by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the Romney campaign issued a long-awaited white paper on agricultural policy. Among the highlights: ...“He will not only accelerate the development of conventional energy sources, but also advance new technologies by funding early-stage research and
Farm Bill
Back TO HOME6 Treacherous Biofuels Crevasses, 6 Guides to Steer You
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Those momentum killers. Company wreckers. The investor flight-inducing crevasses along the route to the top – that take away a level playing field, remove your access to markets, delay a counted-on early-stage customer, or frighten
October 15, 2012 Read Full Article
Ag Energy Coalition Calls for Passage of Farm Bill
(Agricultural Energy Coalition/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Agriculture Energy Coalition (AgEC) today (September 12, 2012) called on Congress to pass a five-year Farm Bill with mandatory funding for a strong Energy Title. The Senate has passed a version of a five-year
September 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Issue Brief: Renewable Biomass Can Help Reduce U.S. Petroleum Dependence: Farm Bill Energy Programs Are Key
by Ned Stowe (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) Renewable biomass has a significant potential to improve U.S. energy security, advance rural economic development and energy security, protect and restore water quality and other environmental resources, and help mitigate and adapt to the
August 26, 2012 Read Full Article
Farm Bill Now Coalition Pushes for New Farm Bill
(Delta Farm Press) A coalition of 39 of the nation’s foremost agricultural organizations has formed in an effort to raise public awareness of the need for Congress to pass a new, comprehensive, five-year farm bill before current farm programs expire in
August 25, 2012 Read Full Article
GOP Puts Biofuels on the Chopping Block
by Zack Coleman (The Hill/E2Wire) The biofuels industry is at loggerheads with House Republicans, who are eyeing its funding for elimination in the farm bill. Biomass and biofuels groups warn that the loss of $800 million in guaranteed federal support would
July 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Rural Energy Programs Cut under House Panel's Version of Farm Bill
(The Hill/E2Wire)Five rural energy programs will end while others will be slimmed down if a draft version of the 2012 farm bill released Thursday becomes law. The cuts, made by leaders of the House Agriculture Committee, will total about $500 million, according to
July 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Senate Passes Farm Bill with Strong Energy Title and Strengthened Conservation Provisions
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) A bipartisan majority in the Senate approved the Farm Bill after debating and voting on more than 70 amendments. Amendments to weaken or repeal key programs in the energy and conservation titles were rejected, and
June 22, 2012 Read Full Article
Dial 9011 for Crop Assistance
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Section 9011 of the Farm Bill – the Biomass Crop Assistance Program – USDA deploys $9.6M in new investments in bioenergy crops as questions revolve around the program’s future and effectiveness. Is BCAP important? Will
June 14, 2012 Read Full Article
The Farm Bill Energy Title Is Working and Must Be Renewed
by Brent Erickson (BIO/Biofuels Digest) Ten years ago, Congress passed and President George W. Bush signed into law a Farm Bill that, for the first time, embraced the vital role American farmers, foresters and rural communities must play in achieving
June 01, 2012 Read Full Article
National Farmers Union Leads Broad Coalition to Urge Senate to Bring Farm Bill to Floor Vote; Includes Advanced Biofuels USA
(National Farmers Union) National Farmers Union (NFU) and a coalition of agricultural, conservation, environmental, energy, forestry, hunger, and rural stakeholders sent a letter to Senate leadership today urging them to bring the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012 to the
May 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Senate Ag Committee OK’s $800M for Farm Bill Energy Programs; DOE OK’d to Move $100M for Advanced Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the Senate Agriculture Committee has approved $800 million in mandatory biofuels-related funding for the proposed energy title in the upcoming Farm Bill. ...Yesterday, Senators Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Richard Lugar of Indiana
April 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Energy Coalition Disappointed in Farm Bill Draft
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) A coalition of trade groups and organizations representing renewable energy, energy efficiency, farm and environmental interests is disappointed in a 2012 Farm Bill draft out of the Senate Agriculture Committee that they say provides “no real
April 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels USA Joins Over One Hundred Groups to Urge Support for Farm Bill Energy Programs
(FarmEnergy.org) More than 100 diverse groups representing agriculture, energy, rural development and conservation called on Congress today (April 5, 2012) to renew and fund core energy programs in the Farm Bill that push forward clean, homegrown energy. These programs advance
April 06, 2012 Read Full Article
NSAC Suggests REAP, BCAP Changes
by Anna Austin (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine) The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has released its 2012 Farm Bill platform, which provides suggestions to improve some federal bioenergy programs. These include the Repowering Assistance Program and the Biomass Crop Assistance
March 23, 2012 Read Full Article
RFS May Top Farm Bill in Importance to Corn Growers
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) ...“If you took a poll of our members, and we may well do that at our Commodity Classic next week, I would say that they view the RFS as more important than the farm bill,” said National
February 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Vilsack Thanks Industry, Outlines Challenge for Energy Title
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...Maintaining the energy programs within the Farm Bill will also be a challenge, with the expectation that there will be deep budgets cuts from the baseline. Vilsack explained that with the energy programs being new
February 27, 2012 Read Full Article
The 2008 Farm Bill Energy Title: Past, Present, and Future
by Ned Stowe (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) Why is there an energy title in the Farm Bill? Are the Farm Bill energy programs making a difference yet? Are there better ways to advance the same goals? What are the
February 24, 2012 Read Full Article
American Soybean Association Calls for Biodiesel Fuel Education Program Reauthorization
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) ...One of the many energy-related components of the Farm Bill that is up for reauthorization is the Biodiesel Fuel Education Program, which is a grant program that supports the education of government and private entities
February 22, 2012 Read Full Article
Senate Ag Committee Hearing Focuses on Farm Bill Energy Programs
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and a handful of bioenergy stakeholders were given the opportunity to present the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry with their opinions on the importance of the Farm Bill’s
February 16, 2012 Read Full Article
Advanced Ethanol Leaders Urge Tax Extensions in Farm Bill
(Renewable Fuels Association/Advanced Ethanol Council) The Advanced Ethanol Council (AEC) today urged Senate Ag Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Ranking Member Pat Roberts (R-KS) to include two key tax extensions for advanced and cellulosic ethanol producers. In a letter to the committee
February 15, 2012 Read Full Article
Senate Agriculture Committee Announces Hearing on Farm Bill Energy Programs
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) Will federal programs critical to the development of sustainable bioenergy and the bioeconomy be renewed in the next Farm Bill? The authorization for current programs will expire at the end of 2012. The Senate Agriculture
February 03, 2012 Read Full Article
2012 Farm Bill Biomass/Biofuel Recommendations
by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) Retain Agricultural Land: Agricultural and forest lands are vulnerable to loss due to reduction of the dairy and pulp/paper industries and conversion to residential or commercial development. They could retain their agriculture and
January 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Top 10 Biofuels Predictions for 2012
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...10. Advanced biofuels capacity surges to 1 billion gallons, globally. We see 570 million gallons in capacity from Neste Oil alone; 137 Mgy from Diamond Green, 75 Mgy from Dynamic Fuels, 62 Mgy from KiOR,
January 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Why the Farm Bill Needs a Robust Energy Title
byJames C. Greenwood and Robert Johnson (The Hill Congress Blog/BIO/National Farmers' Union) Maintaining agricultural productivity in America is indispensable to our economic security, so a safety net for farmers is very important. But abundant affordable clean energy and a healthy
December 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Level the Playing Field for All Energy Sources
(25 x '25) Amid the political clamor surrounding congressional efforts to cut federal spending over the next decade and reduce the nation’s deficit, the ethanol industry has conceded that a seven-year subsidy benefiting the sector will end Dec. 31. ...Elsewhere, Congress
December 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Halting Harmful Invaders: Research Identifies Acceptable Biofuel Feedstocks
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Good biofuel feedstocks are highly productive, have low input requirements and are widely adaptable. Unfortunately, those same traits are also common with invasive species. Language addressing invasive species is included in the Biomass Crop Assistance
December 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Congress ‘Lost faith’ in Advanced Bioenergy, Key Lawmaker Says
by Philip Brasher (Des Moines Register) Programs the Obama administration has been pushing to promote next-generation biofuels are likely to have little funding in the next farm bill, according to the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. Collin
December 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Lawmakers Nearing Deal on Farm Subsidies
by Philip Brasher (Des Moines Register) A draft summary of the new farm bill that lawmakers have been finalizing says farmers will have a new subsidy system to supplement the coverage they now have through crop insurance. ...The Senate and House
November 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Supercommittee Should Preserve Farm Energy Programs in the Farm Bill for in the Best Interest of the Nation: William Richards and Dennis McGinn
by William Richards and Dennis McGinn (The Plain Dealer) Guest Columnists: The future of the government's role in U.S. agriculture remains about as uncertain today as it was before the 1933 enactment of the Agricultural Adjustment Act, the nation's first
November 21, 2011 Read Full Article
The REFRESH Act Is as Important to Fueling America as It Is to Feeding It
by Adam Monroe (Novozymes/The Hill E2Wire) ...We are thankful the REFRESH Act’s energy title includes baseline funding. The problem is that the current farm bill does not, putting in jeopardy programs that our farmers and economy depend on, including the
November 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuel Industry Lobbying for Aid in Farm Bill
by Philip Brasher (Des Moines Register) The biofuel industry is lobbying lawmakers to continue some subsidies and financial assistance that they got in the last farm bill. The programs are set to expire next year if Congress doesn’t do anything, so
October 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Proposed Farm Bill Includes Advanced Biofuels
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN) and Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R, IN-3rd) have introduced a farm bill that they say would save $40 billion and includes provisions that support the development of advanced biofuels. “We offer our bill as a
October 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Major Investments to Spur Innovation and Job Creation in Research, Development and Production of Next Generation Biofuels
(US Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced five major agricultural research projects today aimed at developing regional, renewable energy markets, generating rural jobs, and decreasing America's dependence on foreign oil. Altogether, the five-year program will deliver more than
September 28, 2011 Read Full Article
The Future of Biorefining Policy
by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine) ...While some in the industry doubt that a Congress so focused on debt reduction will extend VEETC and the biodiesel tax credit, Greg Jenner, a partner in Stoel Rives LLP’s tax practice, offers a unique
September 27, 2011 Read Full Article
25 x '25 Releases Green Jobs Report
(25 x '25) The 25 x '25 Alliance released a report from the University of Tennessee's Bio-Based Energy Analysis Group demonstrating that millions of new jobs could be created over the next 15 years by pursuing the 25x'25 clean energy
September 26, 2011 Read Full Article
SAFER Makes Information about Farm Bill Energy Program Proposed Cuts
(Southeast Agriculture and Forestry Energy Resources Alliance) As you know, Congress is in the midst of negotiations regarding FY2012 appropriations for the Farm Bill. Of particular interest to SAFER is the proposed cuts to the Farm Bill’s energy programs —
September 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Aviation Calls For Government Backing To Boost Biofuels
by Graham Warwick (Aviation Week) The U.S. aviation industry is pressing Congress to extend funding for goverment programs providing support to start up commercial-scale production of renewable biofuels. ...Work on the 2012 Farm Bill is getting under way, and witnesses at
August 09, 2011 Read Full Article
25x'25 Alliance Responds to 'Draconian' Cuts to Farm Energy Program
(25 x '25) The 25x'25 Alliance recognizes that all sectors must make sacrifices to achieve true reductions in spending and the national deficit. However, draconian cuts to a number ofUSDA renewable energy programs included in a larger farm and food spending billadopted
May 26, 2011 Read Full Article
Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill
(US House of Representatives Appropriations Committee) The House Appropriations Committee today (May 23, 2011) released the subcommittee draft of the fiscal year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations bill, which will be marked up in the Agriculture Subcommittee tomorrow. The legislation continues the
May 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Stabenow Wants to Move Quickly, but Methodically on New Farm Bill
by Jerry Hagstrom (AgWeek) Senate Agriculture Commitee Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., says the Senate will proceed on its own schedule on the farm bill and should finish the bill as quickly as possible, but she will not promise to finish
April 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Next-Gen Biofuel Depends on Subsidies, Senate Told
by Philip Brasher (Des Moines Register) Even as President Barack Obama renewed his push for next-generation biofuels, an industry official warned that cuts in biomass subsidies could discourage farmers from providing corn residue and other needed feedstocks. If farmers “see the
April 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Classifying Biofuel Subsidies: Farm Bill and WTO Considerations
by Cindy O'Connor (Advanced Biofuels USA) Report from a Washington DC, September 14, 2010 briefing sponsored by Food & Agricultural Trade Policy Council With legislative work beginning on the next Farm Bill and new WTO rounds; the issue of biofuel subsidy classification
September 17, 2010 Read Full Article
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson Discusses Farm Bill Issues with Saratoga County Farmers
by Paul Post (The Saratogan) ...For local dairy producers, one of the most pressing concerns is ethanol production that drives up corn prices — hurting small family farms in the process. ..."We’ve got a big problem in the ethanol industry," (House
September 09, 2010 Read Full Article
ABFA President to Congress: Advanced BioFuels Will Drive America's New Economy and Fuel the Future
(Advanced Biofuels Association) Advanced Biofuels Association President Michael McAdams briefed the House Agriculture Committee this afternoon, telling its members, "It's time to take politics out of renewable fuels and let sound science and sound energy policy govern biofuels policy moving
June 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Smith Advocates Stronger Energy Focus in New Farm Bill
by Robert Pore (The Independent) The 2012 Farm Bill was the focus of attention Tuesday in Cheyenne, Wyo., as members of the House Agriculture Committee, including U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., heard from farmers and ranchers on a variety of