by Paul E. Gutermann (Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP/Lexology.com) The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held this week that the Department of Energy (DOE) complied with its obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in providing
Litigation-Federal
Back TO HOMEU.S. Appeals Court Rejects Challenge to 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard
by Ayesha Rascoe and Cezary Podkul (Reuters) A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday threw out an oil industry challenge to the Obama administration's 2013 biofuel mandate, ruling that the government has "wide latitude" to decide whether to modify renewable fuel
May 08, 2014 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Industry Welcomes Renewable Fuels Court Ruling: Court Upholds 2013 RFS Requirements
(National Biodiesel Board) The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) issued the following statement Tuesday after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied a petroleum industry challenge to the 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requirements: “The court’s decision today
May 06, 2014 Read Full Article
21 States Ask Supreme Court to Review California’s LCFS
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Several states are joining the fight to take a legal dispute over California’s low carbon fuels standard (LCFS) to the U.S. Supreme Court. On April 21, a group of 21 states filed a brief
April 29, 2014 Read Full Article
Leading Biofuel Groups Oppose Delay Requested by Petroleum Industry in 2013 RFS Case
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and Growth Energy yesterday filed a joint response in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in opposition to the American Petroleum Institute’s and
April 18, 2014 Read Full Article
Court Hears Oral Arguments in Challenge to 2013 RFS Standard
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) On April 7, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia heard oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging the U.S. EPA’s final rule for 2013 renewable fuel standard (RFS). The petitioners are asking
April 14, 2014 Read Full Article
Joint Statement: Ethanol Industry Files to Take LCFS Fight to United States Supreme Court
(Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy) Following the January decision by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to deny rehearing en banc in the litigation regarding California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth
March 21, 2014 Read Full Article
California to Expand Low Carbon Fuel Standard to 2030 with More Stringent Targets
by Herman Wang (Platts) California plans to expand its first-in-the-nation Low Carbon Fuel Standard with more aggressive emissions-reduction rules through 2030, even as the current program faces a possible US Supreme Court challenge. ... In the scoping plan, which outlines how CARB
February 13, 2014 Read Full Article
Attorney General Says EPA Action on Ethanol Not Legal
by Matt Kelley (RadioIowa) Legions of people lately have pleaded in public hearings for the federal Environmental Protection Agency to maintain the amount of ethanol required to be blended into gasoline, but Iowa’s top lawyer says there’s another better tactic. Iowa
February 05, 2014 Read Full Article
U.S. Invalidates 33.5 Million Renewable Credits After Fraud (1)
by Mark Drajem (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it has invalidated 33.5 million renewable-fuel credits sold by an Indiana company for biofuel it didn’t produce, the fourth time the agency has alleged fraud in the program. The filing
December 20, 2013 Read Full Article
Dinneen: RFS Not for Big Oil’s Convenience
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) The case for keeping the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) as-is is being made today at an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing in Arlington, Va. Our friends from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) have shown up in
December 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Examining EPA’s Authority to Reduce RFS Volume Requirements
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Renewable Fuels Association held a media teleconference Nov. 21, to address the issue of whether the U.S. EPA has the statutory authority to lower the total renewable fuel standard (RFS) numbers, as reflected
November 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Obama Messes with the RFS
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the EPA released its 2014 proposed standards and volumes for renewable fuels. The volumes, as widely expected, include substantial reductions from the statutory standards in the original Energy Independence & Security Act. The announced proposed volumes
November 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Ethanol, Once the Way of the Future, Is Off to a Delayed, Boisterous Start
by Steven Mufson (The Washington Post) The “now hiring” sign is up online for Emmetsburg, Iowa, where the nation’s largest maker of ethanol used for motor fuel is putting the final touches on a manufacturing plant that will rely not
November 13, 2013 Read Full Article
EPA Authority to Reduce the RFS
by Jonathan Coppess (FarmDocDaily) ... The statute provides EPA with the authority to waive a requirement for an individual calendar year by "reducing the national quantity of renewable fuel required." The RFS is housed in the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C.
November 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuel Groups Seek to Intervene in Latest Legal Challenge to RFS
(Agri-Pulse) The Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy and the Biotechnology Industry Organization filed Friday a motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the oil industry in September challenging
November 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Refutes AAA Claims
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The American Automobile Association (AAA) is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to “lower the amount of ethanol required to be blended into gasoline for 2014″ in order to “protect drivers by preventing a possible surge in gas
October 29, 2013 Read Full Article
Midwestern Ethanol Producers Challenge California Global-Warming Regulations
by Daniel Fisher (Forbes) A federal appeals court in California is mulling whether to reconsider a September ruling that upheld state global-warming regulations on ethanol producers. Critics say the decision gives the Golden State carte blanche to regulate virtually anything it doesn’t
October 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Analysis: Brewing U.S. Ethanol Legal Battle Hinges on Meaning of 'Supply'
by Cezary Podkul (Reuters) The fate of a landmark U.S. requirement to blend increasing amounts of biofuels into the nation's gasoline pool rests on the meaning of three words tucked into a mammoth law: unless there is "inadequate domestic supply." But
October 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Burning Down the Rumor Mill on 2014 RFS Requirements: RVOs Must Reflect Statutory Authority
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) EPA’s proposed rule establishing 2014 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is expected to be published soon. Many believe the 2014 RVO will, for the first time ever, require obligated
October 10, 2013 Read Full Article
King, Loebsack Tout Need for Level Playing Field for Ethanol against Oil Industry
by Christopher Doering (Des Moines Register) Iowa Rep. Steve King said ending the controversial ethanol mandate would lead to higher gasoline prices for consumers and drive down the price of corn, hurting farmers in rural America. “If (the oil industry) should
October 10, 2013 Read Full Article
API Challenges 2013 RFS Cellulosic Volume Requirement
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The American Petroleum Institute has filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. EPA’s 2013 volume requirement under the renewable fuel standard (RFS), which was finalized in August. Representatives of the biofuels industry are calling the
October 09, 2013 Read Full Article
BIO Urges EPA to Reject Petroleum Industry’s RFS Waiver Petition
(Biotechnology Industry Organization) The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today wrote to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy, asking her to reject the recent petition from American Petroleum Institute and American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers for a waiver of the
September 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Ninth Circuit Upholds California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Dana Hull (San Jose Mercury News) In a victory for environmentalists, clean energy advocates and state regulators, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld California's clean-fuel standards in a 2-1 decision Wednesday. The fuel standard is a cornerstone of
September 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Pomerantz Law Firm Has Filed a Class Action Against Kior, Inc. and Certain Officers -- KIOR
(PR NewsWire/ Pomerantz Grossman Hufford Dahlstrom & Gross) Pomerantz Grossman Hufford Dahlstrom & Gross LLP has filed a class action lawsuit against Kior, Inc. ("Kior" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: KIOR) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District
August 20, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuel Firm CEO Accused of Bilking Investor
by Annie Youderian (Courthouse News Service) The former CEO of New Generation Biofuels duped a foreign investor into pumping more than $2 million into the company, and then dumped his own shares and made a "lucrative exit," the investor claims in
August 14, 2013 Read Full Article
As Key Partner Departs, Future Dims for Michigan Cellulosic Biofuel Plant
by Andy McGlashen (Midwest Energy News) The exit of its majority owner and operator leaves the future uncertain for a long-delayed project that has attracted at least $120 million in public financing to turn wood from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula into fuel
August 07, 2013 Read Full Article
D.C. Circuit Hinges EPA GHG Power On 'Tailoring' Rule Foes Aim To Scrap
(Environmental NewsStand Climate Policy Watch) The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in two recent rulings has reinforced its position that EPA had adequate Clean Air Act authority for its rule allowing it to “tailor” greenhouse
July 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels and Biomass Lose Favor: Investors Beware!
by Rachel Smolker (Huffington Post/BiofuelWatch) Having spent the past eight years or so of my life fighting back against large-scale commercial and industrial bioenergy, it feels good to finally see the tides turning, albeit slowly, maybe not always for the right
July 23, 2013 Read Full Article
U.S. Court Says Biofuel Producers Must Face Carbon Emissions Rules
by Mica Rosenberg (Reuters) Biofuel producers will be subject to rules regulating carbon emissions, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday, in a decision hailed by environmental groups. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated a
July 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Gevo Provides Update of Luverne Operations
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Gevo Inc. provided updated information on it Luverne, Minn., plant and patent dispute with Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC as part of its recent first quarter 2013 financial announcement. During a call to discuss the first
May 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Gevo’s Gevolution
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The stock has not recovered much — but it’s remarkable the progress the company has made, all the same. Analysts are now expecting the company to bring its first production train up later this month
May 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Gevo Wins a Judgment in Latest Butamax vs Gevo Dust-Up
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In Delaware, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware entered a final judgment in favor of Gevo and against Butamax Advanced Biofuels, LLC (Butamax), a 50/50 joint venture between DuPont and BP,
April 12, 2013 Read Full Article
EPA Informs Court of Plan to Reconsider Cellulosic Ethanol Requirement for 2011
by Andrew Childers (Bloomberg BNA) The Environmental Protection Agency will voluntarily reconsider the cellulosic ethanol blending requirement for 2011, the agency told a federal appellate court in an April 3 motion (American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers v. EPA, D.C. Cir., No. 12-1249, 4/3/13). It
April 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Automakers Ask Supreme Court to Take up Ethanol Challenge
by David Shephardson (Detroit News) Major automakers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to approve a higher blend of ethanol for vehicles from 2001 and newer. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers —
March 27, 2013 Read Full Article
First E15 Gas Station Gets Warning from ConocoPhillips, Might Have to Stop Ethanol Sales
by Jon LeSage (AutoBlogGreen) Ethanol advocates are continuing to throw down the gauntlet with Big Oil. Jabs have been thrown through satire and blogging – now the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is throwing a hook by going after ConocoPhillips, one of Big Oil's top five conglomerates. RFA
March 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Gevo vs Butamax: Butamax Heads for Appeal after Court Setback
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...To Gevo, Butamax we now attend, And their legal record, we now amend. The Federal judge overseeing the complex patent infringement litigation between Gevo and Butamax has issued a series of pre-trial rulings and orders, days before
March 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Antitrust Complaint Filed against ConocoPhillips over “Anti-Competitive Activities”
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Is ConocoPhillips unlawfully attempting to limit competition in the fuels marketplace? We’ll find out soon. In Florida, Biofuels Digest filed an antitrust violation complaint against ConocoPhillips with the US Department of Justice, regarding alleged activities in
March 20, 2013 Read Full Article
Team Up for Energy Victory
by Col. Bill Holmberg (ret.) (American Council On Renewable Energy) “Up with octane, down with aromatics, and embrace the needs of people and nature,” says ACORE’s legendary biomass guru. But less freak-out, more reach-out is needed, he cautions. ...However, certain forces
February 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Rodney Hailey Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison for Selling $9 Million in Fraudulent Renewable Fuel Credits
(Environmental Protection Agency) Owner of “Clean Green Fuel” falsely claimed his company produced 23 million gallons of renewable fuel U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Rodney R. Hailey, of Perry Hall, Md., today to nearly 12 years and six
February 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Industry Groups Appeal High-Ethanol Fuel Case to Supreme Court
by Ben Goad (The Hill Reg Watch) A coalition of industry groups asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to reconsider a lower court’s finding in favor of the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2011 decision to allow sales of the high-ethanol
February 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Can Fossil-Fuel Tax Benefits Boost the Renewable Energy Industry?
by Dan Haugen (Midwest Energy News) By organizing as a type of partnership instead of a corporation, companies that extract, process or transport “depletable” natural resources have been exempt from corporate income taxes. That word — “depletable” — specifically excludes renewable
February 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Stakeholders Must Be Ready to Challenge Attacks on the RFS
(25 x '25) ... A federal court decision last week that set aside EPA’s volumetric requirement for cellulosic biofuel under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was excessively characterized this week by the oil industry and others – including many in
February 01, 2013 Read Full Article
Is Reduction of Our Dependence on Foreign Oil Just Talk?
(National Algae Association) Is the government’s commitment to alternative fuels being stymied by the American Petroleum Institute, or is the Department of Energy stymying the commitment all by itself? The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia recently canceled
January 29, 2013 Read Full Article
Court Strikes Down Cellulosic Biofuel Mandate - Finds EPA Exceeded Statutory Authority
(American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers/PR NewsWire/Yahoo!) In a decision that questions the motivation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit today vacated EPA's 2012 cellulosic biofuel mandate, concluding that its biased forecast was in 'excess of the agency's statutory authority.' "The
January 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Court Rules against Big Oil in Dispute over Ethanol Blend
(FuelFix) Despite protests from the oil industry, a federal appeals court on Tuesday refused to allow a challenge to an Environmental Protection Agency decision encouraging more ethanol to be blended into gasoline. The American Petroleum Institute, AAA and food producers, including
January 16, 2013 Read Full Article
API Lawsuit on 2011 Cellulosic RFS Volumes Dismissed by Court
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On Dec. 17, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit dismissed a lawsuit filed by the American Petroleum Institute against the U.S. EPA. The petition was related to the
December 20, 2012 Read Full Article
U.S. States Threaten Lawsuit against EPA over Regulations
by Andrew Hay (Reuters) A coalition of seven eastern states led by New York plans to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to issue new guidelines to curb methane emissions, a greenhouse gas that may be linked to
December 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Group to Sue EPA to Force U.S. Carbon Rules for Transport
by Valerie Volcovici (Chicago Tribune/Reuters) A policy reform group plans to issue a notice on Wednesday informing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that it will file a lawsuit to force the agency to use federal rules to cap and charge
December 03, 2012 Read Full Article
API Files Suit against US EPA for 2013 Biodiesel Usage Increase
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) The American Petroleum Institute filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Nov. 26 against the U.S. EPA for its decision to mandate the use of 1.28 billion gallons
November 28, 2012 Read Full Article
The Information Source for Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles
(US Department of Energy) The Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) provides information, data, and tools to help fleets and other transportation decisions makers find ways to reduce petroleum consumption through the use of alternative and renewable fuels, advanced vehicles, and
November 27, 2012 Read Full Article
California Defends Greenhouse Gas Regulation for Fuels
by Rory Carroll (Reuters) California attorneys advocating for a program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fuels came under stern questioning from a three-judge panel on Tuesday (October f16, 2012), in a case that threatens a key component of the
October 24, 2012 Read Full Article
California Greenhouse Gas Rules Face Major Court Test
by Howard Mintz (Mercury News) Having fended off a challenge to groundbreaking emissions standards for new cars, California now finds itself in a legal tug-of-war to preserve some of its unprecedented regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of fuels. The 9th
October 16, 2012 Read Full Article
Requests to Waive the Renewable Fuel Standard in the Aftermath of the 2012 Heat Wave and Drought
by Ned Stowe (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) In the wake of the devastating heat wave and drought which covered much of the United States this year, it has become clear that there will be less corn available on the market
September 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuel Groups Intervene to Defend EPA’s Advanced and Cellulosic Biofuel Targets
(Renewable Fuels Association) Seven biofuel organizations today filed an intervenors brief in the American Petroleum Institute case against the Environmental Protection Agency challenging the 2012 cellulosic and advanced biofuel requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The groups are defending EPA's
September 05, 2012 Read Full Article
Specialty Equipment Market Association Slams Ethanol
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), has slammed ethanol saying it opposes the use of E15 based on scientific evidence that it causes corrosion with incompatible parts. ...The court has ruled in favor of E15 and now SEMA is spearheading
August 28, 2012 Read Full Article
Court Ruling Paves Way for E15 Gas Use
by Robert Pore (The Grand Island Independent) Higher ethanol blend could be used by nearly two-thirds of vehicles on road On Friday, the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its
August 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Butamax Granted Biobutanol DHAD Enzyme Patent 8,241,878; Files Additional Lawsuit against Gevo for Patent Infringement
(Butamax) Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels, LLC, the biobutanol technology leader, announced today the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted Butamax™ Patent Number 8,241,878. This patent provides early protection for high activity enzymes that perform a key a step in the pathway
August 15, 2012 Read Full Article
Court: Gevo Again Free to Sell Isobutanol into Auto Fuels Market
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A little more than a month after a temporary court order prohibited Gevo from selling bio-isobutanol into the automotive fuels market, the company announced Aug. 13 that the order has been reversed in federal
August 14, 2012 Read Full Article
Gevo Sues Butamax, DuPont and BP for Infringement of New Patent
(Gevo/Reuters) Gevo, Inc. has been awarded an additional patent covering further improvements in the efficiency of bio-based production of isobutanol. The new patent extends Gevo's lead over competitors in technological innovations that enable commercially viable production of bio-based isobutanol at
July 31, 2012 Read Full Article
Butamax™ Responds to Gevo Biobutanol Patent Infringement Lawsuit
(Butamax(TM)/PR NewsWire) Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels, LLC, the biobutanol technology leader, commented on the lawsuit filed by Gevo today alleging patent infringement of Gevo patent number 8,232,089. "The Gevo '089 patent adds no new point of novelty over previous Butamax discoveries. As
July 31, 2012 Read Full Article
API Files Lawsuit Against EPA For Mandating The Use Of Nonexistent Biofuels
(Oil and Gas Online) The American Petroleum Institute (API) filed a lawsuit with the D.C. Circuit Court late yesterday challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) mandated use of nonexistent cellulosic biofuels in the 2011 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). “EPA’s unattainable and
July 27, 2012 Read Full Article
BIO Says Petroleum Refining Organizations Lying to Congress in Anti-Renewable Fuel Standard Campaign
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, Brent Erickson, executive vice president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s (BIO) Industrial & Environmental Section, said, “Petroleum refining industry organizations are engaging in a misguided and misleading anti-Renewable Fuel Standard campaign, going so
July 23, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Commends Court for RFS Ruling
by Growth Energy/Renewable Fuels Association (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...(T)he U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected a petition by the Chicken Council challenging the U.S. EPA rulemaking on the renewable fuel standard (RFS2). The Renewable Fuels Association
July 23, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuel Groups File Petition in Oil Lawsuit
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) Six biofuel industry organizations have jointly petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and the Western States
July 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Fraud Cases Leave Biodiesel Industry Reeling
by Timothy B. Wheeler (The Baltimore Sun) Biodiesel producers told a congressional panel Wednesday that they're struggling to stay afloat in the aftermath of fraud cases uncovered in Baltimore and Texas, and a spokesman for petroleum refiners faulted the Environmental Protection
July 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Gevo v. Butamax: Judge Denies Injunction Request
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The latest chapter is near closure on the butanol patent dispute between Gevo Inc. and Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC. In an opinion filed June 19, U.S. District Judge Sue Robinson denied Butamax’s request for a preliminary injunction.
June 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Who Shall Dare: Biobutanol and the Intrepid Ethanol Producer
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Declining ethanol margins and plant idlings; ethanol price gloom; controversy over RFS2 targets. Despair? Bah! It all spells “opportunity” for the intrepid ethanolista. This week in biofuels, two storylines that have been gaining a lot
June 22, 2012 Read Full Article
USDA Deregulates GMO Sugar Beets -- Again
by Mateusz Perkowski (Capital Press) The USDA has decide to again fully deregulate genetically engineered sugar beets that are resistant to glyphosate herbicides. The agency has found that the crop doesn't pose a plant pest risk and thus shouldn't be subject
June 05, 2012 Read Full Article
EPA Denies Oil's Request to Waive Cellulosic RFS, Lawsuit Pending
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA officially denied the petroleum industry’s request to retroactively waive the 2011 cellulosic biofuel volume requirements under the renewable fuel standard (RFS) on May 22, noting that the issues raised in the
June 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Case No. 3: EPA Issues Green Diesel Violation for 60M Bad RINs
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) The U.S. EPA issued a Notice of Violation to Houston-based Green Diesel LLC April 30 for generating more than 60 million invalid biomass-based diesel (D-Code 4) renewable identification numbers (RINs) under the federal renewable fuel
May 02, 2012 Read Full Article
E15 Gas Brings Conflict to Pumps
by David Shaffer (Star Tribune) A new blend of ethanol and gasoline may soon show up at the gas station pumps -- along with mixed messages on whether it's safe to put it in your vehicle. Motorists driving up to pumps
April 30, 2012 Read Full Article
California Wins Temporary Reinstatement of Carbon Fuel Standard
By Karen Gullo and Lynn Doan (Bloomberg) California won temporary reinstatement of its low-carbon fuel standard, which was blocked last year by a federal judge. The U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco yesterday granted a request by California officials to put on hold the Dec.
April 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Trading Firm Sues US EPA over Biofuel Credit Scam
by Ayesha Rascoe (Reuters) * Company registered with EPA sold fake credits * Exxon, Shell, others cited for using invalid credits * Trading firm says EPA did not do due diligence A trading company ensnared in the fallout from massive fraud uncovered in
April 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Butamax and Gevo: Bio’s Montagues and Capulets Get It On, and On, and On
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Here’s a 2-Minute Guide to all the Gevo and Butamax hollerin’, and how to separate the alcohol from the folderol. In case it has escaped your attention, Butamax is suing Gevo and Gevo is suing Butamax.
April 17, 2012 Read Full Article
US Biofuel Groups Back EPA in Legal Challenge of Renewable Fuels Rule
(Platts) Six renewable fuel trade associations have filed a motion in federal court to intervene in support of the US Environmental Protection Agency, which is being sued by a major oil and gas trade group over rules requiring the use
April 10, 2012 Read Full Article
US Group Files Suit against Federal Cellulosic Ethanol Mandate
A US energy industry group on Monday said it has filed suit to challenge the federal government’s mandate for US cellulosic ethanol consumption, charging that it is unrealistic and constitutes an illegitimate tax. The American Petroleum Institute (API) said that it filed a petition for review in
March 13, 2012 Read Full Article
USPTO Director Issues Final Decision Denying Gevo Reexamination Petition; Second Request for Reexamination Granted in Error
(PR NewsWire/Butamax) Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels, LLC, the leading biobutanol technology company, commented on two rulings issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in response to Gevo's repeated requests to reexamine Butamax Patent 7,851,188 ('188 patent). This patent is
March 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol, Farm Groups File Brief Supporting Court-Ordered Injunction on California LCFS
(Renewable Fuels Association) A coalition of national ethanol groups, along with California and Midwest farming groups, filed a brief urging the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a court-ordered injunction on the California Air Resource Board’s low-carbon fuel
March 05, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Report on RFS Challenge
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) ...(Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob) Dinneen says the environmental groups’ challenge to the RFS was much broader based than the poultry groups’ challenge, including that EPA had not taken into account the “global rebound effect”
February 14, 2012 Read Full Article
Controversial Wood-to-Ethanol Plant May Finally Get under Way in Upper Peninsula
by Katherine Yung (Detroit Free Press) After a lengthy delay, construction of what could be the nation's first large-scale wood-to-ethanol plant in the country is to start this year in Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula. If successful, the $232-million biorefinery in Kinross
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
California to Appeal Ruling against Fuel Standard
(Equipment World) States considering a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) will be watching the federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to see if it will overturn a lower court’s decision that California’s LCFS is unconstitutional. The appellate court has set an April 16
February 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Butamax™ Refutes Unfounded Allegations of Infringement
(Butamax) Butamax(TM) Advanced Biofuels, LLC, the biobutanol technology leader, responded to the latest lawsuit filed by Gevo, Inc. related to isobutanol flash fermentation technology. "Let us state emphatically, Butamax does not infringe the generic product separation technology claims in Gevo's recent
January 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Judge Denies Petition to Implement California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill denied the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) motion to stay the decision he issued on December 29, 2011 that had halted the enforcement of the California’s Low Carbon Fuel
January 24, 2012 Read Full Article
US Federal Court Issues Injunction against California Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Jim Lane and Todd Guerrero (Biofuels Digest/Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.) Us federal judge rules that California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard interferes with the “maintenance of a national economic union unfettered by state-imposed limitations on interstate commerce.” Today, we look
December 30, 2011 Read Full Article
USPTO to Re-Examine One Butamax Patent in Gevo-Butamax Dispute
by Megan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Colorado, Gevo Inc. announced the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is reconsidering a patent issued in August to Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC for a fuel additive. Gevo claims that, “substantial questions exist regarding whether others
November 29, 2011 Read Full Article
EPA May Deem More Biodiesel RINs as Invalid over Alleged Fraud: Lawyer
(Platts) The US Environmental Protection Agency may end up deeming more biodiesel renewable identification numbers (RINs) as invalid following federal investigations into two companies that allegedly sold RINS without producing the appropriate volumes of biodiesel, a lawyer familiar with the
November 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Industry Pleased with Supreme Court Decision
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear a case brought by petroleum interests against the Environmental Protection Agency over the expanded Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2). The petition made by the National Petrochemical Refiners Association (NPRA) and the
November 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Groups Challenge 15% Ethanol Rules and Label
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) Groups representing small engine, automakers and marine manufacturers announced a formal legal challenge to regulations and labeling proposed for the use of 15% ethanol blends (E15) in older model vehicles. The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) and other organizations object
September 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Lawsuit: Ethanol Production Threatens America's Vanishing Grasslands
by Kathleen Ryan (Public News Service) The search for ethanol is devastating one of America's vanishing ecosystems. That's the claim in a new lawsuit filed by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). It accuses the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of failing
April 27, 2011 Read Full Article
Court Rejects Refiners' Challenge to EPA Biodiesel Blending Rules
by Jenny Mandel (New York Times/Greenwire) An appeals court rejected a challenge today (December 21, 2010) by petroleum industry groups to U.S. EPA's biodiesel blending requirements, in a move affirming the agency's implementation of the renewable fuel standard (RFS2). A three-judge panel of