by Rebecca Beitsch (The Hill) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is weighing whether to let oil refineries skip on adding ethanol to their fuels, a move being requested by governors in oil-rich states who say the industry can’t afford the expense of
oil refineries
Back TO HOMEUSDA Prepares Aid Package: Perdue Says Aid Coming 'Very Soon' as Groups Highlight Struggles for Industries Such as Ethanol
by Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) ... Regarding ethanol, (Agriculture Secretary Sonny) Perdue talked about helping the export market, but he did not talk about providing direct aid to ethanol. On a webinar Wednesday with a Democratic-leaning group, "Focus on Rural,"
April 17, 2020 Read Full Article
States Ask EPA for Nationwide Biofuel Waiver to Help Oil Refiners Weather Coronavirus
by Laura Sanicola (Reuters) The governors of five U.S. states have asked the Trump administration for a nationwide waiver exempting the oil-refining industry from the nation’s biofuel laws to help it survive a demand meltdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak, according
April 16, 2020 Read Full Article
Ahead of Stimulus Talks, Voters Back Relief for Renewables More Than for Oil and Gas
by Lisa Martine Jenkins (Morning Consult) -- 38% of voters support a bailout for the oil and gas industry, compared to 54% backing for a renewables industry bailout. -- Republicans are nearly as supportive of a renewables bailout (49%) as
April 03, 2020 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Retrofits for Europe’s Industry – Handbook Published
(Netzwerk Biotreibstoffe) The BIOFIT consortium has now published a handbook on “Technical options for retrofitting industries with bioenergy”. The handbook includes arguments for retrofitting, describes the retrofitting process and its impact on public perception, summarizes the European biomass potential and logistics
April 01, 2020 Read Full Article
Trump Administration Cuts Fuel Economy, CO2 Standards with Final Regulations
by Sean Szymkowski (Road Show) The changes, wrapped into the SAFE Vehicles Rule, will result in less stringent CAFE improvements through 2026. -- The SAFE Vehicle Rule, announced by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, lowers
April 01, 2020 Read Full Article
U.S. EPA Waives Fuel Requirements, Extends Biofuels Deadline to Help Refineries
by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday unveiled measures to help oil refineries cope with fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, including waiving anti-smog requirements for gasoline and extending the deadline for small facilities to show compliance
March 30, 2020 Read Full Article
What's Lining up for Phase Four?
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) ... Both the House and Senate have begun work on surface transportation bills ahead of a September deadline to act, but lawmakers haven't been able to settle on how to pay for the legislation, Pro's
March 30, 2020 Read Full Article
Top Democratic Law Firm Helps Oil Companies Dodge Climate Regulations
by Donald Shaw and David Moore (Sludge) Perkins Coie, a law firm with deep ties to the Democratic Party, is lobbying for fossil fuel clients to win exemptions from a federal program to limit greenhouse gas emissions. -- ... The
March 26, 2020 Read Full Article
Deal in Congress Axes Funding to Fill SPR with US Crudes
by Meghan Gordon and Brian Scheid (S&P Global Platts) Trump administration sought $3 billion to buy US crudes; Analyst sees market hit from US failing to take 'no-brainer policy' -- The Trump administration's plan to fill the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve with
March 25, 2020 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuels Coalition Welcomes Administration’s Decision Not to Seek Re-Hearing of Tenth Circuit SRE Ruling
(Renewable Fuels Association) Ethanol and farm groups today welcomed the Trump administration’s decision not to seek a re-hearing of a recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit that struck down certain small refinery exemptions (SREs) under
March 25, 2020 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuels Coalition Launches Campaign Calling for EPA Not to Appeal 10th Circuit Decision
(Renewable Fuels Association) With the need for a decision only days away, the coalition that successfully won a unanimous court decision against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continued its call for the agency to not appeal the decision by launching a
March 19, 2020 Read Full Article
New Report Reveals Global Banks Funneled $2.7 Trillion into Fossil Fuels Since Paris Climate Agreement, with Financing on the Rise Each Year
by Gabby Brown (Sierra Club) The latest version of the most comprehensive report on global banks’ fossil fuel financing, Banking on Climate Change 2020, was released today (March 18, 2020), revealing that 35 global banks have not only been sustaining but expanding the
March 19, 2020 Read Full Article
PNNL Brews Up Batch of Biocrude Oil
by Asanga Padmaperuma (U.S. Department of Energy/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) ... Spent grain is also an attractive feedstock for producing high quality biocrude oil that can be refined into transportation fuel. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) researchers recently achieved a
March 18, 2020 Read Full Article
Trump Pulled Back into Oil-Ethanol Fight
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Poltico's Morning Energy) JUST WHEN HE THOUGHT HE WAS OUT:The president is once again caught in the middle of a spat between oil refiners and ethanol producers centered around small refinery exemptions under the RFS, Pro's Eric
March 16, 2020 Read Full Article
White House Likely to Pursue Federal Aid for Shale Companies Hit by Oil Shock, Coronavirus Downturn
by Jeff Stein, Will Englund, Steven Mufson and Robert Costa (Washington Post) ... The White House is strongly considering pushing federal assistance for oil and natural gas producers hit by plummeting oil prices amid the coronavirus outbreak, as industry officials close
March 10, 2020 Read Full Article
Ethanol Blog: Inhofe Amendment Would Cap Biofuels Credits Price at 10 Cents
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Sen. James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, has offered an amendment to an energy bill to cap the price of Renewable Identification Numbers, or RINs, at 10 cents, as time is running out on the EPA to make
March 06, 2020 Read Full Article
China Must ‘Leap over Oil Age’ to Meet Climate Challenge
by Feng Hao and Gao Baiyu (China Dialogue) With stronger policies, China could peak its oil consumption in 2025, report finds -- ... A two-year study led by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an environmental non-profit, has concluded that
March 05, 2020 Read Full Article
Shell Is Looking Forward: The Fossil-Fuel Companies Expect to Profit from Climate Change. I Went to a Private Planning Meeting and Took Notes.
by Malcolm Harris (Vox Media Intelligencer/New York Magazine) ... I asked Fries (Steven Fries, Shell’s chief economist) if Shell is serious about transition, then couldn’t it voluntarily speed it up by leaving some of its wells fallow, constraining oil output
March 04, 2020 Read Full Article
MIND THE GAP: Letter from Europe
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) If you have not followed the Alternative and Renewable Fuels Forum, bookmark this, and today I’ll give you some of the flavor of this group with 110 members — project owners and developers, policy experts, technologists,
March 04, 2020 Read Full Article
How Asia’s Smartest Businessman Plans To Power A Clean Planet With Synthetic Biology
by John Cumbers (Forbes) ... At the head of Reliance is Mukesh Ambani. As chairman, managing director, and largest shareholder of Reliance, he’s the richest man in Asia, with a reputation as a shrewd investor. He is also a self-described
March 03, 2020 Read Full Article
Here We Go Again: Senate Letter Plagued by Myths and Mistruths about RINs
by Scott Richman (Renewable Fuels Association) Yesterday (February 27, 2020), a group of senators wrote a letter to President Trump regarding the January 24 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit that found the EPA improperly exceeded its
March 02, 2020 Read Full Article
Vow ASA Enters Plastic to Fuel Deal with Test Plant in the Oil Refining and Petrochemical Industry
(Vow ASA/Globe Newswire) Vow ASA, through its subsidiary ETIA, has been awarded a contract to provide a pyrolysis testing unit for processing of waste plastics and polymers for Unipetrol in the Czech Republic. Unipetrol is a part of PKN ORLEN
February 27, 2020 Read Full Article
Oil and Gas Firms 'Have Had Far Worse Climate Impact than Thought'
by Jonathan Watts (The Guardian) Study indicates human fossil methane emissions have been underestimated by up to 40% -- ... Although the research will add to pressure on fossil fuel companies, scientists said there was cause for hope because it showed
February 20, 2020 Read Full Article
PBF Energy Completes Acquisition of Martinez Refinery, Creates West Coast System
(PBF Energy/PR Newswire) - PBF's total throughput capacity increases to over 1,000,000 barrels per day; - Establishes PBF as the most complex independent refiner; - Significantly accretive to earnings and cash flow -- PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE: PBF) announced today that its subsidiary completed the
February 19, 2020 Read Full Article
The Road to Higher Octane: Making the Case for a 95 RON Octane Standard Now
by David Vander Griend (Urban Air Initiative) Octane. Mercedes called it the single most important parameter in designing engines. And guess what? Ethanol has the highest octane blending value and the lowest cost of any gasoline additive commercially available. Today’s
February 18, 2020 Read Full Article
Whatcom County Stakeholders Fight for Canceled Renewable Diesel Facility
by Teya Heidenreich (Western Front) After its cancellation on Jan. 21, the Green Apple Renewable Fuels facility is seen by many as a missed opportunity -- After over a year of planning, the Green Apple Renewable Fuels facility in Ferndale and
February 11, 2020 Read Full Article
The U.S. Is Not Energy Independent
by Amy Harder (Axios Generate) A short new Energy Information Administration report provides a breakdown that's useful in light of all the discussion these days about the U.S. energy posture. Driving the news: The report shows that while late last year the U.S. became a consistent
February 07, 2020 Read Full Article
Valero Reports Profitable Q4 for Ethanol, Renewable Diesel
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... During the earnings call, Joe Gorder, chairman and CEO of Valero, said the company continues to explore growth opportunities in its renewable fuels business. As previously announced, he said Valero’s Diamond Green Diesel
February 04, 2020 Read Full Article
Exclusive: Philadelphia Refinery Expected to Be Sold to Real Estate Developer - Sources
by Laila Kearney (Reuters) The bankrupt Philadelphia Energy Solutions is expected to sell its fire-damaged refinery site to real estate developer Hilco Redevelopment Partners, three sources familiar with the situation said on Tuesday. ... Hilco, which has $2.5 billion of assets
January 22, 2020 Read Full Article
2020 Biodiesel Plant Map Reflections
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Biodiesel Magazine highlights industry changes as discovered during the 2020 U.S. & Canada Biodiesel Plant Map data collection efforts. ... Naturally, one recurring theme that kept rearing its ugly head was the toll that the
January 09, 2020 Read Full Article
Study Warns of Rise in Greenhouse Gas Pollution from Oil and Gas Firms by 2025
by Rachel Frazin (The Hill) Oil, natural gas and petrochemical companies could release about 30 percent more greenhouse gas pollution by 2025 than they did in 2018, according to a new report. Expected growth from these companies could release about 227 million
January 08, 2020 Read Full Article
Suncor Asks 10th Circuit to Review EPA’s Denial of Controversial Biofuels Exemption
by Michael Karlik (Colorado Politics) Suncor Energy U.S.A. has filed a petition asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit to review a federal decision denying the company a one-year exemption from the country's biofuels requirement at its two refineries
January 06, 2020 Read Full Article
Petrobras Accelerates Biofuels Exit
(Kallanish Energy) Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras is seeking to accelerate its exit from the biofuels segment and has started the process to sell a large stake in BSBios Biodiesel, Kallanish Energy reports. The sale of the 50% stake in the biofuels company will be
December 28, 2019 Read Full Article
Refiners Bummed RFS Reset Rule Withdrawn
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) The refining industry is disappointed that EPA on Thursday withdrew a proposed rule to set a biofuel blending schedule under the Renewable Fuel Standard for 2020 through 2022. The agency said it needs to
December 20, 2019 Read Full Article
The Brave and the Innovative: History Maker Ulla Kiiski
(Neste) You may not have heard the name Ulla Kiiski. But the Finnish scientist’s breakthroughs in inventing renewable, non-fossil diesel are poised to go down in history. “Resilience against difficult odds runs in my blood,” she tells journalist Ninni Sandelius as
December 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Leyline Finances AD Plants in Pennsylvania, New Jersey
(Leyline Renewable Capital/Biomass Magazine) Leyline Renewable Capital announced today that it has entered into an agreement with RNG Energy Solutions to provide bridge funding for the development of two major anaerobic digestion facilities located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Linden, New Jersey.
December 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Shell to Provide Financial Support for Norwegian Biorefinery Project
(Bioenergy International) Biozin Holding AS has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Shell for financial support of their ongoing work to build a full-scale biocrude production facility in Åmli, Norway. The funding will support ongoing activities as
December 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Everfuel, Shell to Collaborate on a Large-Scale Hydrogen Plant in Denmark
(Bioenergy International) In Denmark, hydrogen infrastructure developer Everfuel Denmark A/S and A/S Dansk Shell – the Shell Refinery in Fredericia, and partners have entered into strategic cooperation on the future supply of the transport sector with green energy in the
December 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Commercializing Conventional and Advanced Transport Biofuels from Biomass and Other Renewable Feedstocks; Focus on Sweden
by Mahmood Ebadian, Jim McMillan and Jack Saddler (IEA Bioenergy Task 39 Newsletter) ... Task 39’s main focus remains on drop-in biofuels for heavy duty transport, i.e., transport sectors where substantial electrification isn’t foreseen in the near-to-mid-term. It is recognized
December 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Informal Ethanol Market Thrives in Mexico
by Sergio Meana (Argus Media) Drivers in Mexico are using high concentrations of ethanol in their tanks as a direct, cheaper substitute of gasoline despite blends over 10pc being illegal, conventional fuel retailers said. Retailers in often informal street-side outlets advertise ethanol on
December 04, 2019 Read Full Article
ACE Urges EPA to Get RFS Back on Track
(American Coalition for Ethanol) The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) submitted comments today to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its proposed supplemental rulemaking to the 2020 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). ACE CEO Brian Jennings detailed three areas
November 29, 2019 Read Full Article
Shell Starts Recycling Plastics in Louisiana
by Jordan Blum (Houston Chronicle) Royal Dutch Shell said Thursday it has started making petrochemical products from recycled plastic waste to eventually help combat the growing fears that the world is drowning in plastics. The Anglo-Dutch energy giant said it is partnering
November 28, 2019 Read Full Article
White House Asks Iowa Senator for Input on Biofuels Policy: Sources
by Stephanie Kelly, Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The White House has asked Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley’s office for input on the administration’s latest proposal to boost the ethanol market in 2020, according to two sources familiar with the matter on Friday, after
November 25, 2019 Read Full Article
Iowa Poll: Despite State Impacts, Registered Republicans Approve of How Trump Has Handled Trade with China
by Donnelle Eller (Des Moines Register) Three-fourths of Iowa's registered Republicans back President Donald Trump’s approach to trade with China, and half say his tariffs have done more to help than harm Iowa agribusiness, a new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows. The
November 21, 2019 Read Full Article
HollyFrontier Corporation Announces New Growth Opportunity and Shareholder Return Initiatives -- Renewable Diesel Unit Growth Project
(HollyFrontier) ... HollyFrontier Corporation (NYSE: HFC) ("HollyFrontier") today (November 18, 2019) announced a series of strategic actions targeting growth, risk management and shareholder returns: a new renewable diesel unit (“RDU”) project, regular dividend annual growth target and a new HollyFrontier
November 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Whose Side Is Trump on? The Fight Continues…Corn Country and Oil Country Still Battling It out in Washington, DC
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... It’s a back and forth game of Trump’s promises to help farmers and agriculture and support ethanol and biofuels, EPA giving small refinery waivers to big oil companies, .... ... (T)he latest responses
November 11, 2019 Read Full Article
How Big Ethanol Plans Will Rock Global Corn and Sugar Markets
(Gro Intelligence) ... Today, a record amount of ethanol is produced globally, and expectations are for further growth as three of the world’s largest ethanol producing countries move ahead with expansion plans. US proposals, which are aimed at shoring up demand
November 08, 2019 Read Full Article
Indonesia Seeks to Expand Green Fuel Production to 100% by 2022
by Nur Yasmin (Jakarta Globe) Djoko Siswanto, secretary general of the National Energy Committee, said Indonesia is developing green fuel as an end-product of palm oil, to reduce the country's reliance on costly oil imports. Green fuel is a mix of palm oil
November 07, 2019 Read Full Article
St1 and beyond: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Hydrogen for Renewable Diesel and Other Bio-Based Applications
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, we reported that St1 has awarded ÅF Pöyry with engineering assignment for a new renewable fuel production unit investment project. The new plant will be built in Gothenburg, Sweden, and is the largest single investment
November 06, 2019 Read Full Article
One Issue that Unites Republicans and DFLers in Minnesota? Biofuels
by Walker Orenstein (Twin Cities Business) Minnesota lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have come out in support of ethanol and biodiesel, which they believe could help boost agriculture and reduce carbon emissions. -- In turbulent times for trade-dependent corn
October 23, 2019 Read Full Article
WEBINAR: Drop-In Biofuels: The Key Role that Co-Processing Will Play in Their Production
(IEA Bioenergy/Netzwerk Betreibstoffe) Presentation online This webinar presents the 2019 update of the 2014 IEA Bioenergy Task 39 “drop-in” biofuels report. It reviews the status of technologies, the progress of the various technical approaches and updates the successes, challenges and
October 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Oil Firms to Pour Extra 7m Barrels per Day into Markets, Data Shows
by Jonathan Watts, Jillian Ambrose and Adam Vaughan (The Guardian) Projected production surge in next 12 years to be led by Shell despite climate crisis; Video: why we need political action to rein in the fossil fuel industry; Timeline: Half a century
October 10, 2019 Read Full Article
The Andersons, Marathon Petroleum Combine Ethanol Interests
(The Andersons/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Andersons Inc. today announced that it and Marathon Petroleum Corp. have merged four ethanol entities with and into the new legal entity The Andersons Marathon Holdings LLC (TAMH). The ethanol facilities involved in the merger include
October 08, 2019 Read Full Article
President Trump's 'Giant' Biofuels Package Is Decidedly Small
by Tristan R. Brown (Seeking Alpha) Summary -- The "giant package" that President Donald Trump had promised to the U.S. biofuels sector back in August was finally unveiled late last week. While the plan's details continue to be scarce, those
October 08, 2019 Read Full Article
What You Need to Know about Using FPBO on Your FCC Unit
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the liquid energy market, it's no longer enough to have fuels which are "affordable and available but not sustainable", or "sustainable and available but not affordable". We've lived for a long time on "two out
October 08, 2019 Read Full Article
Reg Modlin High Octane Low Carbon Fuel Blog Series
(Natual Resources Solutions) Reg Modlin is a senior NRS Advisor and a veteran of 40-plus years in the automotive industry. In the following posts, he examines the steps that have been taken – and need to be taken – to
October 07, 2019 Read Full Article
US Voters Show Strong Support for Ethanol, Renewable Fuel Standard
(Biofuels International) A new nationwide US survey conducted by Morning Consult has found strong support for ethanol and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Support for the latter has reached its highest level since the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) began polling
October 07, 2019 Read Full Article
Ya Happy Now? Trump Administration Reveals Grand Bargain on Biofuels Volumes, E15, Small Refinery Waivers
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In today's Digest, the 4-Point Agreement, the backstory, the Glad Tidings, the Unfinished Business, and reaction from the stakeholders as we parse out the impact on future volumes, waivers, backfills, RINs, E15, blender pumps and
October 07, 2019 Read Full Article
President Trump Delivers on a Key Promise to American Farmers as EPA, USDA Announce Agreement on Promoting Biofuels
(Environmental Protection Agency) Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue issued the following statements after President Donald J. Trump successfully negotiated an agreement on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): “President Trump’s leadership
October 04, 2019 Read Full Article
Ethanol’s Impact Lauded in Wake of Saudi Attack
by Candace Krebs (Ag Journal) ... “What people don’t realize is that shale provides a particular very light type of oil, and we can’t use that exclusively with the way our refineries are configured,” explains Scott Richman, chief economist for the
October 03, 2019 Read Full Article
Small Refineries Petition Courts: Agriculture, Biofuel Groups Await Announcement on White House RFS Deal
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Two small refiners not receiving exemptions to the Renewable Fuel Standard in EPA's latest round of waivers announced on Aug. 9, continue to fight the agency's rejection in federal court. At the same time, agriculture
October 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Eni Opens Its 2nd Large-Scale Renewable Diesel Facility in Italy
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Eni announced Sept. 25 it has opened its new, innovative renewable diesel production facility in Gela, Italy. The plant, a converted oil refinery, has a processing capacity of up to 750,000 metric tons a year. “All the
October 02, 2019 Read Full Article
NBB, ASA Ask Commerce Secretary Ross for Meeting Before Final Decision on Argentine Biodiesel Duty Rates
(National Biodiesel Board) Letter says Commerce must make the right decision, rather than a hurried decision -- Today (September 30, 2019), the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) and American Soybean Association (ASA) sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, requesting
October 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Farm-State Fury Creates Pressure for Trump as Trade, Energy Pain Collide
by David J. Lynch (Washington Post) ... After two decades, Siouxland (Energy Cooperative) this month halted operations following the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to exempt 31 small oil refiners from a federal law requiring them to blend ethanol in their
October 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Audio of Private Meeting Shows Oil Industry Ripping into Trump Administration
by Ben Lefebvre (Politico) At a closed-door meeting this summer, oil and gas industry lawyers criticized the Trump administration's failure to recruit enough qualified people to secure policy victories that would outlast this presidency, according to a recording of the gathering. The
September 30, 2019 Read Full Article
Complete Production Chain from Biomass Residues to Fischer-Tropsch Products Successfully Validated
(VTT) Production of biofuel by gasification of biomass residues was successfully validated in the EU's COMSYN project in September. The process performance was verified with bark in an 80 hour-long test run at VTT. The syngas conversion to Fischer-Tropsch (FT) products
September 30, 2019 Read Full Article
Corn and Soybean Leaders Compel Lawmakers to Stop EPA’s Anti-Biofuels Actions
by Dave Blower Jr. (The News Gazette) The Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) and the Indiana Corn Growers Association (ICGA) along with 12 other Indiana farm, ethanol and biodiesel plants and allied industries wrote to Indiana’s congressional delegation expressing frustration with
September 27, 2019 Read Full Article
Report: U.S. Biofuels Help Drive Environmental Progress
(Growth Energy) Growth Energy, the nation’s largest association of biofuel producers, released a new report examining the potential impact of a growing role for U.S. biofuels in America’s clean energy future. The report was authored by Ramboll, a global research and management firm
September 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump’s Billion-Dollar Gambit: An Ethanol Deal to Meet the Demands of Farmers and Big Oil
by Tim Mullaney (CNBC) President Trump is planning an ethanol deal to please U.S. farmers angry that many oil refiners have been freed from obligations to use oil-based fuel. The deal, still not yet reduced to a written bill, is
September 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Clariant AG: Clariant and ORLEN Południe Announce License Agreement on Sunliquid® Cellulosic Ethanol Technology
(Clariant) Agreement marks second signed license deal for Clariant’s sunliquid technology; ORLEN Południe, member of ORLEN Group, intends to realize a full scale commercial plant for the production of cellulosic ethanol at its Jedlicze site in Poland with Clariant’s sunliquid
September 23, 2019 Read Full Article
'Very Engaged' Trump Talks Biofuels Policy with U.S. Oil-State Senators
by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) President Donald Trump on Thursday discussed biofuels policy with senators from U.S. oil states, including Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who said the president was engaged on the issue that has pitted Big Oil and Big Corn
September 20, 2019 Read Full Article
Market Outlook for Low Carbon Fuels
by Nora Goldstein (BioCycle Magazine) Overall, demand for RNG is strong in spite of an oversupply of D3 RINs in 2018. -- In 2018, cellulosic biofuel producers, including those making renewable natural gas (RNG), outperformed the annual Renewable Volume Obligation
September 19, 2019 Read Full Article
St1 Nordic Licenses Honeywell Ecofining Technology in Sweden
(Honeywell UOP) Honeywell UOP Ecofining™ process produces fuels chemically identical to petroleum-based diesel -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced that St1 Nordic Oy has licensed the UOP’s Ecofining™ renewable fuels technology to produce 4,000 barrels per day of diesel and jet fuel integrated with its
September 19, 2019 Read Full Article
NBB Member Testifies on Biodiesel’s Clean Energy Contribution
(Biofuels International) A member of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has testified to the House Small Business Committee on Rural Development on the contribution of biodiesel to the clean energy economy. Thomas Brooks, general manager of Western Dubuque Biodiesel, spoke at
September 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Will the RFS Deal Protect Innovation and Our Planet?
by Stephanie Batchelor (Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)/Biofuels Digest) As we speculate on the details and implications of the administration’s renewable fuels deal, the future of an entire green industry hangs in the balance. The debate over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has
September 18, 2019 Read Full Article
USDA Numbers Confirm Declining Demand For Ethanol
by Amy Mayer (Iowa Public Radio) The national average price for corn this season is back to $3.60 a bushel, about where it’s been most of this year except for an early-season spike ($4.16 in July) before the size and quality of the
September 16, 2019 Read Full Article
In Wake of Saudi Attacks, Ethanol Can Help Provide Real Energy Security
(Renewable Fuels Association) Drone attacks Saturday in Saudi Arabia destroyed oil fields and caused a record spike in oil prices overnight, again calling into question claims that increased U.S. oil production has made America energy independent. The following is a statement
September 16, 2019 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Manager Says EPA’s Waivers “Ironic”
by Julie Harker (Brownfield Ag News) An Iowa biodiesel business manager has testified at a House subcommittee hearing that his business is contributing to the clean energy economy, saying strong consistent federal policy is needed, “It’s ironic that the EPA
September 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Cooperative Relies on RFS Waivers: CountryMark Sits on Both Sides of Small-Refinery Waiver Controversy
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) The farmer-owned CountryMark cooperative and fuel refinery is caught in the middle of the small-refinery exemption controversy. The company operates in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky -- most of its customers at more than 100
September 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Oil Refining Representatives to Rally in Toledo against Trump Biofuels Policy
by Jon Chavez (The Blade) Members of Ohio’s oil refining industry will rally in Toledo Thursday at One Government Center downtown to urge President Trump not to tamper with laws regulating U.S. biofuels policy, because doing so could put smaller refineries,
September 12, 2019 Read Full Article
White House Presses Biofuel, Oil Executives for Compromise
by Mario Parker and Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg/Investors Business Daily) Discussions aimed at breaking logjam over biofuel plan; Friday deadline issued for ideas on potential compromise -- Trump administration officials are squeezing biofuel and oil refining executives to agree to
September 12, 2019 Read Full Article
WEBINAR Drop-In Biofuels: The Key Role that Co-Processing Will Play in Their Production --- September 25, 2019
Drop-in biofuels are “liquid bio-hydrocarbons that are functionally equivalent to petroleum fuels and fully compatible with existing petroleum refining and distribution infrastructure”. The predominant drop-in fuels produced today are made by converting ”conventional” oleochemical feedstocks such as vegetable oils, used cooking oils,
September 11, 2019 Read Full Article
White House to Meet With Biodiesel Producers in Quest for a Deal
by Mario Parker and Jennifer A. Dlouhy (Bloomberg) Trump administration officials are set to meet with renewable fuel producers on Wednesday, as they seek to entice industry endorsements for a plan to bolster corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel. The meeting is slated
September 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Many U.S. Farmers Fume at Washington, Not Trump, over Biofuel, Trade Policies
by P.J. Huffstutter and Tom Polansek (Reuters) ... Many farmers are angry, and some are directing their anger not at the Republican president, but at Washington’s bureaucracy. Trump has faced backlash from agricultural groups, ethanol producers and Midwestern politicians upset that
September 10, 2019 Read Full Article
Ethanol Advocate & Former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle Meets with Farmers Union Members in D.C.
(South Dakota Farmers Union) It’s a critical time for the ethanol industry said former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle today, Sept. 9, 2019, when he met with more than 300 farmers, ranchers and agriculture supporters in D.C. as part of the National Farmers
September 10, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump in High-Stakes Balancing Act between Oil and Corn ahead of 2020 Bid
by Humeyra Pamuk and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) At a closed-door meeting at the White House on Aug. 19, President Donald Trump looked increasingly alarmed as his top envoy to China delivered evidence of rising Farm Belt frustration over his biofuel policy
September 06, 2019 Read Full Article
White House Weighs Biofuel Quota Boost Amid Appeals From Iowa
(Bloomberg) Trump officials honing plan to benefit ethanol, biodiesel; Latest initiative would spike 2020 quotas by 1 billion gallons -- Top administration officials have developed plans to give a 5% boost to U.S. renewable fuel-blending quotas in 2020, as President Donald
September 06, 2019 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK -- American Petroleum Institute
In a February 2018 letter to the EPA from the American Petroleum Institute: “…RIN costs are largely recovered by refineries, both large and small, through the increased value of gasoline and diesel fuel they supply to the market.” ... “These
September 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Five Reasons Why Big Oil Is Wrong
by Scott Richman (Renewable Fuels Association) On Wednesday, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers and the American Petroleum Institute sent a letter to President Trump in response to reports that the administration is considering measures to mitigate the harm that the
September 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump Orders Biofuel Boost in Bid to Temper Farm State Anger
by Jennifer A Dlouhy and Mario Parker (Bloomberg) 2021 quotas will jump to make up for oil refinery exemptions; Move could alienate Rust Belt refinery workers in Pennsylvania -- President Donald Trump, seeking to tamp down political fallout in U.S.
August 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Renewable Energy Producer S.G. Preston Interested in Buying PES Refinery
by Catalina Jaramillo (WHYY) Philadelphia-based biofuel company S.G. Preston Co. is the first of at least two prospective buyers to publicly express interest in taking over the damaged Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery to make renewable diesel, marine diesel and jet fuel,
August 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Commercializing Conventional and Advanced Transport Biofuels from Biomass and Other Renewable Feedstocks -- Co-processing
(IEA Bioenergy Task 39) Many petroleum refiners in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia are thinking about upgrading bio-feedstocks using existing infrastructure. Approximately 40 refineries around the world have so far implemented or tested some type of hydroprocessing of mixed
August 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Petroleum Companies Ramp up HVO Production in Europe
(Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen (UFOP)/Biodiesel Magazine) Production of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in the European Union has picked up pace since 2012. Petroleum companies, such as Neste, Eni and Total, were the main entities promoting the creation of
August 22, 2019 Read Full Article
The Digital Deluge: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Praj’s Digital Biology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Digital biology is a phrase that seems as mystical as a unicorn, but Vineet Rajgarhia, Senior VP of Biochemicals at Praj Industries, shared this presentation at ABLC 2019 in Washington, D.C. on how the oil
August 20, 2019 Read Full Article
Addressing Two Objections to My Midwest Ethanol Plan
by Robert Rapier (Forbes) ... My proposed solution is for the Midwestern states to band together to provide sufficient state incentives to develop a major Midwest corridor where E85 -- a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline -- is
August 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Report: Trump Ordered Waivers: Ongoing Court Challenges May Be Only Avenue Left for Biofuels
by By Todd Neeley and Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) ...The president sided with oil refiners over ethanol producers and corn farmers, just two months after reiterating his support for ethanol at a rally held at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy
August 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump Intervention Triggered EPA's Surprise Biofuel Waiver Decision: Sources
by Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) A phone call from U.S. President Donald Trump last week ended a nearly two-month-long review of the nation’s biofuels program, three sources familiar with the matter said, with the White House siding in favor of oil refiners over
August 16, 2019 Read Full Article
Small Refinery Waivers: Is EPA Breaking The Law?
by Anna-Lisa Laca (Farm Journal's Ag Pro) For the past two years the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been issuing small refinery hardship waivers, which allow the awarded refiners to forgo blending ethanol with their fuels. Is EPA breaking the
August 15, 2019 Read Full Article
Coalition Pushes EPA to Reconsider Limits on Higher Ethanol Blends
(Urban Air Initiative) In a joint petition filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals, a broad alliance of ethanol, agriculture, and clean fuel organizations requested judicial review of a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rulemaking that would limit ethanol blending and
August 12, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Strikes Icy Blow to Ag & Biofuels: 31 Waivers Hit Heart of American Farmers and Biofuels
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) EPA might have a new name in some circles – Exemptions for Petroleum Agency – thanks to the 31 small refinery waivers issued on Friday which has the biofuels and agriculture industries reeling after promises
August 12, 2019 Read Full Article
BP, Rosneft Join German Sustainable Aviation Fuels Initiative
(Biofuels International) The Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy in Germany (aireg) has welcomed two new members: Rosneft Deutschland and BP Europa. ... Oil major Rosneft’s biofuels commitment: “Rosneft Deutschland currently produces around 300,000 tonnes of jet fuel annually and implements into-plane aviation fuel
August 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Why Energy Companies Are Still Investing Gasoline in the Age of the Electric Vehicle
by Marissa Luck (Houston Chronicle) ... As Shell’s largest research and development center, the 200-acre Houston campus has 1,500 employees and hundreds of contractors. They’re working on everything from formulating new biodiesel to advancing liquefied natural gas into transportation fuels. Their research
July 31, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Ethanol Industry Nearing Breaking Point: Green Plains CEO
by Jarrett Renshaw, Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. ethanol industry is about to break under the weight of the Trump Administration’s trade war with China and the surge in the number of small refineries exempted from the nation’s biofuel laws, said Todd
July 29, 2019 Read Full Article
Ethanol vs. Environment: Democratic Hopefuls Campaign on Clashing Agendas
by Jarrett Renshaw and Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren is a champion of the corn-based ethanol industry when she campaigns in rural towns dotting the U.S. Farm Belt. But in Washington, the U.S. senator from Massachusetts is among the co-sponsors
July 29, 2019 Read Full Article
RFA Extends Ethanol Invite as EPA Head Visits Oil Refinery
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association has invited U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler to visit an ethanol plant as a follow-up to his tour of a Pennsylvania oil refinery. Wheeler was scheduled to visit Monroe Energy’s plant in Trainer,
July 29, 2019 Read Full Article
Small U.S. Refiners Vow to Sue EPA If It Fails to Issue 2018 Waiver Rulings in 60 Days
by Humeyra Pamuk (National Post/Reuters) Small U.S. refineries plan to sue Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 60 days, if the agency by then fails to issue its decisions on 2018 petitions for waivers from the nation’s biofuel laws, refiners said in a
July 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Law Firm Urges EPA to Keep Petitions Secret; Republican Senators Call on Trump to Keep Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue from Intervening
(Farm Progress) Perkins Cole, a law firm representing small U.S. refineries has urged the Environmental Protection Agency to keep refiners’ applications for waivers from the Renewable Fuel Standard secret from USDA, arguing that the petitions include confidential business information, according to BusinessWorld. A dozen Republican
July 16, 2019 Read Full Article
A Political 'Fight to the Knife' over Ethanol Comes to Wisconsin
by Chris Hubbuch (Wisconsin State Journal) ... “There’s (a) civil war within the Republican Party,” said Scott Irwin, chairman of agricultural marketing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “It’s pitting two significant Republican constituencies of the president and neither one
July 15, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump Intervention Delaying EPA Biofuel Waiver Action, Sources Say
by Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump’s request for a review of the administration’s expanded use of biofuel waivers for oil refiners is holding up its decisions on 2018 applications, according to three sources familiar with the matter, two of
July 11, 2019 Read Full Article
NBB Tells EPA, Stop Damaging the Biodiesel Industry
by Donnell Rehagen (National Biodiesel Board/Biofuels Digest) This year has been brutal for the biodiesel industry. As if the absence of the biodiesel tax credit wasn’t enough of a challenge, these unjust retroactive small refinery waivers are destroying the biodiesel market
July 11, 2019 Read Full Article
AFPM Launches Ad Campaign Urging the President to Protect Refinery Jobs
(American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers) Today (July 8, 2019), AFPM launched an advertising campaign asking President Trump to keep his promise to protect U.S. refiners from unchecked ethanol mandates that threaten to kill our jobs. This campaign comes on the heels
July 09, 2019 Read Full Article
With 2020 Looming, Trump Weighs Boosting Farmers at Refineries’ Expense
by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) The future of an exemption shielding oil refining companies from a federal mandate that they blend corn-based ethanol into the nation’s fuel supply is looking increasingly uncertain amid increasing political pressure on the Trump administration ahead of
July 08, 2019 Read Full Article
Daily on Energy: Biden’s Electric-Car Plan Could Suffer from Obama’s Lackluster Legacy
by John Siciliano & Josh Siegel (Washington Examiner) ... Former vice president Joe Biden has some scratching their heads over a climate plan he introduced last week during the Democratic debates to deploy 500,000 electric-car charging stations if elected president in 2020. The
July 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Exxon Working to Push Trade Group on Climate Change
by Amy Harder (Axios) ... At issue here is the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, whose focus is oil and gas refining. Driving the news: Royal Dutch Shell, under pressure from activist investors, announced earlier this year it was leaving AFPM, citing "material
July 01, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Senator Says He's Blocking USDA Nominees over Biofuel Waivers
by Chris Prentice and Richard Valdmanis (Reuters) Senator John Kennedy of oil refining state Louisiana is blocking the confirmation of three senior appointees to the Department of Agriculture until the department butts out of parts of the administration’s biofuels policy, according
July 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Philadelphia Energy Solutions Seeks to Permanently Shut Oil Refinery
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) will seek to permanently shut its oil refinery in the city after a massive fire caused substantial damage to the complex, the mayor confirmed on Wednesday, a day after two sources told Reuters
June 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Senator Amy Klobuchar Releases Plan of More Than 100 Actions for Her First 100 Days as President
by @AmyForAmerica (Medium.com) U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar released a plan outlining the more than 100 concrete steps she will take in her first 100 days as President of the United States to take on the biggest challenges we face at home
June 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Biofuels Industry Stakeholders Call on EPA to Remove RFS Regulatory Barriers
(Advanced Biofuels Association) Today (June 12, 2019), member companies and organizations from the Advanced Biofuels Association (ABFA), the Coalition to Address Removal of Regulatory Impediments (CARRI), and others with interest in deploying sustainable fuels sent a letter to Assistant EPA Administrator
June 17, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Farm State Senators Unveil Bill to Overhaul Biofuel Waiver Program
by Jarrett Renshaw and Richard Valdmanis (Reuters) Two Midwest senators said on Friday they have introduced a bill to reform the Environmental Protection Agency's opaque biofuel waiver program, which the corn industry says helps oil companies at the expense of farmers here by threatening
June 17, 2019 Read Full Article
How Trump (and Iowa) Changed How You Fuel Your Car
by Mario Parker and Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg) Ethanol, the intoxicating alcohol found in beer, wine and liquor, has been powering automobiles in the U.S. since the era of the Model T more than a century ago. Since the 1970s, when oil
June 12, 2019 Read Full Article
Letter Urges Extension of 3 Biofuel-Related Tax Credits
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Reps. Abby Finkenauer, D-Iowa, and Josh Harder, D-Calif., authored a letter June 3 urging the House Ways and Means Committee to extend, and retroactively apply, several expired biofuel tax credits. The letter was signed by
June 11, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Refiner Group Sues Trump EPA over High-Ethanol Gasoline
by Richard Valdmanis (Reuters) The main U.S. refining industry association said on Monday it sued to block the Trump administration’s effort to expand sales of higher ethanol blends of gasoline, arguing the move exceeded the administration’s authority. The legal challenge from the
June 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Diesel Decarbonization Brings Transformative Opportunities for Next Generation Biodiesel Feedstocks
by William R. Thurmond (Emerging Markets Online/MENAFN) New study finds next generation feedstock markets and technologies are big winners in diesel decarbonization initiatives for low carbon fuels. In the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, strong demand signals and incentives
June 03, 2019 Read Full Article
Total Prepares to Begin Operations at La Mède Biorefinery
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) French multinational oil giant Total S.A. is just days away from a much-anticipated startup at its La Mède biorefinery in the south of France. A representative of Total told Biodiesel Magazine that the renewable diesel processing facility is
May 29, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Ready to Scrap Biofuel Market Reform in Bid to Boost Ethanol
by Jennifer A Dlouhy and Mario Parker (Bloomberg) Agency initially planned to bar some traders and cap positions; Rush to propel high-ethanol fuel by June 1 complicated effort -- The Environmental Protection Agency is poised to jettison proposed trading restrictions on a $5.2 billion market
May 29, 2019 Read Full Article
Duckworth Accuses EPA of Deception, Calls for Probe into Ethanol Waivers
by John Siciliano (Washington Examiner) Illinois Democrat Tammy Duckworth asked the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general Thursday to investigate whether the agency broke the law in granting dozens of waivers to the oil industry to not blend corn ethanol into the
May 24, 2019 Read Full Article
US Fuel Mandates No Salve for Farm Trade Losses
(Argus Media) Higher US biofuel blending mandates cannot make up for lost export trade opportunities, according to farm groups caught in the crossfire of the country's trade war with China. US independent refiners show little concern that the administration will blunt sharply
May 21, 2019 Read Full Article
Indian Perspective on Bioenergy: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to IndianOil Corp.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IndianOil has a 33,000-plus work-force, extensive refining, distribution & marketing infrastructure and advanced R&D facilities. In the country’s pursuit of alternative sources of energy, IndianOil is focusing on CNG (compressed natural gas), Autogas (LPG), ethanol blended
May 15, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Says EPA Plan to Hide Which Refineries Are Allowed to Stop Blending Renewable Fuels Would Hurt Farmers, Rural Communities
(Office of Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said today the Trump Administration’s plan to go back on its promise to name which U.S. oil refineries are allowed to avoid requirements to blend renewable fuels into the nation’s
May 03, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Stalls Biofuel Waiver Transparency Plan after White House Blowback: Sources
by Jarrett Renshaw, Chris Prentice, Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has suspended work on its plan to publish the names of refineries securing exemptions from federal biofuels law after receiving blowback from the White House and parts of the
May 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Donald J. Trump, Our Blue-Collar President
by Curtis Ellis (WND) ... Last week, members of the International Union of Operating Engineers stood alongside President Trump at a union job-training center as he signed executive orders to expedite the construction of oil and gas pipelines and energy infrastructure projects,
May 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Renewable Diesel is a Game Changer for Sustainable Aviation and Low Carbon Fuel Markets in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Southeast Asia
by Will Thurmond (Biofuels Digest/Emerging Markets Online) According to a new study by market research firm Emerging Markets Online, renewable diesel is becoming a game changer for several key areas of the low carbon fuels industry, including: (1) the global aviation industry,
April 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Where Will All the Feedstock Come From?
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) As a new wave of large-scale biomass-based diesel projects develops, experts suggest market forces are ready to deliver the necessary fats, oils and greases. -- ...Many of these new biomass-based diesel projects intend to produce renewable diesel
April 17, 2019 Read Full Article
From Cooking Oil to Biofuel: Eni's Project in the Venice Biorefinery
by Annalisa Girardi (Forbes) The Italian oil and gas multinational Eni is the first company in the world that transformed a traditional refinery into a biorefinery. Since May 2014, thanks to proprietary technology, the corporation has been producing extremely high-quality biofuels. Eni’s website states that
April 17, 2019 Read Full Article
Wheeler Addresses SREs, RVO Reallocation during Recent Hearings
by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler told federal lawmakers in early April that it would be difficult for the agency to reallocate biofuel volumes waived by small refinery exemptions (SREs), even if Congress provided a legislative
April 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Floods Threaten to Cause Ethanol Disruptions and Higher Pump Prices
by Mario Parker and Michael Hirtzer (Bloomberg) Midwest rail lines have washed out, delaying biofuel shipments; Gasoline futures rise to five-month high before peak season -- Flood waters spilling across the U.S. Midwest have swamped ethanol shipments, disrupting refineries and threatening
March 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Daily on Energy: Trump Quietly Makes New Energy Inroads in Brazil
by John Siciliano and Josh Siegel (Washington Examiner) The Trump administration is quietly negotiating an energy partnership with Brazil, the largest economy in South America, to encourage more oil and natural gas production by tapping the expertise of U.S. energy firms, with
March 22, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Likely to Grant Partial Waivers from U.S. Biofuel Laws for 2018: Sources
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is likely to issue partial waivers to some of the 39 small refineries seeking relief from the nation’s biofuel laws for 2018, in an unusual option to balance the competing interests of
March 21, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Waivers Reduce Incentive to Produce Biofuels
(KCRG) Between 2017 and 2018, U.S. ethanol consumption dropped for the first time in a decade and the Renewable Fuels Association says that's because of the Environmental Protection Agency hurting demand. One of the reasons former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned from
March 20, 2019 Read Full Article
Cruz Says EPA’s Wheeler Promised to Continue Granting Small Refinery Waivers
by Jim Wiesemeyer (Pro Farmer) Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) says he won “explicit promises” from EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to keep granting small refineries waivers from U.S. biofuel mandates, without retroactively reallocating those quotas to non-exempted facilities. Cruz says he secured
March 19, 2019 Read Full Article
5 Minutes With… Bram Gräber and Rebecca Groen from SHV Energy.
by Liz Gyekye (BioMarket Insights) “In use, bio LPG is identical to conventional LPG and therefore has the benefit of being able to be blended and used by all existing appliances.” 123 years. That is how long family-owned multinational organisation SHV Energy
March 15, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Grants More RFS Waivers, Undercuts Add’l Demand for Biofuels
by Ron Kotrba (Biomass Magazine) U.S. EPA retroactively granted five new small refinery exemptions for 2017, releasing them from their obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The five new small refinery exemptions reduced the 2017 renewable volume obligation (RVO) for biomass-based
March 15, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard Is Not Working: Marathon CEO
by David Gaffen and Erwin Seba (Reuters) The U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) laws are not working and there is an “opportunity for a reset” of the standard in Washington, Marathon Petroleum Corp Chief Executive Gary Heminger said on Tuesday. ... Heminger said
March 13, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. EPA to Decide on 2017 Waivers from Biofuel Laws within Week
by David Gaffen and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will decide on the seven pending applications for small refinery waivers from the nation’s biofuel laws for the 2017 calendar year in the next week, agency administrator Andrew Wheeler
March 12, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Wants Refinery Information Sealed Agency Asks Court Not to Disclose Waivers Brief, Documents to Public
by Todd Neeeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) The EPA wants to keep from the public eye an opening brief and some records to be filed in a small-refinery waivers case, claiming in a court motion the information is subject to a
March 12, 2019 Read Full Article
101 for Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Paul Greene (BioCycle Magazine/Montrose Environmental) California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which grew out of the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act, is stimulating markets for biogas, including renewable natural gas -- Biogas project developers and financiers are finding strong offtake opportunities selling
March 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Court Brief: EPA Strayed on RFS Waivers -- EPA Changed Course on Small-Refinery Waivers Without Public Input
by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) The EPA broke away from Renewable Fuel Standard requirements for granting small-refinery waivers starting in May 2017 and continued to deny a congressional order regarding which refiners qualify, according to a 97-page brief filed
March 09, 2019 Read Full Article
Kern Oil Threatens to Sue EPS over Delayed Biofuel Waiver Decision
(KTIC Radio) Kern Oil & Refining Co has threatened to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to respond to its request for a small refinery biofuel waiver within the proscribed 90 days, according to a letter seen by Reuters
February 27, 2019 Read Full Article
Icahn-Backed Refiner Saves $189 Million on EPA's Biofuel Tweaks
by Mario Parker and Jennifer A. Dlouhy (Bloomberg) CVR Energy Inc., backed by billionaire investor Carl Icahn, saved $189 million under the U.S. biofuels mandate last year. That’s largely thanks to a campaign he helped ignite to lower costs for compliance. CVR Energy,