by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... So, how fast did petroleum expand production, in comparison to low-carbon renewable fuels? ... One thing is clear, renewable fuels are moving fast, by comparison. From 1866 through 1899 (a year when negative attention on the
oil prices
Back TO HOMEWill Oil Prices Rebound in 2016?
by Nick Cunningham (OilPrice.com) Oilprice.com recently spoke with Carl Larry, Director of Oil and Gas at Frost & Sullivan, a consultancy that conducts research on oil and gas markets, to get his thoughts on the state of oil in 2016. ... OPEC
January 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Faced with Cheap Oil Prices, Biofuels Industry Sees No Déjà Vu
(Reuters/Business Times) Ethanol producers may feel less pain from sinking oil prices than in previous tough times, as a government rule ensures a minimum use of the biofuel and recent consolidation gives them both financial strength and output flexibility. Oil prices
January 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Launch of the Great Green Fleet
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) $2.05 per gallon for drop-in, non-food advanced biofuels blends. Who would have thought it possible a few years ago. Well, the Navy for one. Their remarkable vision results in Carrier Strike Group 3 operating in a
January 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Kakira’s Ethanol Plan Takes Shape
by Isaac Khisa (The Independent) ... In the past few years, the firm (Kakira Sugar Ltd, a unit of Madhvani Group) invested heavily in expanding cane crushing and power generation. Now, the ambitious sugar plant is venturing into commercial ethanol production
January 20, 2016 Read Full Article
Upside Down Ethanol-Gas Ratio Appears to Be New Normal
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) After a decade of ethanol mostly being priced lower than gasoline, the ethanol/gasoline price ratio has been above 1.0 for the past four months. “The hefty premium of ethanol to gasoline threatens the position
January 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Oil Rout Threatens to Scupper Demand for Palm Oil in Biofuel
by Anuradha Raghu and Yoga Rusmana (Bloomberg Business) Crude oil’s slump has been so severe that it’s now threatening the government-aided biodiesel programs in the world’s top producers of palm oil. Indonesia may miss its target of raising blending to 20 percent
January 19, 2016 Read Full Article
The North Dakota Crude Oil That’s Worth Less than Nothing
by Dan Murtaugh and Javier Blas (Bloomberg/msn.com) Oil is so plentiful and cheap in the U.S. that at least one buyer says it would need to be paid to take a certain type of low-quality crude. Flint Hills Resources LLC, the refining
January 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Crude Oil Tumble Hits Southeast Asia's Biodiesel Ambitions
by Naveen Thukral (Reuters) The world's top palm oil producers Indonesia and Malaysia may have to curb plans to channel more of the commodity into biodiesel as tumbling crude oil prices render the edible oil twice as expensive as its
January 14, 2016 Read Full Article
More Pain Seen ahead for U.S. Banks Exposed to Energy Loans
by Dan Freed (Reuters) U.S. banks exposed to energy-related loans will need to set aside even more money than previously expected to cover potential losses as oil prices near 12-year lows. Earlier on Wednesday, BOK Financial Corp became the third
January 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Reacts to API Criticism of RFS
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen has spoken out to reject (American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Jack) Gerard’s claims. “I’m not sure what reality Jack is living in, but it is
January 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Cheap Oil Slows down UW’s Plan for Tree-Based Biofuels
by Katherine Long (Seattle Times) Four years after the University of Washington received a $40 million federal grant to kick-start a biofuels industry in the Northwest, scientists have made great progress, but plans are lagging, in part because fossil fuels
January 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Here's One Transportation Fuel Ending 2015 on a Positive Note
by Mario Parker (Bloomberg Business) ... Spot biodiesel prices have jumped at least 10 percent because of moves in Washington since Nov. 30, when the Obama administration increased consumption targets for the fuel. About three weeks later, Congress reinstated a $1-a-gallon tax
January 04, 2016 Read Full Article
The Untold Upside of Low Oil Prices
by Ron Kotrba (Biomass Magazine) Alternative energy companies typically prosper when oil prices are high, but it’s not all doom and gloom when the cost of crude nosedives. ... So what does all this mean for the wood pellet and other bioenergy
January 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Top 10 Bioeconomy and Biofuels Predictions for 2016
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A mere “The Year in Rewind” as we reach the end of 2015? Not the good ship Digest! Instead, we dust off our crystal ball and peer into tomorrowland. As the sunset of 2015 gives way
January 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Big Oil to Cut Investment again in 2016
by Karolin Schaps and Ron Bousso (Reuters) With crude prices at 11-year lows, the world's biggest oil and gas producers are facing their longest period of investment cuts in decades, but are expected to borrow more to preserve the dividends demanded
January 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Are We There Yet? A Biofuel Refinery Update
by Tom Ewing (Renewable Energy World) As oil prices plummet, are drop-in aviation biofuel refineries ever going to be built? --- In September 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE), along with the Departments of the Navy and Agriculture, announced a
December 22, 2015 Read Full Article
Cheap Gas Spurs SUV Sales and Puts U.S. Climate Goals at Risk
by David Shepardson and Paul Lienert (Reuters) Surging demand for trucks and SUVs fueled by cheap gasoline is holding back improvements in U.S. fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions, a government report due out on Wednesday is expected to show. The
December 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Meet the New Climate Villain: Cheap Oil
by Charles Komanoff (Carbon Tax Center) ... The average price of gas sold in the U.S. over the past ten months is 25 percent below last year’s price — the steepest drop in at least 70 years. Americans are responding by
December 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Gas Prices Drop Below E-85
(KEYC) The cost for a gallon of standard gasoline has fallen beneath the price for a gallon of E–85. And while some may see this as a blow to the ethanol industry, producers of the fuel are confident this is just a
December 11, 2015 Read Full Article
EU Biodiesel Premiums Hit New Highs as Global Energy Prices Tumble
(Platts) Biodiesel premiums to the underlying ICE gasoil futures in Europe rose steeply Monday, as energy prices tumbled further after Friday's OPEC meeting, and supported by high feedstock prices. The RED RME premium Monday hit its highest since Platts started assessing
December 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Suicide Rate in Alberta up 30% in Wake of Mass Oilpatch Layoffs
(CBC News) 'It says something really about the horrible human impact of what's happening in the economy,' counsellor says -- The suicide rate in Alberta has increased dramatically in the wake of mounting job losses across the province. The most
December 08, 2015 Read Full Article
The Petrified Forest, or Who Moved my $80 Oil?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Are high prices good for renewable fuels? The hard data actually goes the other way. The Digest investigates. ... What we can see from the following chart is confirmation that fracking and other enhanced oil
December 07, 2015 Read Full Article
2015: A Missed Opportunity for Biofuels
by Michael McAdams (Advanced Biofuels Association/Biomass Magazine) To say that 2015 was an overall disappointment for the biofuels industry would be an understatement. With the price of oil hovering from the high $30s to the mid-$50s all year long, the
November 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Low Oil Price and Current Lack of Government Support Stalls British Airways' Waste to Jet Biofuel Project
(GreenAir Online) A pioneering industry partnership between British Airways and Solena Fuels to build a facility to the east of London that would convert municipal solid waste (MSW) to around 16 million gallons of sustainable jet fuel annually has ended.
November 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Oil Jobs Lost: 250.000 And Counting, Texas Likely To See Massive Layoffs Soon
by Charles Kennedy (Oilprice.com) Crude oil just capped off a third straight week of declines, as WTI nears the $40 per barrel threshold. Goldman Sachs is once again raising the possibility of oil dipping into the $20s per barrel. That spells
November 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Debunking Biofuels: Do They Really Raise Food Prices?
by Melissa Pariettin(MSN.com) ... Many factors determine the price of food in the U.S. If the introduction of the RFS (Renewable Fuel Standard) had as significant an impact on food prices as certain outlets have suggested, then the increase would be
November 18, 2015 Read Full Article
Renmatix to Develop Its First Commercial Biorefinery Next Year
by Anna Hirtenstein (Bloomberg Business) Renmatix Inc., a U.S. maker of technology for cellulosic biomaterials, will develop its first commercial biorefinery next year. The refinery will be commissioned by one of the company’s undisclosed partners and will be in the Americas, Europe
November 18, 2015 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Making Profits Despite Lower Price of Fuel
(Bloomberg/McClatchy-Tribune/Star Tribune) Low prices at the gas pump have put a persistent squeeze on Midwest ethanol producers, but most are staying profitable. Of eight Minnesota-affiliated ethanol producers tracked by the Star Tribune, all but one made money in the third quarter,
November 17, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA’s Final RVO Rule and the Myth of Falling Gasoline Demand
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) One of the oil industry’s favorite talking points in its campaign to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is the argument that “gasoline demand is falling,” and thus refiners have fewer gallons of gasoline
November 17, 2015 Read Full Article
The Real Price of Natural Gas
by Scott Irwin (University of Illinois/FarmDocDaily) A recent farmdoc daily article (August 19, 2015) documented that real (inflation-adjusted) prices of crude of oil and gasoline have recently fallen all the way back to levels prevailing more than a decade ago.
November 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Strong RFS Support Offers Low-Risk Opportunity for Democrats to Connect with Voters They Need to Retake Majority
by Ryan Fitzpatrick (Third Way) Although relatively obscure by Washington standards, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) carries a unique level of importance and visibility in many rural states. The fact that the RFS invariably becomes a priority campaign issue for
November 09, 2015 Read Full Article
DuPont: Biofuel Not Financially Viable Until $70-$80 Oil
(Ship & Bunker) U.S.-based E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) says that biofuels derived from agricultural waste will not be competitive against conventional fuels until oil rises to $70 to$80 per barrel, the Financial Times reports. ... Energy analyst
November 06, 2015 Read Full Article
U.S. Oil Refiners Look Abroad for Crude Supplies as North Dakota Boom Fades
by Jarrett Renshaw and Catherine Ngai (Reuters) ... North Dakota's Bakken production peaked at 1.153 million barrels per day in June, and had fallen to 1.13 million barrels per day by August, according to state data. The supply restraint has made Bakken
November 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Obama's Climate Plan Is a 'Fantasy Document'
by John Siciliano (Washington Examiner) ... "If you add them up, we are way, way, way short to what we committed to in Paris," said David Bookbinder, former counsel for environmental group Sierra Club and a leading figure on environmental
November 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Answers for Your Questions about Low Oil Prices and Renewable Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Digest looks at security and energy security --- ... This week, the head of Russian state intelligence service, Alexander Bortnikov,warned of a potential “invasion of Central Asia”by Taliban or ISIS forces. And, the US and
October 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Working Paper: Implementing Effective Carbon Pricing
by James Rydge (New Climate Economy) Support for carbon pricing is growing around the world. Governments, businesses and investors are recognising that nationally-appropriate taxes and trading schemes, as part of a well-aligned package of policies for low-carbon change, can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)
October 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Why Oil Is Cheap in October 2015 (Part 1 of 2)
by Robert E. Kozak* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Conventional wisdom about declining oil prices, mostly originating from US Department of Energy/Energy Information Administration (DOE/EIA), says the fall of oil prices over the past fifteen months is simply a result of an
October 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Bernie Sanders Calls For Federal Investigation Of Exxon
by Emily Atkin (Think Progress) Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wants ExxonMobil investigated by the Department of Justice. In a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Tuesday, Sanders charged the oil giant of engaging in a cover-up
October 21, 2015 Read Full Article
To Be, or Not to Be…Butanol and The Case of a Global Sustainable Society
by KSL (Biofuels Digest/Emerging Technologies Division of Lee Enterprises Consulting, Inc.) ... Globally it has been recognized that there is an urgent need to create paradigm shifting disruptive technology that would help sustain individual economies – with the goal to
October 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Let’s Bring Competition to the Fuel Pump
by John Hofmeister (Citizens for Affordable Energy/Wall Street Journal) ... Today’s 93 million barrels of production versus 91.5 million barrels of demand will be displaced by 2018 to 2020 by 99-100 million barrels of demand offset by 96 to 97 million
September 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Exxon's Own Research Confirmed Fossil Fuels' Role in Global Warming Decades Ago (Parts 1 and 2)
by Neela Banerjee, Lisa Song and David Hasemyer (Inside Climate News) Top executives were warned of possible catastrophe from greenhouse effect, then led efforts to block solutions. ... This untold chapter in Exxon's history, when one of the world's largest energy
September 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Our 7.4 Year Mission, to Boldly Go Where No Biotech Has Gone before: 3 Bioeconomy Must-Reads
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Reports from the EIA, IRENA and Lux Research give key pointers for current trends and a look at “how long does it take to stand up a technology?” ... The US Energy Information Administration updated it’s
September 15, 2015 Read Full Article
UN Data Suggests Ethanol Production Does Not Increase Food Prices
(Biofuels International) The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) has released data showing that global food prices have experienced the steepest monthly drop since 2008. According to the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA), the decline in food prices has
September 14, 2015 Read Full Article
UN Data Shows That Ethanol is Not Causing Food Price Rises
(Global Renewable Fuels Alliance) The UN FAO has released data showing that global food prices have experience the steepest monthly drop since 2008, casting doubt upon concerns about the impact of ethanol production in food price increases. The recent decline
September 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Is U.S. Commitment to Renewable Fuels Waning?
by John Sedbrook (Chicago Business) ... The Obama administration has taken laudable strides to reconcile fossil fuel dependence and climate change. In the past few months, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced new efforts to curb emissions from airlines, heavy-duty trucks
September 10, 2015 Read Full Article
How Viable Is Ethanol? Profit Margins Decrease as Corn Prices Drop from 2014
by Will Buss (Belleville News-Democrat) Ethanol producers’ profit margins have been squeezed while gasoline prices have fluctuated and oil prices have dropped. However, the biofuels industry is holding to its firm belief in the clean and renewable resource. Crude oil prices
September 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Oil Industry Needs Half a Trillion Dollars to Endure Price Slump
by Rakteem Katakey and Luca Casiraghi (Bloomberg) At a time when the oil price is languishing at its lowest level in six years, producers need to find half a trillion dollars to repay debt. Some might not make it. The number of
August 27, 2015 Read Full Article
8 Ways to Win with $30 Oil: “Energy at the Extremes”
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What works, what struggles, what changes when oil prices head into the tank? Who will feed China’s manufacturing monster? -- At Clariant’s “Defining the Future VII” conference in San Francisco, the delegates were leaning forward, straining
August 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Crude Oil Pressures Ethanol / DTN Hypothetical Ethanol Plant Margins Narrow
by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) It has become the question of the day for U.S. ethanol producers: What happens to the industry if crude oil prices continue to tumble? ... Donna Funk, certified public accountant with K-Coe Isom in Lenexa,
August 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Alpena Biorefinery Takes a Sabbatical, as American Process Shifts Testing/Demo Ops to Georgia
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Georgia, American Process has completed replication of its GreenPower+ cellulosic technology at its Thomaston, GA Biorefinery, and has shifted customer feedstock performance evaluation operations to Georgia. With the shift, the company announced that, pending improvements
August 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Financing the Olympics & the $100 Billion Gen 2 Biofuels Rollout
by Sam Nejame & James Evangelow (Biofuels Digest) ... As everybody knows, fulfilling the US RFS as laid out in 2007 will require 16 billion cellulosic gallons by 2022. True, a lot can happen between now and then, but at the rate
August 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Commentary on the Recent Development of Price Indices for Oilseeds and Meals
(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) In July, the FAO price indices for oilseeds and meals rose by 3–4 percent compared to the previous month, gaining, respectively, 4 and 7 points. By contrast, after strengthening for two consecutive
August 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Cheaper Oil Forces South Africa to Rework Biofuels Subsidy
by Wendell Roelf (Reuters Africa) South Africa's biofuels funding incentive is being revamped over concerns that it is unaffordable after a halving of global crude oil prices over the past year, officials said on Tuesday. A net importer of crude, Africa’s
August 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Lower Gasoline Prices Still Pinching the Ethanol Industry
by David Shaffer (Star Tribune) Profits are down even though price of corn for fuel remains low. U.S. ethanol plants are producing more fuel, selling it at lower prices and taking a hit on profits. ... Producers made record or near-record profits in
August 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Global Oil Supply More Fragile Than You Think
by Nick Cunningham (OilPrice.com) ... And many companies are also recalculating the oil price needed for new drilling projects to make financial sense. For example, according to the Wall Street Journal, BP is assuming an oil price of $60 per barrel
August 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Poplar-Based Bioethanol Production Awaits Spike In Price Of Crude
by Bruce Dorminey (Renewable Energy World) A rapid-growing tree, many researchers think poplar is missing its calling as a high-quality cellulosic bioenergy feedstock. -- As the world’s fastest growing temperate tree species, poplar can add a dozen feet annually and reach maturity
August 05, 2015 Read Full Article
More Job Losses Coming To U.S. Shale
by By Gaurav Agnihotri (OilPrice.com) ... A recent Bloomberg report stated that U.S. driller’s debts stood at $235 billion at the end of first quarter of 2015, which is quite worrying. Does this mean that the U.S. oil sector is likely to
August 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Top 6 Myths Driving Oil Prices Down
by By Leonard Brecken (OilPrice.com) ... Earlier in the year I documented half a dozen media reports which turned out to be 100 percent false. Now I expose another half dozen in just the past few weeks. Prices remain unchanged as a
August 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Saudis Expand Price War Downstream
by By Gaurav Agnihotri (OilPrice.com) The undisputed king of oil and gas is making some moves that could change the face of the global refining sector. In June 2015, Saudi Arabia pumped a record 10.564 million barrels a day, a record
July 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Study: Lifting US Crude Export Ban Could Lead to Layoffs
(Downstream Today/The CRUDE Coalition) Exporting U.S. crude oil would raise gasoline, diesel and home heating prices, cutting into the vast benefits Americans are enjoying from lower crude oil prices, according to a new report by Alan Stevens of Stancil &
July 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Poplar-Based Bioethanol Production Awaits Spike In Price Of Crude
by Bruce Dorminey (Renewable Energy World) As the world’s fastest growing temperate tree species, poplar can add a dozen feet annually and reach maturity in as few as four years. One of its hybrids, populus x generosa, has the widest
July 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Why the Saudis Are Going Solar
by Jeffrey Ball (The Atlantic) ... Saudi Arabia produces much of its electricity by burning oil, a practice that most countries abandoned long ago, reasoning that they could use coal and natural gas instead and save oil for transportation, an application
July 06, 2015 Read Full Article
3 Biobased Strategies to Beat $60 Oil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Oil price predictions are all over the map. So, how are biobased businesses coping when no one quite knows what’s up with the incumbent? Amyris, Cellerate and Propel Fuels are three ventures showing the way(s) forward. If
July 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuel Crops Will Feel Effects of Slumping Oil Prices, Research Shows
Eric Atkins (The Globe and Mail) The crash in oil prices will be felt at the farm gate as demand and prices moderate for biofuel crops corn and soybean, says a new report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and
July 01, 2015 Read Full Article
European Biomass Conference and Exhibition 2015: Biomass: Challenges and Promises
by Maija Sihvonen* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The 23rd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE) held in Vienna 1-4 June was a massive event with nearly 1300 participants from 76 countries and some 800 presentations. The event consisted of multiple parallel
June 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Investment in Energy Technology to Hit $400 Billion by 2030
by Roseline Okere (The Guardian (Nigeria)) The International Energy Agency (IEA) has projected that increasing investment in renewable energy technologies in the power sector will increase from $270 billion in 2015 to $400 billion in 2030. ... It stated that lower oil prices
June 26, 2015 Read Full Article
The Boon of Reduced Oil Consumption
By Brian Deese and Jason Furman (The Washington Post/senior adviser to President Obama/Council of Economic Advisers) ... A new report this week by the Council of Economic Advisers documents that this drop in consumption is one of the biggest surprises in
June 19, 2015 Read Full Article
Washington Finds Unlikely Ally in OPEC as Biofuels Debate Rages
by Chris Prentice (Reuters) The lowest oil prices in over six years have fueled a resurgence in U.S. gasoline use in recent months as more Americans take to the road. Demand is expected to climb 1.5 percent this year to nearly
June 19, 2015 Read Full Article
Drop in Oil Prices Means No Drilling in Canada’s Biggest Shale Reserves
by Robert Tuttle (Bloomberg News) The news was bittersweet for Canada’s Northwest Territories. While the region found out last week that its Canol and Bluefish formations hold Canada’s largest shale oil reserves, the slump in prices means no one’s drilling
June 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Amid Low Prices, US Oil Output May Be Nearing Peak
by Jay Fitzgerald (Boston Globe) Is America’s energy boom coming to an end? As companies shut down oil- and gas-drilling rigs and lay off thousands of workers who toiled in shale fields in North Dakota, Texas, and elsewhere, many analysts
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
New Statistical Analysis: Retail Gas Prices Unaffected by Renewable Fuel Standard RIN Credits
(Renewable Fuels Association) Retail gasoline prices from 2013 through the first quarter of 2015 were unaffected by prices for “RIN credits” (Renewable Identification Numbers) that are used to demonstrate compliance with the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), according to a new
May 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Don’t Blame Ethanol and the RFA for High Food Prices
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Wall Street Journal) There is no support for the statement that ethanol production has driven up food prices. Mike Brown and Rob Green’s “Paying for Ethanol at the Pump and on the Plate” (op-ed, May 15)
May 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Follow the Money
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) After a period of incredible profitability, leaders in the ethanol industry are better positioned for thinner margins. In an industry ruled by volatility, it’s important for producers to position themselves to take advantage of favorable
May 19, 2015 Read Full Article
End the Food vs Fuel Debate
by Bliss Baker (Global Renewable Fuels Association) The recent drop in oil prices and global food price index should finally put an end to the food vs. food debate, writes Bliss Baker of GRFA. The price of oil and energy inputs
May 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuel Developers Like Neste Oil, Diamond Green Can Thrive Despite Cheap Oil
(Lux Research/Market Wired) While alternative fuels like biofuels had obvious appeal when oil prices were well over $100 a barrel, the plummet in oil prices to $50 levels can threaten the cost-competitiveness of alternative fuels. However, many developers have planned
May 13, 2015 Read Full Article
How Much Longer Can The Oil Age Last?
By Gaurav Agnihotri (OilPrice.com) History has been so fascinated with oil and its price movements that it is indeed hard to imagine our future without oil. Over the last few months, we have witnessed how oil prices have fluctuated from
May 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Saudi Arabia Continues To Turn Screws On U.S. Shale
by James Stafford (OilPrice.com) Saudi Arabia continues to ratchet up production, taking market share away from U.S. shale producers. According to OPEC’s latest monthly oil report, Saudi Arabia boosted its oil output to 10.31 million barrels per day in April, a
May 13, 2015 Read Full Article
BP Warns State It Will Close Jennings Biofuels Site
(The Advertiser) BP is closing its biofuels plant in Jennings, ending jobs there for 56 people. Aline Thoeny, human resources manager for BP, sent notice Monday to Andre France of the Louisiana Workforce Commission Dislocated Worker Unit and to Jennings
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Algae Industry Moves Beyond Research to Commercialization
(SustainableBusiness.com) ... This crucial industry has the potential to address many of the challenges facing the world today - it can fuel vehicles and airplanes, recycle carbon, provide nutrition for animals and people and create jobs for millions of Americans. Substituting algae for palm oil would go a long
April 24, 2015 Read Full Article
U.S. Industrial Production Falters as Oil Sector Weighs
by Eric Morath (The Wall Street Journal) Quarterly decline is first since end of recession in 2009 -- U.S. industrial output fell in March and posted the first quarterly decline since the recession ended, signs that a retrenching domestic oil industry
April 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Top 12 Media Myths On Oil Prices
by Dan Doyle (OilPrice.com) The upstream oil and gas industry is not a black hole. There’s no mystery wrapped in an enigma here. ... There is so much hyperbole and unsupported guesswork that investors don’t have a chance. So, in a
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
RFA Slams Misleading Statements on Ethanol Availability Made by Oil Industry
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) sent a letter to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to set the record straight and counter misleading and inaccurate statements about ethanol availability and infrastructure made by
April 03, 2015 Read Full Article
End the Ethanol Mandate: Our View
(USA Today) ... Apart from Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, they all supported the mandate, including Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, the latest conservative darling, who arrived at his pro-ethanol position thanks to a 180 degree reverse back flip that would
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Wall Street Losing Millions From Bad Energy Loans
By Nick Cunningham (OilPrice.com) Oil companies continue to get burned by low oil prices, but the pain is bleeding over into the financial industry. Major banks are suffering huge losses from both directly backing some struggling oil companies, but also
March 31, 2015 Read Full Article
Know Your Oil: Creating a Global Oil-Climate Index
by Deborah Gordon, Adam Brandt, Joule Bergerson, Jonathan Koomey (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) Oil is changing. Conventional oil resources are dwindling as tight oil, oil sands, heavy oils, and others emerge. Oil is changing. Conventional oil resources are dwindling and technological
March 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Middle East Turns to Biofuels Amid Rocky Oil Prices and Environmental Awareness
Imran Khan (Lootah Biofuels/Renewable Energy World) ... Crude oil is refined to produce diesel and petrol and the cost of crude oil is the most crucial factor affecting fuel prices over time. However, with the shortage of refineries to refine the
March 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuels Critical to Energy Security | Commentary
by Hank Naughton (Roll Call) ... However, the one downside of cheap fuel at the pump is that it lulls people into forgetting our over-reliance on oil creates a serious national security concern for America and our allies. In the United States, we
March 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Here’s What Will Send Oil Prices Back Up Again
by Martin Tillier (OilPrice.com) ... The low price brigade cites another factor in making their predictions, the rise of alternative energy sources. There is no doubt that there have been significant advances in that area, particularly in wind and solar power, but,
March 04, 2015 Read Full Article
The Good News on Ethanol: U.S. a ‘Biofuels Superpower'
by Dan Morgan (Des Moines Register) ... President Barack Obama didn’t mention ethanol, biofuels, or agriculture in his State of the Union address, even as he boasted that the country was “number one in oil and gas.” Yet a thriving renewable
March 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Falling Oil Prices
By Osaretin Omorodion* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Falling oil prices is a popular topic amongst conversations spawning all over the U.S. Many base their opinions on the relief that this price drop has given their wallets. Many applaud the policies behind
February 17, 2015 Read Full Article
The Outlook for Renewable Fuels: The Top 10 issues for 2015
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Here’s our most recent update, focusing on 10 key issues (though not ranked in order of importance): 1. Oil price volatility — will it stabilize? 2. RIN price volatility — will the rollercoaster end? 3. Ethanol blend wall
February 13, 2015 Read Full Article
The Big Move: The Leap from First-Gen to Next-Gen Biofuels Companies, How Does It Happen?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How does the biofuels industry move from its roots in first-gen corn starch or cane sugar fermentation towards diversified products, more capacity and distribution, and new inputs like cellulosics? How are the economics now — and
February 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Vietnam Lowers Biofuel Prices to Boost Consumption
by Manh Quan (Thanh Nien News) Retailers of biofuel in Vietnam cut prices by two percent on Thursday in an effort to boost consumption. Petrolimex, Vietnam’s leading fuel importer and distributor, decreased the price of biogasoline E5 RON 92, the fuel
February 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Fuel Summit Reflects on Lack of RFS, Options for Expansion
by Gene Lucht (Iowa Farmer Today) Government uncertainty and low oil prices pose the biggest challenges to the ethanol and biodiesel markets in 2015, according to speakers at last week’s Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit. ... The 10 percent ethanol blend known as
February 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Will Low Oil Prices Be the Downfall of Cellulosic Biofuels?
by Wally Tyner (The Conversation/Purdue University) ... One challenge to commercializing biofuel made from non-food sources — called cellulosic biofuels — has been cost. Unlike ethanol made from corn, cellulosic biofuels are made from the inedible parts of plants or organic materials,
February 08, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Ruling Regarding Biodiesel Imports Batters Oil Values
by Mark Conlon (Farm & Ranch Guide) The Environmental Protection Agency’s recent ruling to allow U.S. imports of Argentine biodiesel under the Renewable Fuel Standards had a bearish effect on oil values. “Oil values took a beating after the ruling by
February 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Once-Golden Biofuels Market Flattened by Cheap Diesel
by Chris Fleisher (Trib Total Media) Last fall, Ed Vescovi planned to restart a dormant biodiesel plant in Beaver County. The market for biofuel was shaky. But a new owner, Weavertown Environmental, pledged to get the plant going after purchasing
February 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels and Big Oil Both Hope for Higher Crude Prices
by Matt Carr (Algae Biomass Organization/Biofuels Digest) ... As the global price for a barrel of oil creeps lower and lower, the US algae industry ironically finds itself in the same position as Big Oil: We’d both prefer crude oil prices
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
The (Oil Price) Crash of ’14: What Lessons Can We Learn?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 4 weeks past the helter-skelter Oil Crash, as prices plateau for now (and maybe for the long term) — what have we learned about energy markets in the Age of Alternatives? ... When prices respond vigorously to very
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Biodiesel 2015: The Top 14 Trends for the New Year
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) New technologies, new markets, new research and most of the same policy challenges, as we look at the 14 top trends for 2015. ... 1. Falling oil prices – what’s the impact? The headlines in recent months
January 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Declaring “The Truth Matters”, Biodiesel Leaders Say Policy Makers Need to Consider the Facts to Get the Renewable Fuels Standard Back on Track
(National Biodiesel Board) The National Biodiesel Conference and Expo opens with a fiery speech by the industry’s chief spokesperson. Arguing that federal policy makers must see through the false attacks by renewable fuels opponents and provide certainty for their advanced biofuel
January 20, 2015 Read Full Article
Crop Outlook Reveals Lower Corn Prices, Shrinking Demand from Biofuels
(American Farm Bureau Federation) The crop demand outlook for the 2014/15 marketing year is a mixed bag, according to Patrick Westhoff, director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute. Westhoff gave attendees of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 96th Annual
January 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Shale vs OPEC: What’s Going on with Oil Prices? Will the Bleeding Stop, and When?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Here’s what’s going on, as illustrated in this EIA chart, which shows the imbalance between increases in demand and the increases in non-OPEC production. In short, non-OPEC oil is being dumped on the market faster
January 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Low Oil Prices Hurt Local Ethanol Plants
by Devin Bartolotta (KTTC) Many of us may be celebrating at the pump, but low gas prices are a sign of potential trouble for local ethanol plants, which are struggling to break even with such low prices. The sinking price
January 13, 2015 Read Full Article
UN Flags Vulnerability of Ag Prices to Oil Market Weakness
(AgriMoney.com) The United Nations highlighted the vulnerability of agricultural commodity values to the weakness in crude oil markets as it revealed a drop in food prices to a four-year low, led by declines in sugar – one of the main
January 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Moniz: Low Crude Prices Unlikely to Change US Energy Policies
by Nick Snow (Oil & Gas Journal) Crude oil prices below $50/bbl could force some producers to reduce capital expenditures if they go on for long, but are not likely to change US energy policies, according to US Sec. of
January 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Gasoline Price Plunge in U.S. Slowed by Higher Ethanol Costs
by Mario Parker (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) The biggest plunge in U.S. gasoline prices since 2008 is slowing as higher ethanol boosts the cost to make the motor fuel. Ethanol futures surpassed gasoline last month for the first time since March. Faced with
January 08, 2015 Read Full Article
2014: Renewable Chemicals Review
by Doris de Guzman (Green Chemicals Blog) ... 2014 is the year of commercial production for cellulosic ethanol and further commercial production and marketing milestones for bio-succinic acid. Myriant, Succinity and Reverdia are all now in commercial bio-succinic acid
January 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels and the Oil Price, Gloomy Gus, Energy Bear, Express Train to Mood Hell
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Oil prices are down, energy stocks are plunging, and the investor mood is giving Lord of the Flies a run for its money for mix of peril, fantasy and pessimism. So why is the hard
January 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Falling Oil, Gasoline Prices Cut into E85's Advantage at the Pump
by Jay Withrow (World-Herald/Omaha.com) ... Historically, E85 fuel, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, has been up to $1 per gallon cheaper than regular unleaded. However, recent cheaper crude oil and subsequent declining gas prices have dropped
January 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Falling Crude Prices Pressure Ethanol Makers
by Jacob Bunge And Jesse Newman (First Enercast Financial) ... Falling profit margins for the $40 billion U.S. ethanol industry may cause some companies to scale back production in 2015, analysts and industry executives say. Still, many observers think ethanol
January 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Fry-Oil Biofuel Businesses Suffer as Gas Prices Fall
by Natalie O'Neill (New York Post) Plunging oil prices mean lean times for the owners of greasy spoons no longer able to cash in on their excess fats, The Post has learned. When a barrel of crude oil was going for
January 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Top 10 Bioeconomy and Biofuels Predictions for 2015
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A mere “The Year in Rewind” as we reach the end of 2014? Not the intrepidSS Digest! Instead, we dust off our crystal ball and peer into tomorrowland. 1. The Year of Supercritical, and thermal conversion.
January 02, 2015 Read Full Article
The Warning Signs Are There: Finite Fossil Fuels Will Continue to Cost More
by Tim Rudnicki (Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) Historical GasBuddy.com price charts tell some contrasting stories about the average retail price of gasoline over the last eleven years. A gallon of gasoline skyrocketed from a low of $1.44, when a barrel of crude oil
December 31, 2014 Read Full Article
10 Biggest Bioeconomy Blockbuster Stories of 2014 (Americas)
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) POET-DSM, Abengoa, Enerkem, GranBio, Raizen plant openings lead the list; REG’s M&A campaign, EPA’s RFS debacle, are other key trends. They said that cellulosic fuels were “five years away, and always will be,” but five major
December 23, 2014 Read Full Article
Five Myths about Gas Taxes
by Paul Bledsoe (The Washington Post) A dramatic 40 percent drop in oil prices since June has prompted new discussion aboutraising the long-static federal gasoline tax and has many states considering gas tax hikes as well. At the federal level, Congress
December 22, 2014 Read Full Article
Novozymes Sticks to Biofuel Growth Plan Despite Oil Price Rout
by Teis Jensen (Reuters Africa) Denmark's Novozymes , the world's largest enzymes producer, will stick to its plans to develop transportation fuel made from agricultural waste, despite an oil price rout that has left oil-based products cheaper for
December 19, 2014 Read Full Article
UNICA Says Hard for Ethanol to Compete with $60 Oil as Nine More Mills Shut
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Brazil, UNICA says that ethanol and all renewable energies become a challenge with oil at $60 per barrel, but that the choice of ethanol over gasoline has to be about more than just price. READ
December 19, 2014 Read Full Article
Does the Oil Glut Spell DOOM, GLOOM or BOOM for Alternative Fuels?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How does $60 oil impact payback for natgas or hybrid electric vehicles, and cellulosic biofuels? The going assumption is that low oil prices are bad for alternative fuels — but it’s not always the case.
December 16, 2014 Read Full Article
At Climate Talks, UN Calls Fossil Fuels 'High Risk' Investment
by Alister Doyle (Reuters) Falling oil prices show the "high risk" of fossil fuel investments compared with renewable energies, the U.N.'s climate chief said on Monday at the start of 190-nation talks on a deal to slow global warming. The Dec.
December 15, 2014 Read Full Article
U.S. Ethanol Makers at Record Rate Despite Rare Gasoline Premium
by Michael Hirtzer (Reuters) U.S. ethanol production is likely to continue at a record rate despite its rare premium to gasoline as cheap corn, high biofuel prices and even cool weather provide ideal conditions and strong profit margins. "There's no sign
December 15, 2014 Read Full Article
Where’s the Upside in $60 Oil?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Boom times for two-product strategies? Can feed markets offer relief for the challenges on the fuel side? ... A two-product strategy is no guarantee of good times during period of rapidly falling energy prices. But
December 12, 2014 Read Full Article
BP to Make Major Job Cuts, Sell Assets as Energy Prices Fall: Lignocellulosic Business Goes on the Block
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Butamax, KRL, Vivergo, sugarcane ethanol business not impacted by cuts; consolidation to Brazil; San Diego research center, Highland feedstock operation also up for sale. In the UK, news broke from BP headquarters that the company has
December 09, 2014 Read Full Article
How Much Will Falling Gasoline Prices Affect Ethanol and Corn Demand?
by Scott Irwin and Darrel Good (FarmDocDaily/University of Illinois) In a recent farmdoc daily article (November 12, 2014) we initiated a discussion of whether the decline in gasoline prices had been large enough to threaten the competiveness of ethanol in gasoline
December 05, 2014 Read Full Article
Inside OPEC Room, Naimi Declares Price War on U.S. Shale Oil
by Alex Lawler, Amena Bakr and Dmitry Zhdannikov (Reuters) Saudi Arabia's oil minister told fellow OPEC members they must combat the U.S. shale oil boom, arguing against cutting crude output in order to depress prices and undermine the profitability of
December 01, 2014 Read Full Article
Biofuels Initiative Shifts Gears
by Don Jenkins (Capital Press) Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest is three years into a five-year, $40 million project to produce a green alternative to petroleum fuel. ... Three years into a five-year, $40 million program, a University of Washington-led project to
November 21, 2014 Read Full Article
Guest Opinion: Ethanol Policy and the Economy
by Paul Kenney (North Platte Bulletin) Recent reports from the University of Nebraska clearly document the impressive economic benefits that occur when the corn, cattle and ethanol industries are efficiently integrated. Economists describe the economic “bounce” we realize in the
November 21, 2014 Read Full Article
IEA Says Oil Supplies May Not Keep Up With Demand
by Nick Cunningham (OilPrice.com) Despite what appears to be a saturated oil market in 2014, oil producers around the world will struggle to meet rising demand over the next few decades. In its latest annual World Energy Outlook, the International Energy
November 19, 2014 Read Full Article
API Says Extending Domestic Fuel Supply Lowers Consumer Gas Prices—Who Knew!?
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) Add another file to the Big Oil hypocrisy dossier. Yesterday (October 30, 2014), the American Petroleum Institute (API) released a study arguing that the fracking boom has led to dramatically lower prices for
November 03, 2014 Read Full Article
Ethanol Advocate Wants to Keep His Issue on the Front Burner
by David Fondler (Pioneer Press/TwinCities.com) To Randall Doyal, ethanol seems like a no-brainer: a renewable, domestically produced automotive fuel that reduces the need for imported oil; that burns clean, reducing harmful greenhouse gases and pollution; that boosts farmers and rural economies
November 03, 2014 Read Full Article
Missing the Forest for the Trees on Fuel Prices
by Anne Steckel (The Hill/National Biodiesel Board) ... Afraid of losing their stranglehold on the fuels market, petroleum groups have long complained that the RFS is unnecessary. More recently, their arguments have become more brazen, suggesting that renewable fuels are responsible
August 04, 2014 Read Full Article
The 25 Hottest Topics in the Advanced Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 1. The Hot 50 and Hot 30: A perennial favorite. This year, Solazyme topped the list while LanzaTech slipped into second place. ... 2. The Top 100 People: Another perennial. This year, international project developers made
July 31, 2014 Read Full Article
OECD-FAO Outlook Report Predicts Growth in Ethanol Production
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A new agricultural outlook report published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations predicts that the consumption and production of biofuels will increase
July 21, 2014 Read Full Article
Ethanol & Corn Production Up, Food & Gas Prices Down
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Growth Energy is attacking the myth that ethanol production increases food prices. Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy notes that time and again, Big Oil, big Food and special interests are attacking the ethanol industry and placing blame on them
July 18, 2014 Read Full Article
Drill More, Produce More, Pay More? | Commentary
by Bob Dinneen (Roll Call/Renewable Fuels Association) In recent months, the petroleum industry has boasted about U.S. crude oil production reaching its highest level in more than a quarter-century. But what they fail to note is that increased domestic drilling has
July 10, 2014 Read Full Article
New TV Ad on Iraq Turmoil, Rising Gas Prices: No Better Reason Why the EPA Must Preserve the RFS
(Americans United for Change) With oil prices on the rise in response to the deteriorating situation in Iraq, Americans United for Change announced a major new ad campaign encouraging the EPA not to turn its back on a secure, safe,
July 09, 2014 Read Full Article
BP June 2014 Statistical Review of World Energy: 53 Years of Oil Left
by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) BP’s 63rd annual Statistical Review of World Energy was recently released. Some key findings. Oil Prices Stay Above $100/Barrel for Third Year In the face of these disruptions and heightened risks to supply, average oil
July 09, 2014 Read Full Article
Ethanol, Oil, Corn Duke It Out in “The Battle of the Benjamins”
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Corn producers, ethanol producers and crude oil refiners: locked in a rollercoaster of commodity prices, and a battle for market share and profits. As the EPA readies to unleash its view of the future volumes
June 13, 2014 Read Full Article
Analysis: Nine Reasons the Spring Price Spike Will End Early
by Tom Kloza (CSPNet.com) ... Speculative Futures’ Froth: NYMEX futures’ markets find less participation than they’ve seen in recent years, but that hasn’t stopped huge financial “funds” from embracing crude oil and RBOB futures with irrational exuberance. Data from the Commodity Futures
April 24, 2014 Read Full Article
Dr. Stephen Mayfield: When Will Algae-based Transportation Fuels Be Economically Viable?
by Stephen Mayfield (International Society for Applied Phycology Newsletter) I am often asked, “When will algae-based transportation fuels be commercially available?” My answer tends to be that they are available now, and have been since roughly 1900. In fact, algae-based fuels
April 17, 2014 Read Full Article
A Biofuels Inflection Point
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Huge stock rallies in first-gen and next-gen biofuels last week — and tension over Ukraine with the potential for oil price spikes. Is this a turning point in the war over energy diversification? ... As Douglas
March 03, 2014 Read Full Article
Oil Seen as Main Driver of Ethanol and Grain Prices in UN Study
by Rudy Ruitenberg (Bloomberg) Oil prices were found to be the main drivers of ethanol and grain prices in a statistical analysis by the United Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organization. Ethanol moves in line with oil in the long term, while
December 16, 2013 Read Full Article
Only Renewable Fuels Like Ethanol Can Keep U.S. From Oil Dependence | Commentary
by Tom Buis (Growth Energy/Roll Call) ... The most recent data shows total U.S. oil consumption at a whopping 18.5 million barrels per day and domestic production at 6.48 million barrels per day. So, even during what has been described as
November 01, 2013 Read Full Article
India's Struggling Sugar Mills Seek Solace in Ethanol
by Rajendra Jadhav (Reuters) * Govt wants oil companies to achieve 5 pct blending of ethanol in gasoline * Hopes to reduce record current account deficit by cutting crude imports * Demand for ethanol will give sugar mills a shot in the
October 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Uneven Crop, Shifting Markets: Considering the Prospects for the Corn and Ethanol Markets Ahead.
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... (Bruce) Babcock (the Cargill endowed chair of energy economics at Iowa State University) is more optimistic about the potential for E85 consumption to grow. If corn prices stay low and gasoline prices stay
September 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Commentary: Renewable Fuels Legislation Cuts Crude Prices
by Philip K. Verleger, Jr. (PKVerlegerlLLC.com) Just as only Richard Nixon could ironically break the US taboo on trading with China, only George W. Bush could have successfully introduced measures to drive down crude prices. These prices today are between $15 and $40
September 24, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Blend Wall? What Blend Wall?
by Ned Stowe (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The oil industry has formally petitioned the EPA to reduce the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volume requirements for 2014, arguing that the ethanol market is saturated. But now that corn and ethanol
September 20, 2013 Read Full Article
API Releases More of the Same Old, Disproven Misinformation
(Growth Energy) Following the American Petroleum Institutes’ recent release of skewed data used to advance their flawed agenda to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), Tom Buis CEO of Growth Energy released the following statement: “Once again, API has held another
September 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Gas Price Spikes Have Consumers Wondering, When Will We Be Energy Independent?
by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Industry Organization/Biofuels Digest) The United States is beginning a domestic energy boom and could become a net energy exporter within the next two decades. But U.S. consumers don’t expect to see a benefit – they still