by Byron Dorgan (Arent Fox LLP/National Biodiesel Board/The Hill) ... A recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report released to Congress on the environmental and resource conservation impacts of biofuel production deliberately misses the mark because of what it excludes. The EPA authors note that
land use
Back TO HOMEBiofuels and the Environment: Second Triennial Report to Congress
(Environmental Protection Agency) This report is the second of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) triennial reports to Congress required under the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA). EISA Section 204 calls for EPA to report to Congress on the environmental
July 02, 2018 Read Full Article
Investigation into U.S. Renewable Fuels Policies Finds “Green” Biodiesel Producers Driving Massive Deforestation
(MIghty Earth) A new investigation, “Burned: Deception, Deforestation, and America’s Biodiesel Policy” by the organizations Mighty Earth and ActionAid USA has found that biodiesel is not the environmentally friendly, “green” fuel claimed by industry producers. On-the-ground investigators documented bulldozing, burning and
June 27, 2018 Read Full Article
Ethanol Discussion Needs to Be Based on Facts
by David Kessel (Marin Independent Journal) ... Discussions on energy use and production are important, but need to be based on factual information, not made up red herrings. • The articles state the intent was to increase renewable fuels. Not mentioned
June 25, 2018 Read Full Article
Is the EU Killing the Magic Plant? The Emerging International Consensus on Low Carbon Fuels Takes Center Stage in (Spite of) Brussels
by Steve Bi* (Advanced Biofuels USA) At one of a series of bioenergy conferences in Brussels, April 10-12, 2018, some combination of hearty guffaws, inward chuckles and solemn nods greeted the predictable but well-delivered punchline from Miguel Ivan Lacerda de
April 25, 2018 Read Full Article
Commentary: Biofuels Are Driving US Growth
by Jim Talent (Tribune News Service/Madison.com/Americans for Energy Security and Innovation) ... Biofuels are a target because they supply a full 10 percent of America’s motor fuel, and every extra gallon increases competition at the fuel pump, holding down prices
April 02, 2018 Read Full Article
What Happens On The Edges Of Cities When Farmland Gives Way To Development
by Amy Mayer & Erica Hunzinger (Harvest Public Media) ... Since 1980, the amount of land being farmed or grazed in the U.S. has dropped 13 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Much of it now is covered
March 30, 2018 Read Full Article
Questions Raised over EU’s Proposed Advanced Biofuels List
by Sarantis Michalopoulos (EurActiv) Not all second-generation biofuels listed by the European Commission are sustainable, critics warn, urging policymakers to use the indirect land use change (ILUC) factor to “clean up” the list. The Commission’s proposed revision of the Renewable Energy Directive
March 20, 2018 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
John Abraham, in an article in The Guardian, notes, "Biofuels can help solve climate change, especially with a carbon tax -- We’re not yet optimizing biofuel production for both economic and environmental factors." And, "If society is willing to pay a
March 15, 2018 Read Full Article
Biofuels Can Help Solve Climate Change, Especially with a Carbon Tax
by John Abraham (The Guardian) Biofuels can help solve climate change, especially with a carbon tax -- We’re not yet optimizing biofuel production for both economic and environmental factors ... These are great starts but we will still need some liquid fuels and for those,
March 15, 2018 Read Full Article
Neste's Human Rights Program Making Gradual Impacts on Labor Issues within the Palm Oil Industry
(Neste Corporation) ... In order to truly have impacts in human rights, we have started identifying potential human rights issues and put in motion a plan to manage the associated risks, particularly in our palm oil supply chain. Engagement to ensure capacity
March 13, 2018 Read Full Article
Algae Could Be Major New Food Source, Major New Industry
by Richard A. Lovett (Cosmos) Could green microorganisms be the geoengineering fix the world's needs? -- ... Not only can these fast-growing single-celled plants provide biomass for carbon-neutral fuels, they can provide animal feeds and high-quality protein supplements for a human population
February 27, 2018 Read Full Article
NGT Notice to MoEF, Assam on NRL's Bio-Ethanol Project
by PTI, Guwahati (India TV) Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) will utilise bamboo as main biomass for producing bioethanol under the project at Owguri Chapori village in Golaghat (Assam). ... The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by wildlife activist Rohit Choudhury seeking quashing of
February 13, 2018 Read Full Article
Sunflowers One Day, Oily Stuff the Next: Pacific Biodiesel Turns Sunflower Seeds into Oil for Cooking and Massages — in Addition to Biofuel
by Melissa Tanji (Maui News) ... Around 1,330 gallons of sunflower oil was generated from the first 14-acre field farmed by Pacific Biodiesel last year. Company founder and President Bob King said this past week that most of last year’s initial crops
February 12, 2018 Read Full Article
Biomass Data-Management System Launches in Alberta
(Silvacom/Canadian Biomass Magazine) Silvacom Ltd. and Alberta Innovates are pleased to announce that the Bio-Resource Information Management System (BRIMS) is now available for public use. BRIMS is a world-class, publicly available data and information management system that collates inventories from forestry, agriculture, and municipal
February 02, 2018 Read Full Article
Global Grain Production Mainly Used For Food, Not Fuel
(Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) There’s no shortage of food in the world because of biofuel production, a new report says. A new report from the Union For The Promotion Of Oil And Protein Plants E.V, a Germany-based trade association for biofuels and grain farmers,
January 30, 2018 Read Full Article
Despite EU Palm Oil Ban, Biofuel Problems Will Continue
(Deutsche Welle) Members of the European Parliament have rejected an attempt to phase out support for crop-based biofuels. So what's next in the food versus fuel debate? -- ... The legislative shift, set to take effect in 2020, won't actually change much
January 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Play it Conservative
by Art Cullen (The Storm Lake Times) ... Markets and Nature are so large, and the Iowa budget is so small. We would be better off to leave water quality funding — that is, writing a big fat check to farm
January 08, 2018 Read Full Article
Nutrition, Energy from Methane: The Digest’s 2017 Muti-Slide Guide to Calysta
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In December, we reported that Cargill and Calysta will co-create the world’s largest gas fermentation facility in Memphis, Tennessee to produce Calysta’s FeedKind protein, a family of sustainable, traceable nutritional ingredients for fish, livestock and pets. Start-up is
December 28, 2017 Read Full Article
Editorial: Keep Biofuel Benefits Flowing
(Wisconsin State Journal) ... A study conducted for the U.S. Agriculture Department found corn ethanol’s life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, by 2022, will be 43 percent lower than gasoline baseline emissions if ethanol plants continue as usual. If ethanol production makes improvements with available
December 27, 2017 Read Full Article
Fish, Wildlife & Bioenergy: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to Sustainable Impacts on Fish and Wildlife Habitats
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is working with bioenergy industries and leaders to assist them in the sustainable development of bioenergy that includes our fish and wildlife resources, in the quest towards sustainable bioenergy
December 12, 2017 Read Full Article
Brazilian Ethanol Can Replace 13.7 Percent of World's Crude Oil Consumption
( São Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP/EurekAlert!) Expansion of sugarcane cultivation for biofuel in areas not under environmental protection or reserved for food production could also reduce global emissions of carbon dioxide by up to 5.6%, according to a study by
November 30, 2017 Read Full Article
Results of UW-Madison Study on Carbon Emissions Disputed
by Carol Spaeth-Bauer (Wisconsin State Farmer) A University of Wisconsin-Madison study released on Nov. 15 has officials in the ethanol industry frustrated, disputing the methodology of the study saying the claims of the study are not supported by fact. The study showed a shift of
November 29, 2017 Read Full Article
Harvesting the Sun for Power and Produce: Agrophotovoltaics Increases the Land Use Efficiency by over 60 Percent
(University of Hohenheim) Until now, acreage was designated for either photovoltaics or photosynthesis, that is, to generate electricity or grow crops. An agrophotovoltaics (APV) pilot project near Lake Constance, however, has now demonstrated that both uses are compatible. Dual use of
November 29, 2017 Read Full Article
Divided on Biofuel Phase-Out, Parliament Looks for Compromise
by Paola Tamma (EurActiv) The lawmaker in charge of steering the EU’s biofuels reform in the European Parliament is looking for compromise after MEPs last week rejected his proposal to phase out crop-based biofuels entirely by 2030 and ban palm oil in
November 15, 2017 Read Full Article
Expansion of Sugarcane Ethanol in Brazil Could Cut GHG Emissions
by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A massive expansion of land use for sugar cane growth in Brazil, and a subsequent increase in ethanol production with the feedstock could reduce global carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation sector by up to
November 08, 2017 Read Full Article
Shift to Sustainable Food System in Europe Is Possible, but Faces Challenges
(European Environment Agency) Making Europe’s production, consumption and trade in food environmentally sustainable is possible, but it will require a major shift in public attitudes, policies and knowledge and seizing current opportunities for change, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA)
October 19, 2017 Read Full Article
Biofuels International 2017 Conference in Edinburgh - A Peek into EU’s Biofuel Industry and Policy Outlook
by Aino Siirala* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The 10th Biofuels International Conference and Expo took place in Edinburgh this year. The conference was co-located with Bioenergy Insight 2017 conference which gave the participants an opportunity to attend both events at the
October 16, 2017 Read Full Article
Parliament Debate Debunks Misconceptions on #Biodiesel Carbon Savings and Benefits
(EU Reporter) Ahead of key votes on the post-2020 EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) in the ITRE, ENVI and TRAN Committees of the European Parliament (EP), EU Biodiesel Chain held a debate in Strasbourg aimed at countering misperceptions on biofuels
October 06, 2017 Read Full Article
Academic Study: Biodiesel Benefits Under-Valued for Years
(National Biodiesel Board) A new academic paper published in Biotechnology for Biofuels shows biodiesel’s benefits are even better than previous models suggest. Updated modeling from Purdue University suggests the advantage of using biodiesel has been underestimated by 10 percent. “This latest research verifies
August 30, 2017 Read Full Article
Solar Plants Take Root on Farms
by Jeremy Deaton (Nexus Media) ... Many are leasing their fields to solar developers in need of flat land clear of trees and other obstructions. This practice has become so popular that the Solar Energy Industries Association published a guide for landowners. Recently, former president
August 22, 2017 Read Full Article
EU’s Biofuels U-Turn Is Final Nail in Coffin of Irish Sugar
by Dick Roche (Irish Examiner) When it was enacted in 2009, the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive was seen as a progressive step towards meeting Europe’s climate change targets .... -- The directive — which provided that by 2020 at least
August 07, 2017 Read Full Article
Marginal Lands for Growing Industrial Crops – Turning a Burden into an Opportunity
(Bio-based News) U research project MAGIC kicks off -- On 4-5 July 2017, the 25 partners involved in the EU funded research project MAGIC held their kick-off meeting at the Copa-Cogeca secretariat in Brussels. Led by the Greek Centre for
August 03, 2017 Read Full Article
Biofuel Potential in Southeast Asia: Raising Food Yields, Reducing Food Waste and Utilising Residues
(International Renewable Energy Agency) Southeast Asia has considerable resources to produce liquid biofuels sustainably, using biomass feedstocks that would not cause carbon-dioxide emissions or interfere with food supply. Fulfilling the region’s biofuel potential would depend on increased residue collection from food
July 25, 2017 Read Full Article
Major New UK Report Argues Biofuels, Especially Second Generation, Are Needed to Mitigate Climate Change
(Biofuels International) Biofuels are needed to meet the UK’s commitments to mitigating climate change, according to a new report requested by the county's government. Second generation biofuels, made from wastes and by-products of other sectors, will be especially important according to
July 20, 2017 Read Full Article
Regulating the Indirect Land Use Carbon Emissions from Biofuels Imposes High Hidden Costs on Fuel Consumers
(Phys.Org/ University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) ... To penalize the carbon emissions from this so-called indirect land use change, the USEPA and California Air Resources Board include an indirect land use change factor when considering the carbon savings with biofuels for
June 28, 2017 Read Full Article
ALTERNATE ENERGY: Ethanol: It’s Just Plain Corny
by James Bobreski (Finger Lakes Times) ... Ethanol is the alcohol in our beer that we enjoy at a ball game, a party or after a long day at work. In this author’s opinion that’s where it belongs. Using food products as
June 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Corn Better Used as Food than Biofuel, Study Finds
(Phys.Org/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Corn is grown not only for food, it is also an important renewable energy source. Renewable biofuels can come with hidden economic and environmental issues, and the question of whether corn is better utilized as
June 21, 2017 Read Full Article
RFS Has Been ‘Tremendous Success’ Since Adoption, According to RFA Analysis
by Emily Druckman (Renewable Fuels Association) More than a decade after the original renewable fuel standard (RFS) was signed into law, tremendous progress has been made toward its goals of energy security, clean air and boosting local economies, according to
June 07, 2017 Read Full Article
A New Research and Innovation Project Will Foster Europe-Brazil Cooperation on Advanced Lignocellulosic Biofuels
(BECOOL/AltEnergyMag) A new Horizon 2020 project will foster cooperation between Europe and Brazil in the development of advanced biofuels from sustainable agricultural value chains, based on lignocellulosic biomass. Coordinated by the University of Bologna, Department of Agricultural Sciences, the four-year
June 05, 2017 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Agrisoma
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The production of Agrisoma’s Resonance Carinata is being expanded to multiple locations globally to provide a supply of sustainable, non-food oils for meeting the demand for sustainable biofuels. Resonance Carinata is certified sustainable by the
May 08, 2017 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Think of it as 100+ acres of energy storage and carbon sequestration,” said Kelly King, Vice President and Co-Founder of Pacific Biodiesel and recently inaugurated member of the Maui County Council. “There are 36,000 acres of fertile sugar cane lands
May 01, 2017 Read Full Article
Uncovering The Gas Roots of Contemporary Ethanol Opposition
by Marc J. Rauch (The Auto Channel) ... Faced with some actual governmental actions that were detrimental to gasoline/diesel dominance, instead of the virtual carte blanche pro-petroleum fuel policies that they usually receive from the government, the petroleum oil industry is
April 26, 2017 Read Full Article
City Donates Land to Lure Kwik Star Project
by Tim Jamison (The Courier) The city is donating land and extending sewer in the Martin Road business park to lure a new biodiesel fuel blending facility. Waterloo City Council members voted unanimously Monday to approve a development agreement with Kwik
April 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Letter: Diversify Michigan Energy
by Bruce Dale (Detroit News) Regarding “Renewable Fuel Standard has failed, April 16,” Prof. Wolfram has failed to do his homework. The corn grown to make ethanol is not the same as sweet corn we eat. Field corn is used for
April 25, 2017 Read Full Article
Indonesia Labels EU Palm Oil Resolution ‘Discriminative’ and ‘Protectionist’
by Daryl Worthington (Biofuels International) Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denounced the European Parliament Resolution on Palm Oil and Deforestation of Rainforests, describing it as ‘discriminative’. In addition, the ministry claims the EU decision was based on “inaccurate and unaccountable
April 13, 2017 Read Full Article
Biotechnology: Disrupting the Global Asset Classes of National Security
by Jim Lane (BiofuelsDigest) ... For any society, an even more perfect class of technology assets would allow us to move in either direction — perfect convertibility. When energy prices are low and supply is replete, but food prices are
April 12, 2017 Read Full Article
Understanding Land Use Change – Are New Tools Needed?
by Jessie Stolark (Energy and Environmental Study Institute) Are we using the right tools to understand land use change, particularly at the local level, and how can understanding of land use change be improved? The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has been around
April 10, 2017 Read Full Article
Alliance Bio-Products, Inc. Comments on Emerging Bioethanol Market Opportunity as It Commercializes Its Cellulose to Sugar Technology Process
(Alliance Bio-Products) The company's patented CTS process presents a viable option for growing biofuel production efforts with its ability to produce cellulosic ethanol at a lower cost and without harmful environmental impact -- Alliance Bio-Products, Inc. (Bio-Products), a subsidiary of
April 05, 2017 Read Full Article
Textbook: Biofuels and Bioenergy
edited by John Love and John A. Bryant (Wiley-Blackwell) With increased public and scientific attention driven by factors such as oil price spikes, the need for increased energy security, and concerns over greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, the production
April 03, 2017 Read Full Article
In Response: Study, Article Misrepresented, Did Disservice to Ethanol
by Ashwin Raman (Duluth News Tribune/Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) I believe the March 21 story, “Habitat loss highest near ethanol plants,” did a disservice to readers because it cited a study that contains dubious and inaccurate conclusions. The study focuses on the period
March 30, 2017 Read Full Article
Fighting Misinformation One Fact at a Time
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) RFA's president and CEO highlights key facts from the organization's annual industry outlook handbook in the View from the Hill column -- ... The handbook dives into specifics, providing hard-hitting facts to
March 30, 2017 Read Full Article
New Study Links Habitat Destruction to Ethanol Production
by Jordan Lubetkin (National Wildlife Federation) Millions of acres of wildlife habitat are being lost to crop production, according to a new peer-reviewed study published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters, which found a strong link between the location
March 22, 2017 Read Full Article
A Global Synthesis of Jatropha Cultivation: Insights into Land Use Change and Management Practices
David C. Walmsley Rob Bailis, and Alexandra-Maria Klein (Environmental Science & Technology) Despite setbacks, interest in Jatropha cultivation remains high. This study addressed the question to what extent Jatropha cultivation has replaced specific vegetation and land use types and how
March 13, 2017 Read Full Article
Better Science, Better Fuels
by Stephen Rapundalo (Morning Consult/MichBio) The United States Department of Agriculture just dropped a truth bomb. According to the agency’s new landmark report, the carbon benefits associated with homegrown ethanol have far surpassed previous expectations and continue to improve thanks
February 27, 2017 Read Full Article
Cattle Pastures and Other Degraded Lands Become New Oil Palm Plantations
(Phys.Org) A new study published last week in the journal Environmental Research Letters by researchers at the University of Puerto Rico offers the first regional look at lands being converted to palm oil plantations in Latin America. Palm oil is
February 17, 2017 Read Full Article
New Research: Forcing Local Peoples off Their Lands Drives Almost Two-Thirds of Conflicts Between Companies and Local Communities in Africa
(RightsAndResources.org) Experts at Dakar event point to a significant cause of investment losses, work stoppages and violence across Africa: the failure of governments and companies to respect the land rights of indigenous and local communities Sixty-three percent of disputes related to
February 17, 2017 Read Full Article
Ethanol and Biofuel Policies
by Nicolas Loris (DownsizingGovernment.org/The Heritage Foundation) ... The problem is not with the voluntary use of biofuels in the marketplace, but rather policies that mandate and subsidize biofuels. ... Congress should end its intervention in the biofuels industry. It should terminate subsidies
February 14, 2017 Read Full Article
Land-Use Change Possibly Produces More Carbon Dioxide than Assumed So Far
(Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) Climate Researchers Study Impacts of Land-use Change on Carbon Dioxide - Reforestation Is Important to Climate Protection and Species Diversity – Study in Nature Geoscience -- CO2 emissions caused by changes of land use may possibly
February 06, 2017 Read Full Article
2016 Billion-Ton Report Volume 2 Analyzes Environmental Effects
(U.S. Department of Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The 2016 Billion-Ton Report (BT16), Volume 2: Environmental Sustainability Effects of Select Scenarios from Volume 1, jointly released by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is a pioneering
January 23, 2017 Read Full Article
Competitive Enterprises Institute Wants RFS Frozen and Sunsetted
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the Competitive Enterprises Institute has put forth proposals for the next session of Congress including freezing the Renewable Fuel Standard below the blend wall while setting a sunset period for 2022. The CEI
January 13, 2017 Read Full Article
Growing Algae for Food and Biofuel Could Cut Greenhouse Emissions
(Environmental Research Web) Cultivating algae for food and biofuel could make a serious dent in our greenhouse gas emissions, as well as helping to save freshwater resources and reduce deforestation. Currently the emissions associated with land-use change and agriculture account for
January 09, 2017 Read Full Article
Bioethanol in Africa: The Case for Technology Transfer and South-South Co-operation
(International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)) Sustainable biofuels have an important role to play in Africa’s development. When biofuels such as biodiesel and bioethanol are produced and used in a sustainable way, they provide massive economic and environmental benefits. These include,
December 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Birdlife and T&E to Release Anti-Biofuel Documentary in January
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Belgium, following on from the November release of their joint publication “The Black Book of Bioenergy”, Birdlife Europe and Central Asia has again teamed with Transport & Environment on a documentary set for release
December 28, 2016 Read Full Article
Fueling Destruction: The Unintended Consequences of the Renewable Fuel Standard on Land, Water, and Wildlife
by David DeGennaro (National Wildlife Federation) Since Congress passed into law in 2005 a federal mandate to blend corn-based ethanol and other renewable fuels into conventional gasoline, the increased demand for corn – which has supplied nearly all of these mandated
December 20, 2016 Read Full Article
Commission ‘Dangerously’ Out of Touch with Reality on Biofuels
by Dick Roche (EurActiv/Pannonia Ethanol) A response delivered by Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete in the European Parliament last week demonstrates just how dangerously out of touch with reality the executive is on a policy that impacts on the lives of
December 14, 2016 Read Full Article
North America’s Grasslands Are Slowly Disappearing — And No One’s Paying Attention
by Chelsea Harvey (The Washington Post) The Great Plains lost more grassland to agriculture in 2014 than the Brazilian Amazon lost to deforestation, says a recent report from the World Wildlife Fund. And it argues that the continued expansion of cropland
December 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Reject Backward Thinking on Carbon
by Carol Werner (Environmental and Energy Study Institute/Morning Consult) ... H.R. 5180, a proposal introduced by U.S. Representative Bill Flores (R-Texas), would place a 9.7 percent cap on consumption of homegrown biofuels, rolling back 11 years of progress under the Renewable
November 07, 2016 Read Full Article
Officials: Solar Takes Farmland, Evades Fair Tax Share
by Jeremy Cox (DelmarvaNow.com) ... The measure would bar the energy projects from lands in agricultural zones. That would rob solar developers of their preferred land-use type for building. The recipe for catching rays, after all, is flat, cleared land. As board
October 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Climate's Growing Role in Presidential Race
by Anthony Adragna (Politico's Morning Energy) ... YOU BUILD ME UP: The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate released a report today that found $90 trillion in infrastructure investments will be needed over the next 15 years, and issued
October 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Indonesia’s Delusional Strategy for Reducing GHG Emissions
(International Council on Clean Transportation) ... Indonesia’s policies promoting the development of biofuels has always been portrayed as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Government officials and the oil palm industry assert that implementation of 20% biofuel blending mandate
September 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Reconciling Food Security and Bioenergy: Priorities for Action
by Keith L. Kline, Siwa Msangi, Virginia H. Dale, Jeremy Woods, Glaucia M. Souza, Patricia Osseweijer, Joy S. Clancy, Jorge A. Hilbert, Francis X. Johnson, Patrick C. McDonnell, Harriet K. Mugera (Global Change Biology Bioenergy) Understanding the complex interactions among food security, bioenergy sustainability, and resource management requires a focus
September 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Debating the Value of Ethanol as a Viable Fuel (3 Letters)
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Denver Post) Re: “EPA dodges responsibility on ethanol,” Sept. 3 editorial. The ethanol industry agrees with The Denver Post that the Environmental Protection Agency should conduct updated scientific assessments on the impacts of biofuels. In
September 12, 2016 Read Full Article
The EU Commission Has Lost the Plot on Biofuels
by Dick Roche (Biofuels Digest/Pannonia Ethanol) Just as the EU institutions were shutting up shop for the long summer break the EU Commission issued its strategy to reduce transport emissions in the post 2020 period, ‘European Strategy for low Emission Mobility’.
September 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Land-Use Change Rapidly Reducing Critical Honey Bee Habitat in Dakotas
(U.S. Geological Survey) The Northern Great Plains of North and South Dakota, which support over 40 percent of United States commercial honey bee colonies, are quickly becoming less conducive to commercial beekeeping as a result of land-use changes, according to a
August 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Boom in Oil Production Causes Bust in Prairie Sod
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) ... Mr. (Mark) Perry suggests (without any scientific support or a single citation) that ethanol expansion has somehow led to “destruction” of prairie in the Great Plains, but says not a word about the land
August 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Big Oil's Glass House
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/U.S. News and World Report) ... Indeed, it's fairly obvious that (Mark) Perry's yarn is simply intended to shift attention away from the real culprit behind destruction of prairie in the Great Plains – oil and natural
August 25, 2016 Read Full Article
CAPRi Blog: Impact of Biofuel Induced Land Corruption on Women; The Case of Chisumbanje Ethanol Project
(Collective Action and Property Rights) In this blog, Farai Mutondoro, Mary Jane Ncube, Manase Chiweshe and Derick Hamunakwadi discuss the impact of land corruption, particularly on women. The blog is informed by a case study of the Chisumbanje Ethanol Project
August 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Blog: Simplistic Argument Targets Ethanol, Again
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A recent column provides some insight into anti-ethanol stances by making a connection between beef prices, the cow herd expansion and restaurant profits, with rather breath-taking simplification. -- A recent column in Forbes from
August 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Misguided Energy Mandates Fueling Higher Prices
by Nicolas Loris (The Heritage Foundation/The Intelligencer) ... President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law and expanded it in 2007. The RFS, which originated with that act, mandates that refiners mix biofuels into America's gasoline supply,
August 15, 2016 Read Full Article
The Renewable Fuel Standard: Working as Intended?
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) ... With a potential omnibus spending package on the table this fall, the oil industry and some environmental groups have raised again the proposition of RFS reform. Two major claims made by RFS-reformers are that biofuels,
August 12, 2016 Read Full Article
In Pitting Biofuels against the Environment, Only Clear Winner Is Oil
by Jessie Stolark (The Hill/Environmental and Energy Study Institute) ... The total amount of U.S. land under production by American farmers is down-- not just over the last 50 or 100 years, but also over the last decade according to the U.S. Department of
August 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Bloomberg Gets Duped by Anti-RFS Crowd
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) Here we go again. We didn’t think it could get much worse than the Associated Press hit piece on ethanol in late 2013. But an ethanol hatchet job by Bloomberg published this week actually
August 01, 2016 Read Full Article
RFS Hearing Finds New Issues to Dig into
by Spencer Chase (Agri-Pulse) ... When it comes to land use, Colin O'Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, testified that a University of Wisconsin study had shown that 7.3 million acres of land had been brought into production between
June 27, 2016 Read Full Article
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Biodiesel (Charts and Graphs Included!)
by Jeremy Martin (Union of Concerned Scientists) Most discussions about biofuels center on ethanol, but biodiesel—a diesel-substitute made from vegetable oils and animal fats—is increasingly important as well. But where does biodiesel come from, and what does it mean for the
June 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Reconciling Food Security and Bioenergy: Priorities for Action
by Keith L. Kline, Siwa Msangi, Virginia H. Dale, Jeremy Woods, Glaucia M. Souza, Patricia Osseweijer, Joy S. Clancy, Jorge A. Hilbert, Francis X. Johnson, Patrick C. McDonnell, Harriet K. Mugera (Global Change Biology: Bioenergy) ... Understanding the nexus of food security, bioenergy sustainability, and resource management facilitates achievement of the 2030
June 15, 2016 Read Full Article
It Depends: Heard on the Floor at ABLC Feedstocks
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The headline from the event is that projects and feedstock providers are more engaged than we have seen previously — a wave of technology development that once took place with a “we’ll work out
June 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Algae & CCS: Incremental Heroes
(Algae Biomass Organization) As we noted in a recent post, Carbon Balance and Management journal published a study in late 2015 touting the emissions reduction potential of algae when used as animal feed. The authors highlight the tension between food
April 25, 2016 Read Full Article
UK Government Would Probably Abandon Biomass Policy If Not Committed to It by EU law, MPs Say
by Liz Gyekye (Biofuels International) A cross-party group of MPs has said that the UK government would probably abandon the EU’s biomass and policy if it was not committed to it by EU law. The group, part of the Environmental Audit Committee
April 19, 2016 Read Full Article
What Do We Do about Palm Oil?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In the world of fuels, Neste Oil has backed away from palm oil in order to expand in the US market on more favorable terms, with palm’s lowly status after indirect land use change modeling
April 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels, Plastics and Drugs: Is This the Future of Our Farms?
by John Vidal (The Guardian) Climate change and poor returns on wheat and dairy drive rural revolution in ‘future-proof’ agriculture -- ... In Essex, David Eagle is growing acres of sea buckthorn, a salt-tolerant plant that grows wild in Siberiacorrect and
April 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Make Haste with Waste
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... (W)hen you compare them to homogenized, uniform, high-yield, purpose-grown energy crops. residues may be queer, but they are here. Not only available, but reliable, you can count on the fact that they will not
April 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Sugar Producers Cooperative Collaborating with Comet Biorefining to Develop Agricultural Biomass Supply Chain
(Comet Biorefining) Cellulosic Sugar Producers Cooperative, an Ontario-based farmer's cooperative, confirms that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Comet Biorefining to collaborate on the development of a sustainable agricultural biomass supply chain in southwestern Ontario. Comet Biorefining
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
The Yield Dividend: 5-10X Increase in Sorghum Opening New Options for Africa?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In South Africa,, Chromatin and Zaad Holdings have entered into an alliance to produce and distribute planting seed for grain and forage sorghum throughout the African continent. In Africa, sorghum is used in the food and
April 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels from Algae: A Budding Technology Yet to Become Viable
(Phys.Org) Despite high expectations and extensive research and investment in the last decade, technological options are still in developing stages and key resources for algal growth are still too onerous for economically viable production of algal biofuels, according to a
March 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Study: Eliminating GMOs Would Take Toll on Environment, Economies
(Purdue University) Higher food prices, a significant boost in greenhouse gas emissions due to land use change and major loss of forest and pasture land would be some results if genetically modified organisms in the United States were banned, according
March 01, 2016 Read Full Article
OUR VIEW: Ethanol Supports May Have Outlived Usefulness
by Tom Dennis (Grand Forks Herald) ... What happened is that crude oil production soared in North Dakota and elsewhere around the United States. More domestic oil production means less need to import foreign oil—and it also means less need
February 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Bailout the US Shale Oil/Gas Industry or Fund Clean Sustainable Renewable Transportation? A New Way of Looking at the Options. Press Release
For Immediate Release February 12, 2016—Frederick, MD Advanced Biofuels USA correspondent Robert E. Kozak analyses the potential for a reinvigorated US shale oil/gas industry with and without government subsidies; and compares it to the potential for near-term growth of renewable sustainable clean,
February 16, 2016 Read Full Article
After the Fall: Rebuilding US Liquid Fuel Production - Invest in Our Land or the Shale Oil Fields? (Part 2 of 2)
Efforts to promote a sustainable use of natural resources are not a waste of money, but rather an investment capable of providing other economic benefits in the medium term. If we look at the larger picture, we can see that
February 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Brazil Pioneers the Rise of ‘Second Generation’ Biofuel
(Petro-Online.com) The roads of Brazil are flooded with over 36 million cars. With over 60% of vehicles running on ethanol based petrol, the environmental credentials of the country are impressive. Over the past few years, a number of innovative ‘second
December 21, 2015 Read Full Article
How Renewable Ethanol Can Be Produced Sustainably
(ePURE) ... At ePURE, the association representing European ethanol producers, we believe that renewable ethanol can play an important role in decarbonising transport. Because ethanol can be blended with petrol to run in existing engines, it is one of the ways we
December 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Tribal Partnerships Fuel Sustainable Aviation
by Stephanie Pearl (US Department of Agriculture) Alaska Airlines will conduct a demonstration flight in 2016 using 1,000 gallons of jet fuel made from forest scraps. The aviation biofuel was derived from twigs and small branches that would otherwise have been
November 26, 2015 Read Full Article
How Biofuel from Corn Stover Could Impact Grain Markets
(Farm Futures) Biofuel from stover could favor continuous corn, other production changes -- ... If technology and government support become economically viable, converting corn stover to biofuels would affect farmers' planting decisions and crop rotation practices across the Midwest. Corn
November 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Summary of Incorporating Bioenergy in Sustainable Landscape Designs Workshop Released
(US Department of Energy) BETO recently published a report summarizing the proceedings of the second Incorporating Bioenergy in Sustainable Landscape Designs Workshop, held June 24–26, 2014, in Argonne, Illinois. The workshop focused on agricultural landscapes and convened a discussion on the
August 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Shedding Light on U.S. Biofuels: The 'Food versus Fuel' Debate
by Stephanie Mercier (Ag Web) The U.S. biofuels sector marks its birth back in 1979, when Congress established a blender’s credit for ethanol as the earliest piece of federal biofuel policy as part of the Energy Tax Act of 1978 as
August 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Changing the Biomass Dialogue (The Earth Partners): The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide
(Biofuels Digest/Bloomberg) The Earth Partners, LLC restores and develops degraded lands. The company also engages in the production of biomass, which restores the land’s soil health and water resources; restoration of mined land; development of forest plantations on properties that
August 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Future Farm, Future Crop: Utopia or Dystopia? Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of 5
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As America’s farmers hit retirement age and technology options explode, what comes next? ... The average age of the US farmer reached 58.3 years in the USDA’s 2012 Census of Agriculture. For sure, farmers have been
August 10, 2015 Read Full Article
How One Farm Is Growing Food and Biofuels While Helping to Save the Environment
by Padma Nagappan (TakePart) ... Now researchers at the United States Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory think they have a solution that allows farmers to profit from growing both food and advanced biofuels while benefitting the environment. They planted willow on
July 29, 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
Scientists Study Ways to Integrate Biofuels and Food Crops on Farms
by Payal Marathe (Argonne National Laboratory) We ask a lot of the land: feed the world with crops, power the world with bioenergy, retain nutrients so they don’t pollute our water and air. To help landscapes answer these high demands,
July 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Grazing Land Has Scope for Biofuel Surge
(SciDev.net) At least 500 million hectares are available for growing biofuel crops; This is after considering rising food demand and growing urbanisation; Only up to 200 million hectares would be needed to slash fossil fuel use Converting grazing land into fields to grow
July 02, 2015 Read Full Article
European Renewable Ethanol Industry Releases Annual State of the Industry Report
(ePURE) On the occasion of its annual general assembly, the European renewable ethanol association (ePURE) has today released its annual 2015 State of the Industry Report. The annual report offers a comprehensive look at the European ethanol industry, its market and policy
June 19, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Will Steiner, General Manager, Hawaii Oil Seed Producers
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) HOSPRO is dedicated to battle the 95+% import of petroleum for energy and electricity generation by promoting the development of tree based oil seed crops. We are focusing on oil palm a proven producer in
June 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Massachusetts Senators Ask Administration to Put Moratorium on Bioenergy Until 2020
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) In a May 8 letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, Senators Markey and Warren, both Democrats from Massachusetts, question the value of bioenergy, energy sourced from cellulosic and woody material, primarily wood waste from the
May 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Bioenergy & Sustainability: Bridging the Gaps
(SCOPE) Bioenergy & Sustainability is a collective effort with contributions from 137 researchers of 82 institutions in 24 countries. The volume is the outcome of an assessment that included a meeting held at UNESCO, Paris, in December 2013. Fifty experts
May 15, 2015 Read Full Article
For Biofuels and Climate, Location Matters
(Phys.org) A new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change shows that, when looking at the production site alone, growing biofuel crops can have a significant impact on climate depending on location and crop type. The study is the
May 11, 2015 Read Full Article
New RSB Standard Proposed to Certify Low-Risk ILUC Biomass
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) It may soon be possible to certify that biomass is not only sustainably sourced, but also considered low-risk for indirect land use change (ILUC). The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials released its draft standard
May 04, 2015 Read Full Article
University of Wisconsin Study Based on Shaky Foundation of Faulty Data and Conclusions
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) A recent study published in Environmental Research Letters by authors at the University of Wisconsin uses error-prone satellite data to suggest that growth in U.S. corn and soybean production from 2008 to 2012 drove
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Plowing Prairies for Grains: Biofuel Crops Replace Grasslands Nationwide, U.S. Study Shows
(Science Daily/University of Wisconsin-Madison) Clearing grasslands to make way for biofuels may seem counterproductive, but researchers show that crops, including the corn and soy commonly used for biofuels, expanded onto 7 million acres of new land in the U.S. over
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
California's Revised LCFS Challenged: Biofuel Industry Questions Standard's Lack of Real-World Data
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Though real-world data suggest biofuel production has not led to so-called indirect land-use change, the California Air Resources Board, or CARB, continues to see ILUC as a vital part of its low-carbon fuel standard. The state's
February 18, 2015 Read Full Article
Positive Review of "Sustainable Development of Biofuels in Latin America and the Caribbean"
by Thomas N. Thompson (Biofuels Digest/U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), Washington) ... This superb collection of essays shows that Latin America is emerging as a major global producer of biofuels as countries across the region seek to leverage competitive advantages like vast
February 16, 2015 Read Full Article
A Biofuel Debate: Will Cutting Trees Cut Carbon?
by Eduardo Porter (The New York Times) Does combating climate change require burning the world’s forests and crops for fuel? ... Absent a big increase in bioenergy supplies, the climate change panel’s analysis reported, it would cost about two-thirds more, on
February 11, 2015 Read Full Article
National Academies Press Publishes "The Nexus of Biofuels, Climate Change, and Human Health"
by Robert Pool, Rapporteur; Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine; Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice; Institute of Medicine (National Academies Press) Liquid fuels are a major part of modern life. They supply energy for ground, water, and
February 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Report Based on False Assumption of Either-Or Land Use Approach
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) In the World Resources Institute (WRI) working paper, “Avoiding Bioenergy Competition for Food Crops and Land,” the authors work off the assumption that land-use decisions are used making an “either-or” approach, i.e., land can either
February 08, 2015 Read Full Article
World Resources Institute Wrong About Biofuels Impact on Land Use and the Environment
(Renewable Fuels Association) Today (January 30, 2015), the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) criticized a new report by World Resources Institute (WRI) for its false data on the environmental and land use impacts of biofuels. The report titled, ‘Avoiding Bioenergy
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
To Avoid Worst Consequences of Climate Change, Solutions Must Include Land Use Sector
(Union of Concerned Scientists) A report from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) finds that reducing emissions from the land sector must be part of a global climate solution in order to close the “emissions gap,” the difference between the
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
New CARD Study on Indirect Land Use Change
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) A new analysis of real-world land use data by Iowa State University raises serious concerns about the accuracy of models used by regulatory agencies regarding “indirect land use changes” (ILUC) attributed to biofuels production. The study, conducted
November 18, 2014 Read Full Article
UN Report Outlines Growing Biofuels Role in Developing Economies
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Biofuels now account for 1 percent of global energy use, a new report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development finds. “The State of the Biofuels Market: Regulatory, Trade and Development Perspectives” provides a
November 14, 2014 Read Full Article
Verticality: A Key Factor in the Food x Fuel Issue
by Al Costa (Global Biobusiness) ...To this end, it becomes increasingly clear that "verticality" is a key issue. This means crops which occupy little space horizontally and as much space vertically. After all, a crop is free to be
November 11, 2014 Read Full Article
How Two Small New York Towns Have Shaken up the National Fight over Fracking
by Steven Mufson (The Washington Post) The multibillion-dollar Anschutz Exploration Corp., which helped make its founder, Philip Anschutz, one of the richest men in America, filed a lawsuit three years ago against Dryden, a small town in Upstate New York. The issue: Dryden
July 03, 2014 Read Full Article
Study finds that increased corn yields and more efficient use of corn ethanol co-products will greatly decrease land needed for ethanol production
(PR NewsWire/Illinois Corn Marketing Board) Land attributable to ethanol will drop from current 25% to as little as 11% of U.S. corn acres A too common error made in reporting the amount of land used for U.S. ethanol production is to measure
June 04, 2014 Read Full Article
Addax Bioenergy Certified by Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials
(Sierra Express Media) Addax Bioenergy (SL) Limited has been fully and formally certified under the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB). This is said to quite an achievement and everyone involved has to be commended. RSB is recognized as being the
May 14, 2014 Read Full Article
Biofuels and Local Food Security: What Does the Evidence Say?
by Anna Locke and Giles Henley (Overseas Development Institute) • People worry that using crop-based biofuels to increase the volume of low-carbon fuels could worsen hunger in poor countries by pushing up global food prices and endangering local food security. • ODI research finds that
April 14, 2014 Read Full Article
ILUC and the Renewable Fuel Standard: Hard Data Appears for the First Time
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) After six years of debate — finally a database appears on actual indirect land use change. The Partners? Including Google, UNEP, Imazon, the Center for Global Development, the University of Maryland, OSFAC, the Jane Goodall
February 24, 2014 Read Full Article
Financiers of Palm Oil Must Stop Deforestation and Illegal Activity
(Friends of the Earth Europe) Illegal and harmful production of palm oil in Indonesia is continuing, reveals a new report released today by Friends of the Earth. The study concludes that voluntary guidelines, such as those established by the Round Table
November 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Integrating Place-Specific Livelihood and Equity Outcomes into Global Assessments of Bioenergy Deployment
by Felix Creutzig, Esteve Corbera, Simon Bolwig and Carol Hunsberger (IOP Science) Integrated assessment models suggest that the large-scale deployment of bioenergy could contribute to ambitious climate change mitigation efforts. However, such a shift would intensify the global competition for
October 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels Producers Hunting Foreign Fields
by Mackinnon Lawrence (Forbes) ... Companies like SG Biofuels, Ceres, and others are squarely focused on biotechnology innovation, involving complex biological modifications at the crop’s cellular and genetic level. The central focus of these efforts is the optimization of dedicated energy crops for growth
October 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Bio-Fuel Production Threatens Ghana’s Agriculture – Director
(Ghana Business News) Mr Cyril T. Quist, Brong Ahafo Regional Director of Agriculture, has said mining and biofuel production in the country posed a threat to agriculture. He said efforts at promoting sustainable food systems were in danger if current
October 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Energy Crops Could Cover Energy Demand in Surplus Agricultural Lands
(BioenergyCrops.com) A brand new study (2013) found that the projected energy demand (2035) in developing countries, can be covered with energy crops in surplus agricultural lands, then not competing with food production. The study, from the Department of Energy Technology, at Aalto
September 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Project on Bioenergy in Africa Successfully Completed
(Netzwerk Biotriebstoffe) The ERA-ARD project “Bioenergy in Africa: Opportunities and Risks of Jatropha and Related Crops” was officially closed at the end of March 2013. Within this project the coordinator published 5 Policy Briefs with the results of the project
September 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Africa: Securing Africa's Land for Shared Prosperity
by Makhtar Diop (AllAfrica) Few development challenges in Africa are as pressing and controversial as land ownership and its persistent gap between rich and poor communities. With a profound demographic shift in Africa from rural areas to the cities where half
July 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Walking Away from Biofuels Will Not Solve Concerns about Them
by Carlo Hamelinck (Euractiv.com/Ecofys) ...By effectively decreasing the ambition on biofuels, as it is currently debated in the European Parliament and the Council, we walk away from concerns without solving them. There are a few key issues in the debate that
July 05, 2013 Read Full Article
G8 under Pressure to Rethink Biofuel Mandates
(EurActiv) Leaders of the EU and their partners in the G8 nations are under mounting pressure to reconsider their support for biofuel targets amid concern that plant oil production competes with food output in poor countries. Britain, which chairs the G8 this
May 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Carbon Accounting of Forest Bioenergy: Conclusions and Recommendations from a Critical Literature Review
(European Commission Joint Research Centre Institute for Energy and Transport) In the current European energy policy framework, biogenic CO2 emissions from combustion of forest biomass used for energy and transport purposes are set to zero. Biomass is thus considered as a
March 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Myths and Facts about Bioenergy in Africa
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the Netherlands, PANGEA (Partners for Euro African Green Energy) is launching today a booklet outlining Myths and Facts about Bioenergy in Africa. The brochure is intended to demystify the manipulated data and misinformation that
March 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Estimates Reduce Amount of Additional Land Available for Biofuel Production
(American Chemical Society) Amid efforts to expand production of biofuels, scientists are reporting new estimates that downgrade the amount of additional land available for growing fuel crops by almost 80 percent. Their report appears in the ACS journal Environmental
February 28, 2013 Read Full Article
EU Biofuels Policy Still Driving the Second Scramble for Africa
(ActionAid) At a seminar on biofuels in Dublin yesterday, David Barissa, a leading expert on food security and land rights from ActionAid Kenya spoke of the litany of broken promises, rights violations and destruction which have faced poor communities in
February 15, 2013 Read Full Article
New DOE Research: RFS a Proven Economic Success with Minimal Impact on Food Prices or Land Use
(Renewable Fuels Association) A new research article published last month in the academic journal Biofuels concluded that the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is producing significant positive economic effects in the United States. According to the paper, authored by researchers at the Department of Energy’s
February 14, 2013 Read Full Article
“The Number-One Objective Is to Combat Climate Change”
by Marie-Martine Buckens (Europolitics) Interview with MEP Corinne Lepage (ALDE, France) French MEP Corinne Lepage (ALDE) was named rapporteur, in late 2012, on the controversial issue of biofuels. She prefers to call them agrofuels, in reference to the so-called ‘first-generation’ fuels made
February 12, 2013 Read Full Article
High Crop Prices Are Driving Land Use Change in the U.S. at an Increasing Environmental Cost
by Ned Stowe (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The USDA estimates that farmers in the U.S. will plant nine million more acres in corn in 2013 than they did in 2011, an increase of almost 10 percent. Over the same period,