August 20, 2015 Read Full Article
Fuel from Garbage
by Venkatesha Babu (Business Today) ... A catalyst being developed by Shell Technology Centre Bangalore (STCB), one of the three tech hubs of Shell besides the ones in Houston and Amsterdam, holds out the promise of converting agricultural and municipal waste
August 17, 2015 Read Full Article
The GOP's All-of-the-Above Energy Policy Is Nothing Like Obama's
by Rebecca Leber (New Republic) ... Walker and Bush intend to end subsidies for clean energy, largely continue the same century-old tax breaks that remain for fossil fuels, and encourage expanded federal permits for coal and oil extraction. Consider Walker's full quote
August 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Celebrating a Decade of Success: The RFS Turns 10!
(Renewable Fuels Association) This Saturday marks 10 years since the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) containing the original Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The first RFS set America on a path
August 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Tensions over U.S. Electric Vehicle Mandates Spill into the Open
by Joseph White (PlanetArk) A long-simmering dispute between automakers and U.S. regulators over policies to promote electric vehicles spilled into the open on Tuesday, in the high stakes struggle over the future of automotive technology. The heads of two major lobby groups
August 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary, aka Clean Power Plan
(Environmental Protection Agency) The EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy, signed the following notice on 8/3/2015, and EPA is submitting it for publication in the Federal Register (FR). While we have taken steps to ensure the accuracy of this Internet version of
August 05, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Releases Clean Power Plan, Uncertainty for Biomass Remains
by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. EPA has released the final Clean Power Plan rules, which contain some key changes from the original rule, as well as vague language related to using certain kinds of biomass fuel as a
August 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Ethanol: Towards a Viable Alternative for Domestic Cooking in Ethiopia
(Stockholm Environment Institute) This discussion brief is based on findings from a workshop carried out by SEI in Addis Ababa in conjunction with the presentation of the SCIP study results.... It also draws on insights given by nine experts interviewed in Addis Ababa
August 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Obama Climate Plan Revives Talk of a Carbon Tax
by Ben Geman (National Journal) Sweeping power-plant regulations would enable states to use pollution trading, fees to cut heat-trapping emissions. ... In a change from the draft plan, the final EPA rule now explicitly says states can use "fees" (i.e., taxes)
August 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Voters Want Pro Clean Energy Prez Candidates
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) NextGen Climate has released the results of a survey that finds voters in key presidential swing states support transitioning to at least 50 percent clean energy by 2030. Hart Research conducted the poll in eight battleground
August 04, 2015 Read Full Article
How to Detect Nonsense about Climate Change
by Stephen Stromberg (The Washington Post) The final version of the Clean Power Plan, President Obama’s signature climate change policy, came out on Monday. Here’s how to tell whether the politicians, special interests and commentators you’re going to hear talking
August 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Climate Deniers Uncovered
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) A paper published by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), “The Climate Deception Dossiers,” reveals decades of corporate misinformation campaigns by the fossil fuel industry. The paper focuses on seven deception dossiers, or collections containing nearly
August 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Inslee: I’ll Use My Authority to Impose Cap on Emissions
by Jim Brunner and Hal Bernton (Seattle Times) After being stymied on climate policy in the Legislature, Gov. Jay Inslee announced he’s pressing ahead with executive action to impose a cap on carbon emissions. Frustrated by legislative inaction on climate, Gov. Jay
August 03, 2015 Read Full Article
“Nothing Will Happen without the Will” – Addressing Climate Change through Low-Carbon Fuels
by Jennifer Holmgren (LanzaTech/Biofuels Digest) Condensed from remarks by Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech, on receiving the Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership in Industrial Biotechnology, from the Biotechnology Industry Organization. Listen to 8-minute speech. [audio m4a="https://advancedbiofuelsusa.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2015-0722-Jennifer-Holmgren-BIO-Congress.m4a"][/audio] ... Imagine how old you will be
August 03, 2015 Read Full Article
More unused oil, gas wells linger without permanent seals increasing risk
by Jeff Donn (Associated Press/Los Angeles Daily News) Five years after the Obama administration promised to move swiftly to permanently plug unused oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico, even more shafts are lingering for longer periods with
July 20, 2015 Read Full Article
Ethanol Working to Benefit Brazil, America, the World
by Leticia Phillips (UNICA/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Brazil and the U.S. have a responsibility to collaboratively build a global biofuels market, writes Leticia Phillips of UNICA, following a visit between Brazilian President and President Obama. In late June, Brazilian President Dilma
July 20, 2015 Read Full Article
Notice of Opportunity To Comment on an Analysis of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Attributable to Production and Transport of Cotton (Gossypium spp.) Seed Oil for Use in Biofuel Production
(Environmental Protection Agency) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting comment on its analysis of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions attributable to the production and transport of Gossypium spp. seed oil (“cottonseed oil”) feedstock for use in making biofuels such
July 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Ethiopia: The Biofuel Myth
by Jose Graziano DA Silva (UN Food and Agriculture Organization/AllAfrica.com) Over the past several years, biofuels have become a bone of contention. For some, a renewable energy source produced from organic matter amounts to a magic wand in the fight
July 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Treat Climate Change as Seriously as National Security: Report
by Alister Doyle (Reuters) Governments should treat climate change as seriously as threats to national security or public health, partly by focusing more on the worst scenarios of rising temperatures, an international report said on Monday. Crop failures, extreme heat waves
July 15, 2015 Read Full Article
It's Time for a Non-Renewable Carbon User Fee for Fuels -- Press Release
“If we’re serious about reducing Climate Change caused by Green House Gases, then we need serious actions,” said Joanne Ivancic, Executive Director of Advanced Biofuels USA on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. “The first steps are including the price of
July 14, 2015 Read Full Article
It's Time for a Non-Renewable Carbon User Fee for Fuels
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Advanced Biofuels USA introduced a new idea for capturing externalities of non-renewable fuels at the Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum held in the Caucus Room of the US House of
July 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Fossil Fuel Industry Must 'Implode' to Avoid Climate Disaster, Says Top Scientist
by Damian Carrington (The Guardian) ‘The age of carbon is over’ and a transition to a greener economy is inevitable, says Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, adviser to the German government and Pope Francis ... Professor Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, an adviser to the German government
July 13, 2015 Read Full Article
NE Ethanol Board Working to Make Ozone Rules Workable
(WNAX) Nebraska Ethanol Board leaders are working with various city officials in the region to find ways to make EPA’s proposed Ozone regulations more workable. Nebraska Ethanol Board Administrator Todd Sneller says there’s a great opportunity for ag and biofuels
July 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Oregon Declares Biomass Carbon Neutral
by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine) After a House vote of 44-9, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has signed a bill that exempts biomass-derived carbon dioxide emissions from regulation under certain air pollution laws. The bill defines biomass as nonfossilized and biodegradable organic
July 07, 2015 Read Full Article
OMB Weighs in on Biomass Language Included in Appropriations Bill
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The White House Office of Management and Budget has published a statement of administration policy that details its opposition to several components of an appropriations bill pending the in the U.S. House of Representatives,
July 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Justin Trudeau's Environment Plan: End Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Invest in Clean Tech
by Trinh Theresa Do (CBC News) Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has unveiled myriad environmental promises in Vancouver, including hundreds of millions of dollars in clean technology investment and a continued focus on climate change. ... Within 90 days of the conference, a
June 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Martin O'Malley: Zero out Fossil Fuels by 2050
Martin O'Malley (USA Today) ... New technologies now put an independent clean energy future decidedly within our reach as a nation. ... I would keep domestically produced oil and gas in the U.S. READ MORE
June 22, 2015 Read Full Article
Pope Blames Climate Change on Humans in 183-Page Call for Action
by Devin Henry (The Hill) Global warming is happening, human activity is causing it and more needs to be done, especially by the world’s governments and policymakers, to stop it, Pope Francis writes in his landmark encyclical on the environment,
June 19, 2015 Read Full Article
Comment Period Open on Proposed Discretionary Changes to BCAP
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 Assistance Program. A public comment
June 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Know Your Oil: Creating a Global Oil-Climate Index
by Deborah Gordon, Adam Brandt, Joule Bergerson, Jonathan Koomey (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) Oil is changing. Conventional oil resources are dwindling as tight oil, oil sands, heavy oils, and others emerge. Oil is changing. Conventional oil resources are dwindling and technological
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
How to Beat the High Cost of Gasoline. Forever!
by Adam Lashinsky and Nelson D. Schwartz (CNN Money/Fortune Magazine) You probably don't know it, but the answer to America's gasoline addiction could be under the hood of your car. More than five million Tauruses, Explorers, Stratuses, Suburbans, and other vehicles