(ResourceWise) Surging feedstock prices have pulled US renewable diesel producer margins down from recent highs. Even so, plants remain far more profitable than they were before March. According to a Prima CarbonZero analyst report, Gulf Coast producers utilizing domestic used cooking oil
Foreign Policy
Back TO HOMERollins: Stopping Shipping Emissions Fee Was ‘All Hands on Deck’ Effort for Trump Cabinet
by Zack Coleman (Politico Pro) Secretaries Wright, Rollins, Lutnick and others personally called nations to scrap a vote on carbon emissions from global shipping. -- Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Wednesday they personally called countries to push
October 24, 2025 Read Full Article
Trump Threatens to Use Tariffs to Derail Global Climate Measure: The Administration Is Escalating Its Attacks against a Carbon Tax for Shipping Emissions.
By Sara Schonhardt (E&E News Climatewire) The Trump administration is preparing to use tariffs and travel bans as reprisals against countries that support an upcoming agreement to put fees on shipping pollution. Those moves, outlined in an email to POLITICO’s E&E News,
August 19, 2025 Read Full Article
Trump Tells Countries to Ax Talks on Shipping Carbon Tax, or Else
by Fonie Mitsopoulou (Politico) The Trump administration has upended what it calls “blatantly unfair” talks to set a carbon tax on international shipping and has vowed "reciprocal measures" to shield U.S. ships from any fees, according to a letter seen by
April 10, 2025 Read Full Article
Biofuels Industry Eyes Larger RFS Volumes if Tariffs Spur Lost Exports
(Inside EPA) The biofuels sector is prepared to push for renewable fuel standard (RFS) biofuel blending volumes larger than what it sought as part of an agreement with major oil sector companies that also blend biofuels, in a scenario in which
April 09, 2025 Read Full Article
New U.S. Retaliatory Tariffs Will Impact Ag
by Carah Hart (Brownfiels Ag News) U.S. President Donald Trump says “kind, not full” retaliatory tariffs went into effect midnight for more than 50 trading partners, including China. ... The European Union has a 20 percent tariff and India has 26 percent tariff.
April 03, 2025 Read Full Article
Trump Cabinet Members Make Big Oil CEOs Look Like Climate Activists at CERAWeek
by Chris Tomlinson (Houston Chronicle) President Donald Trump’s Cabinet secretaries speaking in Houston at the world’s top energy conference made oil and gas executives look like left wing climate activists by comparison as CEOs struggled to adapt to another swing of
March 14, 2025 Read Full Article
The East African Corn Belt: Feeding and Fueling Africa’s Future
by Gerard J. Ostheimer and Douglas L. Faulkner (Biofuels Digest) The East African Corn Belt runs from South Africa, north and east through Zambia, Tanzania and into Kenya and Ethiopia (see map). We believe that this area is poised to become
March 12, 2025 Read Full Article
The East African Corn Belt: Feeding and Fueling Africa’s Future
by Gerard J. Ostheimer and Douglas L. Faulkner (Biofuels Digest) The East African Corn Belt runs from South Africa, north and east through Zambia, Tanzania and into Kenya and Ethiopia (see map). We believe that this area is poised to become
March 12, 2025 Read Full Article
What They Are Saying: Agricultural Stakeholders React to Trump's Tariffs
(U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture Democrats) Caleb Ragland, president, American Soybean Association: “Farmers are frustrated. Tariffs are not something to take lightly and ‘have fun’ with. Not only do they hit our family businesses squarely in the wallet, but they
March 06, 2025 Read Full Article
Brazil at the Helm: Steering Global Health, Climate, Finance and Innovation
by Jefferson dos Santos Estevo* (Advanced Biofuels USA) On Thursday, February 13, the BRICS member countries launched their first document outlining priorities and goals for the year 2025, in the lead-up to their 17th Summit, with Brazil holding the rotating presidency of
February 18, 2025 Read Full Article
Transformative Moments: Biofuels Policy and Trade Are Global Gamechangers
by Marcy Eckelkamp (AgWeb) When Susan Stroud talks with farmers, she focuses on a readiness for change. “We need to embrace it instead of be so resistant because we’re constantly seeing changes we go through,” she says. In her regular commentary for
February 03, 2025 Read Full Article
Oil Prices Gain as Trump Tariffs Stoke Supply Worries
by Arunima Kumar (Reuters) Brent climbs 2%, WTI up 3%; U.S. to tax oil imports from Canada at 10%; Mexican energy imports to U.S. face 25% charge; Canada, Mexico supply a quarter of crude processed by US refineries, says EIA; OPEC+ unlikely to alter plans
February 03, 2025 Read Full Article
Climate Change and Energy Transition: Paths for Rebuilding Brazilian Foreign Policy
by Jefferson Estevo, Lais Thomaz, Amanda Gondim (Journal of Geopolitics) In 2024, Brazil will hold the presidency of the G-20, which represents an opportunity to regain a leading role in its foreign policy and prioritize important issues on its agenda. Therefore, with
November 13, 2024 Read Full Article
Harris Courts Trump’s Base as Battle for Rural Vote Heats Up
by Kim Chipman, Miranda Davis, and Isis Almeida (Bloomberg) ... Biofuels Boom -- Democrats are turning Trump’s threat to repeal the IRA into a talking point. Biden’s landmark climate legislation is expected to give a boost to corn and soybean growers, with
October 09, 2024 Read Full Article
EU to Tighten Hydrogen Subsidy Rules after China Concerns
by Kate Abnett (Reuters) The European Commission is working on tighter rules to ensure EU funding for hydrogen projects benefits European companies, after local industries raised concerns over cheap Chinese imports, the EU's head of climate change policy said on Monday. The
September 05, 2024 Read Full Article
Brazil Upholds 18% Tariff on U.S. Ethanol
by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) Despite appeals from the U.S. government, ethanol exporters and importers, Brazil’s Ministry of the Economy (CAMEX) has chosen to continue its 18 percent tariff on U.S. ethanol. U.S. ethanol interests, with support from the Brazil Association of Fuel
June 19, 2024 Read Full Article
Will Making Hydrogen ‘Green’ Depend on China?
by Christian Robles (E&E News) Machinery that makes hydrogen fuel from water could become another energy technology whose production is centered in Asia. ... China leads the world in producing the essential technology for green hydrogen made from renewables: electrolyzers. The machines use
May 07, 2024 Read Full Article
Japan, Brazil Agree to Promote Biofuels and Hybrid Vehicles
Hiroyuki Akiyama and Niki Mizuguchi (Nikkei Asia) Kishida and Lula hope to cooperate more on trade and decarbonization -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vowed on Friday to deepen cooperation on decarbonization while laying out
May 06, 2024 Read Full Article
Uncovered: Italian Oil Giant’s African Biofuels Gamble Falls Short
(Transport & Environment/Clean Technica) Investigation into Eni’s projects in Kenya and the Republic of the Congo shows company is failing to produce “miracle” drought-resistant biofuels crops at scale. Italian oil giant Eni is failing to deliver on its promise to produce thousands
February 27, 2024 Read Full Article
U.S. Crop Sector Insulates Itself from World Market with Biofuels, Says Analyst
by Chuck Abbott (Successful Farming) Exports have been the lodestar of U.S. agriculture since the big Soviet grain deals of the Carter and Reagan years. One-fifth of U.S. farm production is exported. -- After decades of pursuing sales to foreign buyers, the
February 23, 2024 Read Full Article
Don’t Believe the EV Hype—For Ethanol, Stay the Course
by Doug Durante (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/South Dakota Farmers Union) Among the issues that have put a scare into the ethanol industry over the past few years, the threat of electric vehicles has received considerable attention. While threats to the RFS,
February 19, 2024 Read Full Article
Todd's Take: Has the Case for Ethanol Come Full Circle?
by Todd Hultman (DTN Progressive Farmer) ... The same day President Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 into law, spot corn was trading near $4.39 a bushel and crude oil was near $91 a barrel, not far
September 25, 2023 Read Full Article
Indonesia and Malaysia Line up against Brussels
(Biofuels International) Malaysia has thrown its weight behind Indonesia’s rebuke of the EU’s Deforestation Regulation. Indonesia’s President Jokowi and Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim declared their position during the first meeting of the two leaders on January 9, stating that they “agreed
January 19, 2023 Read Full Article
ABFA Supports Greater American Energy Independence
(Advanced Biofuels Association/Biodiesel Magazine) Michael McAdams, president of the Advanced Biofuels Association, on Oct. 5 issued the following statement in response to announced OPEC+ production cuts: “Today, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia announced its largest oil production cut since
October 12, 2022 Read Full Article
Corn Leader Says Ethanol Can Easily Displace Russian Imports
(Brownfield Ag News) A Wisconsin corn grower who also works to promote more ethanol use says the return of the summertime E15 waiver is good news for everyone. Tom Gillis is on the Wisconsin Corn Board and the NCGA Ethanol Action
April 14, 2022 Read Full Article
It’s Time to Harness Full Range of Economic, National and Energy Security, Public Health and Environmental Solutions Renewable Fuels Can Provide
(Solutions from the Land) ... Unfortunately, he has ignored a widely available, less expensive source of clean transportation fuel – biofuels, like ethanol – that could help ease those prices and supply concerns. Russian oil represents only 2 percent of all U.S.
April 07, 2022 Read Full Article
House Bill Bans Russian Oil, Increases Access to US Biofuels
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Reps. Angie Craig, D-Minn.; Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa; Cheri Bustos, D-Ill.; and Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, on March 21 introduced the Home Front Energy Independence Act, a bill that aims to expand access to biofuels and ban
March 22, 2022 Read Full Article
Commodity Group Leaders Push for Expanded Use of Biofuels
by Daniel Grant (Farm Week Now) While the U.S. scrambles to fill the void in the oil market created by the ban of Russian imports, commodity group leaders believe the solution is closer to home than Venezuela or Saudi Arabia. “If ever
March 15, 2022 Read Full Article
Grassley and Ernst Call on Biden to Unleash Iowa Biofuel Immediately as Gas Prices Hit Record High, U.S. Bans Russian Oil
(Office of Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)) Iowa senators introduce bipartisan legislation to open up the use of clean, American-made renewable fuels that are available right now to replace banned Russian oil -- As gas prices hit all-time record highs, Sens. Chuck Grassley
March 09, 2022 Read Full Article
Ukraine: Can America Solve the Crisis with a Flood of Exported Oil?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A Digest editorial “U.S. exports limit price increases and help check disruptive behavior by the likes of Russia and Iran,” says the headline in the Wall Street Journal this evening, from a new column by Dan Yergin. “The shock absorber
February 15, 2022 Read Full Article
Choosing America’s Farm Fields Over OPEC Oil Fields
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The key to cleaner and more affordable energy for American consumers lies not in the oil fields of Saudi Arabia and Russia, but in the farm fields of our nation's heartland. Our
September 21, 2021 Read Full Article
The United States Is Still too Reliant on Oil
by Varsha Koduvayur (CNN Business Perspectives/Foundation for Defense of Democracies) ... While the global decline in oil prices will certainly cause pain for both Saudi Arabia and Russia, its impact on US oil producers, especially many of the smaller shale producers,
March 17, 2020 Read Full Article
As Iran Crisis Drives Oil Prices Higher, Ethanol Delivers Relief at the Pump
(Renewable Fuels Association) Tensions in the Middle East have inflamed global oil markets, sending Brent crude oil futures over $70 per barrel and pushing U.S. gasoline futures to a nine-month high. Analysts expect these gas price increases to reach the pump
January 08, 2020 Read Full Article
Producer Says Middle East Tension Shows Why U.S. Should Focus on Ethanol
by Larry Lee (Brownfield Ag News) An ethanol producer says events in the Middle East are again showing why home-grown renewable fuel is good for America. Erik Huschitt with Badger State Ethanol of Monroe, Wisconsin tells Brownfield the sudden rise in
January 06, 2020 Read Full Article
Full Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Hearing on Minerals and Clean Energy Technologies
(Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources) Opening Statement Hearing to Examine the Minerals Needed for Clean Energy Senator Lisa Murkowski -- ... Minerals are the fundamental building blocks for any modern technology, whether they are light bulbs or computers