(Growth Energy) Today, as Congress returns to Washington, DC, we are sending lawmakers a timely message through a strategic ad campaign: “Say No to OPEC – Say Yes to America.” The ad campaign includes a display ad in Roll Call and
Legislation-Federal
Back TO HOMESustainability and the Environment I: The Intersection of Biofuels/Bioenergy & Climate Change Legislation
by Brent Yacobucci (Congressional Research Service) The CRS (Congressional research Service) is a “nonpartisan, analytical, research and reference arm of the Library of Congress”. In this presentation, CRS specialist in energy and environmental policy Brent Yacobucci covers how climate change
March 01, 2011 Read Full Article
America Needs a Choice in Fuel
by Andrew Kaiser (OregonLive.com) ...America is addicted to cars. And why shouldn't we be? Cars get us where we want to go quickly and safely. Cars offer enjoyment and, like the clothes we wear, can serve as an outward reflection
February 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Grassley and Ethanol: Industry Loses Key Ally in Deficit Battle
by Phil Brasher (Des Moines Register) Cutting the deficit is more important than protecting the ethanol industry if it comes to that, says Sen. Chuck Grassley, long the biofuel industry's most powerful ally in Congress. Grassley said Tuesday that he would
February 24, 2011 Read Full Article
The Magoo Congress
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The response to all this worry over oil? The United States House of Representatives in a new series of measures just passed, is doing its level best to ensure the failure of the only at-scale,
February 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Obama Stands Behind Plan to End Tax Breaks for Industry
(Fuel Fix) President Barack Obama today defended his plan to raise tens of billions of dollars for the federal government by axing tax incentives long enjoyed by the oil and gas industry. Congress has already rejected two earlier calls by Obama to
February 23, 2011 Read Full Article
ROI, Not IOU: Why Federal Investments in Energy Technologies Will Grow Our Economy
by Mary Rosenthal (Algal Biomass Organization/Biofuels Digest) ...(T)argeted investments in clean energy technologies like advanced biofuels, including those derived from algae, will grow our country’s economy, foster the creation of new industries, create tens of thousands of jobs in the
February 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Bad Time to Kill E15, Retired Navy Leader Says
by Daniel Looker (Agriculture.com) On a day when Libya teeters on the brink of civil war and cuts oil production, Retired Vice Admiral Denny McGinn takes little comfort from an announcement by the remaining members of OPEC that it will
February 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Government Hands May Be Tied on Ethanol: USDA Official
by Ayesha Rascoe (Reuters) ..."The fact is the industry has pretty much been built," USDA Chief Economist Joe Glauber told reporters on the sidelines of a Commodity Markets Council conference. "This isn't a question of just saying 'cut it off.'
February 22, 2011 Read Full Article
The Money Identity, the Bond Supremacy, the Washington Ultimatum: Biofuels and Loan Guarantees
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Essentially, despite rising banking sector profits and good results from stress tests, the bank financing market has not returned for biofuels – the financing source for whom the USDA loan guarantee was developed in the
February 22, 2011 Read Full Article
House Turns against Ethanol in E15 Votes
(Des Moines Register) The U.S. House has rebuffed key initiatives to expand the market for corn ethanol, a sign that the industry's once legendary political clout is weakening with the conservative gains in Congress. The Republican-controlled House voted 285-136 early
February 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Top Dems Call on House GOP to Eliminate Oil Industry Tax Breaks
by Andrew Restuccia (The Hill/E2Wire) Top Senate Democrats are calling on House Republicans to agree to a plan to eliminate oil industry tax breaks as a means of reducing the deficit. The proposal comes as House Republicans have pledged to cut
February 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Action This Day: Concerted Industry Action May Avert Biofuels Policy Peril
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In Washington, there’s chaos this week, as members of the House of Representatives offer dozens, if not hundreds, of amendments to the continuing budget resolution designed to keep the government funded while the country hammers
February 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Michigan Farmers Look to Washington for Help
by Nathan Hurst (The Detroit News) Ag committee chair Stabenow backs bill to benefit growers, processors Michigan farmers and food processors are hopeful that having one of the state's senators leading the debate over the 2012 farm bill will benefit
February 07, 2011 Read Full Article
10 to watch: Senators on Energy
by Darren Goode (Politico) With Republicans controlling the House and ramping up oversight and investigations of the Obama administration, focus at least initially in the next Congress will be on the Senate to lay a potential pathway for legislative compromise
February 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Senate Panel to Put Ethanol under the Microscope
by Ben Geman (The Hill) The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s agenda this year includes new scrutiny of ethanol. A spokesperson for committee Democrats said a hearing is in the offing but hasn’t been scheduled yet. Whenever it occurs, the session
February 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Effort under Way to Restore BCAP Funding in 2011 Appropriations Bill
by Sue Sterling (The Daily Star-Journal) Agricultural and environmental groups hope to convince legislators to restore funding for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program in the Senate Omnibus Appropriations Bill that will be considered in March. The BCAP program, enacted as part
January 07, 2011 Read Full Article
The USDA Loan Guarantee Program and the Congressional Deficit-Reducing Drive
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...At risk in that budget process is the entire funding for the Section 9003 loan guarantee program – in the omnibus spending bill proposed in December by the outgoing Congress, zeroing out 9003 is exactly
January 06, 2011 Read Full Article
BIO: Advanced Biofuels Would Receive Critical Support from Proposed Legislation
(Futures and Commody Markets News) Proposed legislation would create or extend a diverse array of federal programs necessary to help advanced biofuel producers secure financing for construction of first-of-a-kind projects. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) thanked Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and
December 29, 2010 Read Full Article
10 to Watch: GOP Freshmen on Energy
by Robin Braverder (Politico) ...Cory Gardner (Colo.) — Like many of his colleagues, this newcomer with strong agricultural ties hopes to advance “hearty oversight” of the EPA from his new perch on the Energy and Commerce Committee. On the energy front, look for
December 28, 2010 Read Full Article
Political Winds
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) How will the new leadership impact ethanol policies? Some strong ethanol advocates lost in the November election, including Earl Pomeroy and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, acknowledges Bob Dinneen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association. Many more
December 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Legislation Could Ensure National Security by Encouraging Development of Domestic Advanced Biofuels
(Biotechnology Industry Organization/MarketWire) A newly introduced bill will authorize the Department of Defense (DOD) to continue its leading role in helping to commercialize next generation biofuels. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today thanked Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) for introducing the “Domestic
December 21, 2010 Read Full Article
House Votes to Extend Ethanol, Biodiesel, Renewable Diesel Tax Credits; Senate Drops Biofuels-Slashing Omnibus Bill
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the US House of Representatives voted by a 277 to 148 margin to approve the Obama tax deal, which extends the ethanol tax credit through 2011, and retroactively extends the biodiesel tax incentive and the renewable
December 17, 2010 Read Full Article
Senate Tax Bill a Major Step Backwards for the Environment
by Jim Presswood (Switchboard) The tax bill agreed to last Thursday by Senators Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell contains an energy package that would cause substantial environmental harm. ...The bill extends a 50 cent per gallon tax credit for liquid coal transportation
December 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Energy Bills May Wait as US Congress Focuses on Taxes for Rest of 2010
by Brian Hansen (Platts) Republican leaders in the US Congress said Tuesday after a private meeting with President Barack Obama that they plan to focus on tax issues before legislators adjourn for the year, but did not mention plans for
December 01, 2010 Read Full Article
Harkin Threatens to Oppose Electric Vehicles Bill if Ethanol Provisions Aren’t Added
by Andrew Restuccia (The Washington Independent) Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), in a floor speech today, called for expanding electric and natural gas vehicles legislation slated to come up for a procedural vote during the lame-duck session to encourage the use of
November 22, 2010 Read Full Article
King: GOP House Good for Ethanol, Biodiesel Tax Cuts
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) Republicans taking control of the U.S. House is good for the chances of the federal ethanol and biodiesel tax breaks seeing renewal … that’s according to a GOP member from Iowa. AgriNews.com reports that U.S. Rep. Steve
November 12, 2010 Read Full Article
Will GOP Gains Mean Ethanol Producer Losses?
by Gary Clark and Rachel Ziemba (Forbes) Doctor Doom: With Congress gridlocked, the U.S. may put the brakes on biofuels support. Following the Republican Party's capture of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, U.S. policy on the use of biofuels for
November 12, 2010 Read Full Article
Obama May Kill Key DOE Loan Guarantee Program
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Washington, the Obama Administration developed and has been debating an option to kill the Section 1705 DOE Loan Guarantee program, and transfer remaining funds to a pool for Section 1603 investment tax credits that, as currently
November 08, 2010 Read Full Article
Ethanol Sees Friend in Likely House Agriculture Chairman
(Platts) Ethanol producers could hold onto a strong position in the new Republican-controlled House of Representatives, an ethanol lobbyist said Wednesday. Oklahoma Republican Frank Lucas, who is poised to become chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, has warned some groups that being "anti-ethanol" would be
November 04, 2010 Read Full Article
How House Republicans May Control the Energy Debate
by Lindsay Morris (Renewable Energy World/Power Engineering) Rep. Dave Camp enters the energy policy spotlight as top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee. Is that good or bad for renewables? ...Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) is in line to become
November 04, 2010 Read Full Article
Senator Nelson Wants Tax Break for Algae Biofuel Companies
by Eric Staats (NaplesNews.com) ...Today, growing algae to turn into biofuel is serious business, and (US Senator Bill) Nelson wants to give the fledgling industry a tax break. Nelson, D-Fla., toured the headquarters and research labs of Algenol Biofuels off Alico Road
October 26, 2010 Read Full Article
Algal Biomass Organization Applauds Passage of Algae Parity Bill
(Algae Industry Magazine) The Algal Biomass Organization (ABO) is praising the U.S. House of Representatives for passing H.R. 4168, the Algae-based Renewable Fuel Promotion Act. ABO specifically recognized Reps. Harry Teague (D-NM), Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), Dave Reichert (R-WA) and Brian
October 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Texans Seek Industry Legal Protection from Higher Ethanol Use
by Darren Goode (The Hill) Texas lawmakers in both parties are seeking legal protection for oil refiners and others that fear exposure to costly lawsuits if EPA allows an increase in the amount of ethanol blended into gasoline. ...The Texas lawmakers
October 06, 2010 Read Full Article
Montana Senators Push Military Option on Biofuels
by James Cartledge (BrighterEnergy.org) As the Senate debated and ultimately failed to pass reforms in the military this week, two Senators from Montana introduced legislation to boost markets for biofuel. Sens. Max Baucus and John Tester’s bill, American Security and Freedom Fuels
September 27, 2010 Read Full Article
Hostile Takeover: What Happens to Biofuels if Republicans Take Congress?
Interview of BIO's Brent Erickson by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...BE: I have been a little bit disappointed in the Obama administration. When he was in the Senate he as very pro-biofuels. He had to choose his priorities, and that
September 22, 2010 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
Ethanol Mandates Cast Cloud Over Gasoline Retailing
by Barbara Grondin Francella (Convenience Store News) ...The EPA is considering a request to authorize the use of E15, while ethanol advocates are calling for the immediate approval of E12 and longer-term, even higher ethanol blends (E25, etc.) However, the
September 13, 2010 Read Full Article
Senate Must Pass Small-Business Incentives, Voinovich Says
by Lori Montgomery (The Washington Post) ... The senator is a strong advocate of responsible budgeting and has long called for increasing the gas tax, the traditional financing source for the nation's roadways. He said he mentioned that in his phone
September 09, 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
Trade Associations Support Legislation for Advanced Biofuels Tax Policy
(Algae Industry Magazine) As Congress takes action on critical tax incentive packages, leading advanced biofuel trade associations reemphasized the importance of advanced biofuels as promising opportunities for the United States to reduce its reliance on oil and create green jobs. The
August 09, 2010 Read Full Article
The Economics of U.S. Ethanol Policy: A Rebuttal
by John M. Urbanchuk (ENTRIX/The Hill) In his July 27 blog posting “The economics of U.S. ethanol policy” Professor Bruce Babcock of Iowa State University reports the results of new research suggesting that allowing the current 45-cent-per-gallon ethanol blender’s tax credit
July 28, 2010 Read Full Article
Using Biofuel Tax Credits to Achieve Energy and Environmental Policy Goals
(Congressional Budget Office) The federal government supports the use of biofuels—transportation fuel produced usually from renewable plant matter, such as corn—in the pursuit of national energy, environmental, and agricultural policy goals. Tax credits encourage the production and sale of biofuels
July 19, 2010 Read Full Article
Vilsack: Unlikely Partnership for Our Clean Energy Future
Tom Vilsak (USDA/Richmond Times-Dispatch) ...America can no longer rely on energy sources that are growing increasingly difficult to find and utilize. We cannot accept an energy future that allows oil producers, whether they are controlled by a foreign state or
July 15, 2010 Read Full Article
The Conclave: Biofuels in the Balance as Congress Decides Energy, Jobs, Carbon Policy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...It comes down now to three weeks, just three weeks. There will be high drama of energy, jobs, tax and carbon legislation moving at, by Washington standards, light speed. After that, legislators aim to get out
July 15, 2010 Read Full Article
The Gulf of Mexico and the Future of the Ethanol Industry
(E100 Group/Biofuels Digest) The recent oil platform blowout in the Gulf of Mexico shows the madness of the United States continuing to use 140 billion gals of gasoline/yr to power our light duty cars and trucks. The E100 Ethanol Group believes it
July 01, 2010 Read Full Article
Group Asks Senate to Consider Biofuels Bills While Addressing Oil Spill, Energy Legislation
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, three ethanol industry groups have asked that legislators keep biofuels in mind. “It is likely that the Senate will take up an energy bill, heavy
July 01, 2010 Read Full Article
Inhofe to Unveil Bill Allowing States to Opt Out of Ethanol Mandate
by Michael O'Brien (The Hill) Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) will offer legislation next week that would allow states to opt out of federal law requiring a certain level of ethanol be blended into gasoline. Inhofe says he's crafting a measure he
June 26, 2010 Read Full Article
Time to Turn to Algae-Based Fuel
by Rep. Harry Teague (D-NM) (Politico) ...It turns out there are two immediate barriers to raising capital for commercial-scale production of algae-based fuel. The first is a quirk in our tax code that provides tax incentives for cellulosic biofuel production but
June 03, 2010 Read Full Article
BP Oil Spill Shows Need for Biofuels, Developers Say
By Carey Gillam (Reuters) The disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico illustrates a pressing need for the United States to pass legislative incentives to drive investment dollars into cellulosic and algae-based biofuel facilities, biofuel industry leaders said on Thursday. "This
June 02, 2010 Read Full Article
Stalled Next-Gen Biofuels Need Help, Firms Say
by Philip Brasher (Des Moines Register) That next generation of biofuels is still stuck in the lab, as the developers have been unable to attract investors or get loan guarantees out of the government. So now, those companies are asking Congress to
June 02, 2010 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels Association Launches New Online Series Spotlighting Top Industry News in Washington
(Advanced Biofuels Association) The Advanced Biofuels Association launched a new online video series today. The Clean Fuels Forecast spotlights the top public policy issues and maneuvering in Washington affecting the advanced biofuels industry. In its first episode, now posted on the ABFA
June 01, 2010 Read Full Article
Sen. Susan Collins: Great Care Needed in Introducing New Fuel Blends
by Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) (Fosters.com) ...While ethanol does cut our use of fossil fuels and reduces some harmful air emissions, it also raises some serious concerns. It is a powerful solvent that can damage engines and fuel systems, break
May 21, 2010 Read Full Article
Ethanol: Affordable, Clean and We Don’t Have to Wait
by Brian Jennings (The Hill) ...Today, conventional oil supplies are being tapped out and maintaining our current level of addiction forces us to hunt for scarce deposits in deepwater wells or in the Canadian tar sands. These unconventional sources of
May 14, 2010 Read Full Article
Senate Climate Bill Clears First Hurdle
by Mackinnon Lawrence (Biomass Intel) ...While aggressive with GHG reduction provisions, the American Power Act (APA) is short on biofuel-specific provisions... Some of the key strategies for incentivizing low carbon fuels under the bill include increasing fuel economy standards, incentivizing low
May 14, 2010 Read Full Article
Advanced BioFuels Association Applauds U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson's Leadership as Biofuels Tax Incentives Bill Is Introduced
(PR Newswire) The Advanced BioFuels Association applauded the leadership of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) as he recently introduced a biofuels tax incentive bill that extends the Investment Tax Credit to advanced biofuels. The Nelson bill, S. 3338, would make available the
May 14, 2010 Read Full Article
What If There Is No Climate/Energy Bill? Civil Society Institute Report from Synapse Shows Clean Energy Future Still Possible for US
(The Clean) With Uncertainty Mounting About Climate/Energy Bill, Major New Study for CSI Details Path for Breaking Away From "Business As Usual" in the Electric Power Sector. What happens if Congress fails to pass a climate or energy bill in 2010? Even
May 13, 2010 Read Full Article
Clean Energy and the Oil Spill: 3 Facts You May Not Know
by Bryce Covert (New Deal 2.0) ...Fact #1: Burning oil to generate electricity makes up a tiny percentage of overall generation in the US. ...Fact #2: Electricity generation accounts for almost 40% of US greenhouse gas emissions-the largest source of
May 12, 2010 Read Full Article
Sandlin to Propose Biofuel Development Tax Credit
(AP, Bloomberg Businessweek) U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin says she will propose a tax credit aimed at encouraging investment in development of the next generation of renewable fuels. ...She says her bill would create a tax credit for those who
May 11, 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
May 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Pomeroy, Shimkus Introduce Bill to Preserve American Energy Jobs
Joined by advocates of America's renewable fuels industry, Congressman Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) and Congressman John Shimkus (R-IL) unveiled legislation that would extend tax incentives that are critical to the nation's ethanol industry and the preservation of hundreds of thousands of jobs. The
March 26, 2010 Read Full Article
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Wants to Refine the Renewable Fuel Standard
by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) (Politico) ...(W)e envisioned a biofuels industry that would move beyond corn ethanol. Scientists, the environmental community and some cutting-edge entrepreneurs were confident that biofuels could come from a wide array of feedstocks and use an