by Subhash Narayan (Mint) The minister asked automobile manufacturers to look into ways of making ethanol and flex fuels more widely acceptable. -- Minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari has asked automobile manufacturers to look into ways of making ethanol
pollution control
Back TO HOMECarbon-Neutral Fuel: New Study Shows 100% Renewable Superethanol-E85 Could Replace Fossil Fuels
(ePURE) 100% renewable Superethanol-E85 could act as an alternative to fossil fuels to cut back on CO2 emissions in road transport as well as emissions of regulated pollutants -- In the run-up to the European elections in which the environment is a
May 31, 2024 Read Full Article
Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Strongest-Ever Pollution Standards for Cars that Position U.S. Companies and Workers to Lead the Clean Vehicle Future, Protect Public Health, Address the Climate Crisis, Save Drivers Money
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Final standards will expand consumer choice in clean vehicles and build on historic progress in U.S. auto manufacturing under President Biden’s Investing in America agenda -- Today, March 20, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced final national pollution
March 20, 2024 Read Full Article
Consumer Reports Celebrates the Signing of New Mexico’s Clean Transportation Fuels Standard into Law
(Consumer Reports) The governor of New Mexico signed a landmark law to establish a clean fuel standard for the state on March 5, following approval by the state legislature last month. The standard aims to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels,
March 06, 2024 Read Full Article
Biofuels Could Reduce Vehicle Pollutants by over 90%, New Study Finds
by Rizwan Choudhury (Interesting Engineering) The researchers are hopeful that their work can pave the way for reducing soot emissions from thermal engines, thereby addressing the associated environmental and public health concerns. -- Scientists at the University of Malaga (UMA) have participated
February 01, 2024 Read Full Article
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Availability of $4.6 Billion in Competitive Grants to Cut Climate Pollution as Part of Investing in America Agenda DEADLINE April 1 and May 1, 2024
(Environmental Protection Agency) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched $4.6 billion in competitive grants to fund state, local, and Tribal programs and policies that cut climate pollution, advance environmental justice, and deploy clean energy solutions across the country. As
September 20, 2023 Read Full Article
CCS Brings Health Savings by Cutting Pollution — Report
by Carlos Anchondo (Politico Pro Energywire) A study analyzed the benefits of capturing pollutants from 54 facilities across seven industries. -- Carbon capture at industrial and power generation facilities across the United States could deliver billions of dollars in health savings by
August 08, 2023 Read Full Article
Unpacking the UNEA Resolution to End Plastic Pollution
by Mary Ellen Ternes and Jeffrey Seay (Global Council for Science and the Environment) UNEA Resolution 5/14 entitled “End plastic pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument” -- ... Nations around the world are gathering to negotiate an agreement that
June 29, 2023 Read Full Article
Burning Trash for the Planet? Climate Cash Sets off Branding Frenzy.
by Evan Halper (Washington Post) Incinerators, plastics companies and big agriculture among polluters racing to position as green as billions in federal subsidies flow -- ... (The waste-to energy) Industry officials claim the technology is more sustainable than landfills, which create a
May 29, 2023 Read Full Article
Biden-Harris Administration Proposes Strongest-Ever Pollution Standards for Cars and Trucks to Accelerate Transition to a Clean-Transportation Future Hearing May 2-3, 2023; Public Comment DEADLINE TBD
(Environmental Protection Agency) Building on rapid advancements and investments in clean vehicle manufacturing, including investments in domestic manufacturing in the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA’s proposed standards would deliver on President Biden’s agenda to tackle the climate crisis Today, the U.S. Environmental
April 12, 2023 Read Full Article
Jakson Green To Build World’s First Methanol Production Plant In Partnership With NTPC
(India Education Diary) Jakson Green, India’s leading player in the renewable and new energy space, has won a first-of-its-kind project from National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to establish a Methanol synthesis facility at Vindhyachal, Madhya Pradesh. Methanol is a cleaner alternative
April 10, 2023 Read Full Article
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Availability of $16 Million for Pollution Prevention in Environmental Justice Communities DEADLINES June 6 and June 20, 2023
(Environmental Protection Agency) EPA grants made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will support businesses in developing and adopting pollution prevention practices that advance environmental justice and protect underserved communities Today (March 8, 2023), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
March 09, 2023 Read Full Article
Americans See 'Carbon Pollution' as Worse than 'Emissions'
by Minho Kim (Politico Pro) Americans consider “carbon pollution” and “carbon emissions” as more harmful to human health and the environment than “greenhouse gas emissions,” according to a new study that evaluated how people perceive climate change communication. Researchers surveyed more than
January 25, 2023 Read Full Article
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Availability of $100 Million through Inflation Reduction Act for Environmental Justice Grants DEADLINE April 10, 2023
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Historic grant funding for environmental justice will support projects in communities overburdened by pollution and historic underinvestment -- Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of approximately $100 million for projects that advance
January 10, 2023 Read Full Article
EPA Proposes Endangerment Finding for Lead Emissions from Aircraft Engines that Operate on Leaded Fuel
(Environmental Protection Agency) Proposed Endangerment Finding, if finalized, is an important step forward to address the largest remaining source of lead pollution to air -- Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed determination that emissions of lead from
October 07, 2022 Read Full Article
‘It Makes Climate Change Real’: How Carbon Emissions Got Rebranded as ‘Pollution’
by Kate Yoder (Grist) California activists paved the way for defining climate change as an air pollution problem. Now it's federal law. ... Connecting climate change with something visceral and dangerous brings more immediacy to a problem that’s often seen as
October 03, 2022 Read Full Article
6 Key Takeaways from CII Webinar on ‘Ethanol Roadmap for 2025’
by Shivam Dwivedi (Krishi Jagran) CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) held a webinar titled "Ethanol Roadmap for 2025" on April 22, 2022, and GPS Renewables sponsored the webinar. The 'Ethanol Roadmap for 2025' webinar highlighted the market opportunity of 1G Ethanol
April 26, 2022 Read Full Article
Biden Restores Climate to NEPA, Undoing Trump’s Efforts
by Kelsey Brugger (E&E News) ... The Council on Environmental Quality finalized the first phase of planned changes to the rules governing NEPA, a core environmental law that guides federal scrutiny of major projects like pipelines, bridges and transmission lines. The action
April 23, 2022 Read Full Article
Finnish Port Turns Sewage from Cargo Ships into Biogas for Transport
(Gasum/NGV Journal) The Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) is bringing together cooperation parties for the new Ship/t Waste Action project that produces biogas from sewage discharged by cargo ships at ports. The cooperation promotes the circular model of turning sewage
December 14, 2021 Read Full Article
Mitigating Carbon May Have Unintended Consequences
(EurekAlert!/Pennsylvania State University) Controlling carbon release into the atmosphere will reduce carbon dioxide and slow global warming, but could there be unintended consequences for human health? Now, thanks to a three-year grant of about $400,000 from the National Science Foundation, researchers
October 01, 2021 Read Full Article
Biofuels Offer a Cost-Effective Way to Lower Shipping Emissions
(Argonne National Laboratory/Tech Xplore) Marine shipping traffic has grown steadily over the past decade—and so have the associated greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon emissions from ships grew almost 10% between 2012 and 2018, and the industry is a large consumer of
September 06, 2021 Read Full Article
RIN Woes
by Matthew Choi (Politico's Morning Energy) Over 75 environmental groups are writing to EPA administrator Michael Regan today urging him not to include electricity generated from burning wood biomass, factory farm gas and landfill gas in renewable fuel standard credits
May 25, 2021 Read Full Article
Minnesota Announces Rule-making, Making It the First State in the Midwest to Adopt Clean Car Standards
(Sierra Club) Today (December 18, 2020), the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced it will publish its draft Clean Car Standards on Monday, which would require new cars sold in the state to emit less climate-disrupting pollution. The rule also regulates that
December 22, 2020 Read Full Article
Democrats Unveil New Agenda for Economic Recovery and Climate Action
by Justine Calma (The Verge) Democrats will commit today to a wide-ranging new progressive agenda that simultaneously tackles pandemic recovery, climate change, and systemic injustice. They’re calling the agenda THRIVE, which stands for “Transform, Heal, and Renew by Investing in a
September 11, 2020 Read Full Article
Ethanol and India’s Quest for a Low-Carbon Future
(Energy Infra Post) ... Pollution caused by fossil fuel vehicular exhaust is a big part of the problem, contributing a significant percentage of greenhouse emissions, and a much larger percentage of carbon monoxide pollution. Are EVs The Solution? Electric mobility is touted by
September 10, 2020 Read Full Article
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the City of Calgary with Steeper Energy Canada Ltd.
(Steeper Energy Canada) The City of Calgary “The City” and Steeper Energy Canada Ltd. (“Steeper Energy”) are pleased to announce a new cooperation agreement, by way of an MoU, regarding the future transformation of The City’s sewage sludge and other
July 06, 2020 Read Full Article
San Joaquin County Biodiesel Firm Sentenced To Probation, Fines For Clean Water Act Violations
(U.S. Department of Justice) On July 8, 2019, United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller sentenced the corporation known as American Biodiesel, Inc. for violations of the Clean Water Act, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. American Biodiesel, Inc., registered in
July 16, 2019 Read Full Article
Houston We Have a Problem…
by Doug Durante (Biofuels Digest/Clean Fuels Development Coalition) and Dave VanderGriend (Urban Air Initiative) Floods, horrible chemical fires, and now a barge accident in the port resulting in a chemical spill that further reveals the dirty little secret of gasoline — that
May 27, 2019 Read Full Article
Signing Ceremony of MoU between UNCTAD and Stockholm Environment Institute: SEI and UNCTAD to Cooperate on Trade and Environment
(UNCTAD) Stockholm Environment Institute and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The agreement is an overarching mechanism to foster cooperation on trade and environment, backed up by the research and convening
May 17, 2019 Read Full Article
Petrochemical Fire in Houston Reveals Much Larger Issue.
(Urban Air Initiative) On Sunday, March 17, tanks of toluene and xylene caught fire at Intercontinental Terminal in the Houston, TX area, releasing plumes of black smoke into the air. As a result, incomplete combustion of toluene and xylene combined to form benzene, a
March 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Taxes versus Emissions Trading System: Evaluating Environmental Policies that Affect Multiple Types of Pollution
by Boon-Ling Yeo and Andrew Coleman (Environmental Economics and Policy Studies) This paper examines the interaction of different policies used to control two types of agricultural pollution. Pollution control policy is efficient when both pollution types are controlled by taxes, although a
February 03, 2019 Read Full Article
The Oil Industry’s Covert Campaign to Rewrite American Car Emissions Rules
by Hiroko Tabuchi (New York Times) When the Trump administration laid out a plan this year that would eventually allow cars to emit more pollution, automakers, the obvious winners from the proposal, balked. The changes, they said, went too far even for
December 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Why North Carolina’s Poultry Industry Isn’t Creating Biogas Like Hog Farms Are
by Elizabeth Ouzts (Energy News) Poultry growers are under less pressure and have fewer incentives than hog farms to convert animal waste to energy. As pork producer Smithfield Foods commits to major investments in waste-to-energy projects in North Carolina, don’t expect a similar pledge from
December 08, 2018 Read Full Article
Biodiesel By-Product Helps Fuel Come Clean
(King Abdullah University of Science and Technology/Phys.org) ... This work on glycerol carbonate also supports Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative, which aims to diversify the Kingdom's economy from its current reliance on the oil industry. (Binod) Giri explains that this research
December 05, 2018 Read Full Article
ACE’s Lamberty Discusses the Benefits of E15 for Retailers
by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... American Coalition for Ethanol’s Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty, discusses some of the myths surrounding E15, as well as its benefits for retailers, consumers and the environment. ... The biggest difference is if you add 5
December 04, 2018 Read Full Article
Op-Ed: Ethanol Needs to Win the Octane Race- Our Health Depends on It
(Urban Air Initiative/Governors' Biofuels Coalition) ... Octane is a necessary component of our fuel, and more of it is needed as car engines become more advanced and efficient. So competition is on the rise for where this octane will come from in
October 29, 2018 Read Full Article
Major Progress: Cutting Black Carbon and Lowering CO2 Emissions in Transport, Other Sectors
(Diesel Technology Forum) ... Use of renewable diesel fuel – not electrification or natural gas – in California is the primary means by which the state is achieving its low carbon fuel mandates, as well as its progress toward the
October 03, 2018 Read Full Article
These Researchers Want to Use Pollution to Make Fuel
by Bruce Lieberman (Yale Climate Connections) They think nutrients in farm runoff could feed algae for biofuel. -- When fertilizer and pesticides run off farmland, they can contaminate waterways with nutrient pollution. Davis: “A classic example is the Mississippi Basin.” That’s Ryan Davis of
August 30, 2018 Read Full Article
New Study Finds U.S. Oil and Gas Methane Emissions Are 60 Percent Higher Than EPA Reports
(Environmental Defense Fund) A study available today in the journal Science finds that the U.S. oil and gas industry emits 13 million metric tons of methane from its operations each year—nearly 60 percent more than currently estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
June 22, 2018 Read Full Article
The Interaction of the Clean Air Act, California's CAA Waiver, Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards, Renewable Fuel Standards and California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The Trump Administration is taking a new look at Obama Administration era Co2 regulations. On the transportation side, these include reviewing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards; threatening to take away California’s authority to set
May 21, 2018 Read Full Article
‘India Should Promote Biofuel, Public Transport’
( Express News Service/Indian Express) Rashmi Urdhwareshe, director of Automotive Research Association of India, spoke about different vehicle technologies that improve fuel efficiency through power train engineering. She spoke about possible alternative fuels that can be used for transportation. As the world’s
May 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Debate over the RFS Is Playing out on the Political Stage: The Public Discussion Rarely Considers American Consumers.
by Donnell Rehagen (National Biodiesel Board/Biofuels Digest) The biofuels industry found itself in an unusual position for much of the past 12 months. Typically confined to debates in the trade press, biofuels-related headlines are now splashed across the mainstream media. It’s new
May 07, 2018 Read Full Article
New Research Shows the Health Benefits of Ethanol-Fueled Cookstoves
by Jieyi Lu (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) Today, about three billion people still cook and heat their homes with traditional stoves and solid fuels worldwide. These fuels and stoves are major contributors to household air pollution in the developing world.
May 07, 2018 Read Full Article
How Trump Might Make SUVs Pricier in Seattle than Omaha
by Camille von Kaenel (E&E News) ... The Trump administration's efforts to weaken vehicle pollution requirements could set up a split U.S. market, concentrating fuel-efficient cars in mostly Democratic states and gas guzzlers in the red states. President Trump's plans could
May 04, 2018 Read Full Article
Why We Need Ecological Biofuels
by Paloma López Bermejo (The Parliament Magazine) We must establish concrete criteria for determining how sustainable growing, manufacturing, transporting and marketing biofuels is, says Paloma López Bermejo. -- ... Simply distinguishing between biomass, biofuels or bioliquids - as is currently the
April 17, 2018 Read Full Article
New Report Details Racial, Economic Injustice of Pollution Trading Programs
(Food & Water Watch) Under plans like California’s “cap-and-trade” program, pollution and public health impacts actually increase in lower-income communities of color. -- New analysis published today details the disproportionate burdens of air and water contamination and serious human health effects placed
November 13, 2017 Read Full Article
Lake Erie's Toxic Algae: Does Ethanol Mandate Make it Worse?
by Mary Kuhlman (Public News Service) The huge algal bloom in Lake Erie is receding, but clean water advocates say the annual problem won't go away without changes in federal policies. One measure raising concerns is the ethanol mandate, which requires a
October 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Environmental and Economic Goals Not in Conflict, New Study Claims
(Bioenergy Insight) New research claims that air pollution policy reduces the extent to which population growth in urban areas results in increased pollution emissions, without disrupting the economic growth resulting from this urbanisation. More than half of the world’s population currently lives
August 15, 2017 Read Full Article
Top 10 Storylines: Heard on the Floor at the 2017 BIO World Congress
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Industrial biotech’s biggest and grandest show, the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology, opened today in Montreal and BIO itself was in the newsframe with a striking report debunking myths around RIN price surges. 10 Hot Newstories
July 25, 2017 Read Full Article
10 Industrial Biotechnology Wave Trends to Watch
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There are news items, then there are trends, and finally there are wave trends — trends of critical importance and that carry the likelihood of having long-lasting impact. Like the fast ripples that presage a fearsome tsunami,
May 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Files Comments on Ontario's Development of Renewable Fuel Standard
(Growth Energy) Growth Energy recently filed comments and exhibits to Canada’s Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change on the Canadian province of Ontario’s discussion paper, “Developing a Modern Renewable Fuel Standard for Gasoline in Ontario.” The comments focused on the
March 20, 2017 Read Full Article
The Role of Biodiesel in Curbing Pollution
by Sandeep Chaturvedi (Biodiesel Association of India/Financial Express) Rapidly increasing vehicular pollution and complete neglect by the authorities to take pollution-reduction measures over the past few decades have resulted in deterioration of ambient air quality across the country. A recent
March 14, 2017 Read Full Article
MIT Study Estimates That VW's Dieselgate Scandal Will Send 1,200 Europeans To An Early Grave
by David Tracy (Jalopnik) In 2015, Researchers from MIT, Harvard and Hasselt University (in Belgium) estimated that VW’s 482,000 cheating diesels would lead to an estimated 59 premature deaths in the U.S. Now some of those same researchers have taken a
March 08, 2017 Read Full Article
It’s Time for an Octane Boost
by Tracey King (Detroit News) While our automobiles have experienced remarkable changes over the past several decades, the fuels we put in them have not. Specifically, the octane rating of regular gasoline today is the same as it was 40
May 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Global Cleantech Summit: Business and Strategies 2015, September 8-10, Helsinki, Finland
by Maija Sihvonen* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Global Cleantech Summit 2015 concentrated on cleantech strategies and business cooperation. Some venture capitalists have already declared cleantech dead as it has undergone the typical innovation life-cycle and has suffered somewhat from hype. However,
January 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Restaurant Group Advocates the Use of Biodiesel
(Notimex/La Journada (Google translation)) Mexico City Mexican Restaurant Corporation (CMR) bet on the care of the environment by launching a project to reduce pollution of its truck fleet, which consists of converting used oil and its restaurants into biodiesel for
December 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuel Offers Solution to Reduce Carbon Dioxide, Sulphur Dioxide Emissions
(Borneo Post/Bernama) In the light of the current haze Malaysians are facing, a local company, Biofuel Sdn Bhd, has come out with a solution to reduce carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide emissions. Its director, P Muguntha, said the company’s ‘Biofuel’ palm
October 21, 2015 Read Full Article
China to Revive Corn-Based Ethanol Amid Record High Stocks
by Niu Shuping and Chen Aizhu (Reuters) China, the world's second-largest corn consumer, is set to resume building new corn-based ethanol plants after a nearly decade-long ban, in a move that could help absorb the country's record stocks, industry sources
October 19, 2015 Read Full Article
Dozens of Deaths Likely from VW Pollution Dodge
by Seth Borenstein (Associated Press/Detroit News) Volkswagen’s pollution-control chicanery has not just been victimless tinkering, killing between five and 20 people in the United States annually in recent years, according to an Associated Press statistical and computer analysis. The software that the
October 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Emissions Testing Is Broken, and Other Lessons from the VW Scandal
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) ... How do you create clean vehicles that consumers want to buy? All of the automakers are currently focused on this question. The Department of Energy’s Quadrennial Technology Review calls for the co-optimization of fuels and
October 03, 2015 Read Full Article
New Ozone Regulations Ignore Tailpipe Exhaust
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) welcomes new ozone standards that will further protect public health from the negative respiratory, developmental, and other health effects of ozone exposure. The new standards, set at 70
October 02, 2015 Read Full Article
UPM BioVerno Diesel Found to Reduce Tailpipe Emissions
(Biofuels International) Wood-based BioVerno diesel by Finland’s UPM has been found to significantly reduce harmful tailpipe emissions, the company reports. A number of engine and vehicle tests have been carried out across key research institutes, such as VTT Technical Research Centre
October 01, 2015 Read Full Article
New Flex-Fuel Pumps Allow Minnesotans to Breathe Easier, Save Money
by Bruce Peterson and Jeffrey Jackson (Owatonna People's Press) ... We all want to breathe cleaner air and save a few bucks when we put fuel in our vehicles. I am proud to say that Minnesota’s corn farmers are helping to
September 30, 2015 Read Full Article
How Many Deaths Did Volkswagen’s Deception Cause in the U.S.?
by Margo Sanger-Katz and John Schwartz (New York Times) Volkswagen’s diesel deception unleashed tons of extra pollutants in the United States, pollutants that can harm human health. So while many commentators have been quick to say that the cheating engines are not a
September 29, 2015 Read Full Article
We Should Not Be Surprised about Volkswagen’s “Diesel-Gate”
by Bill Brandon (Biofuels Digest) Fooling with computers to give false readings has happened before. It is important to recognize similarities to earlier cases and EPA’s role in them. The 1998 consent decree In October 1998, the DOJ and EPA entered into a
September 29, 2015 Read Full Article
NOxgate Expands: 93% of Diesel Vehicles Tested Fail to Meet Euro 6 NOx Emission Standards; Average Is 7 Times over the Limit
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The VW crisis just keeps getting worse, with Volkswagen suspending its VW, Audi, and Porsche R&D chiefs, as Audi confirmed that 2.1 million of its vehicles were outfitted with defeat devices, and reports surfaced that the
September 29, 2015 Read Full Article
VW Scandal Raises Doubts over Clean Diesel and Lab-Based Emissions Testing
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On September 22, Volkswagen Motors (VW) admitted that it had cheated on emissions testing in Europe and the United States, by installing a piece of software known as a ‘defeat device’ in diesel cars. The Environmental
September 28, 2015 Read Full Article
R Stands for Renewables, even Biofuels
by Timothy J. Rudnicki, Esq (Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) The recent release of the Clean Power Plan has started to spawn community gatherings and agency presentations. Stakeholders are being called upon to help inform a regulatory process which will produce a custom
September 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Sustainable Marine Fuel Initiative Consortium to Launch 2-Year Testing, Certification, Scaling Effort for Drop-In Marine Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the Netherlands, the Sustainable Marine Fuel initiative will be launched on October 7th by Boskalis, Wärtsilä, and GoodFuels Marine and supported by Carbon War Room, Zero and both the Ports of Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
September 28, 2015 Read Full Article
West Virginia Engineer Presented VW Emissions Findings a Year Ago
by David Morgan (Automotive News/Reuters) Daniel Carder, an unassuming 45-year-old engineer with gray hair and blue jeans, appears an unlikely type to take down one of the world's most powerful companies. But he and his small research team at West Virginia
September 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Volkswagen NOxGate Probe Widens
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A 6-year Volkswagen scheme to defraud emissions regulators, uncovered by the US Environmental Protection Agency and disclosed publicly in recent days, has caught the eye of other countries and stakeholders around the world. In France, Finance
September 22, 2015 Read Full Article
Time to Cap Fossil Fuel Pollution
by Mike Bryan (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Instead of setting a blend wall for ethanol, why not set a fossil fuel pollution cap, writes Mike Bryan of BBI International. -- ... I have a crazy idea. Instead of setting a blend wall
September 21, 2015 Read Full Article
New ORNL Catalyst Addresses Engine Efficiency, Emissions Quandary
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) A catalyst being developed by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory could overcome one of the key obstacles still preventing automobile engines from running more cleanly and efficiently. The mixed oxide catalyst could
September 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Your Guide To Dieselgate: Volkswagen's Diesel Cheating Catastrophe
by Patrick George (Jalopnik) Yes, it’s a catastrophe. There’s no other way to describe the allegations from the Environmental Protection Agency that Volkswagen cheated on their emissions tests with nearly half a million TDI diesel cars. What’s at stake here?
September 21, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Says VW Running Massive Clean Air Scam via Jettas, Audis, Passats
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, EPA issued a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act to Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, and Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. alleging that four-cylinder Volkswagen and Audi diesel cars from model years 2009-2015
September 21, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA More Enemy than Ally to Ethanol
by Mike Bryan (Ethanol Producer Magazine) There is a long history of antagonism and sometimes outward hostility by the EPA toward ethanol, writes Mike Bryan. -- Most of us find it strange and frustrating that we are continually at loggerheads with
August 20, 2015 Read Full Article
The Limits of Obama’s New Rules on Pollution
(The Washington Post) Editorial: THE OBAMA administration released new pollution rules on oil and natural gas production Tuesday to predictable howls from industry. The danger, though, is that the rules won’t do enough to achieve the United States’ climate goals. ... The agency
August 19, 2015 Read Full Article
Inslee: I’ll Use My Authority to Impose Cap on Emissions
by Jim Brunner and Hal Bernton (Seattle Times) After being stymied on climate policy in the Legislature, Gov. Jay Inslee announced he’s pressing ahead with executive action to impose a cap on carbon emissions. Frustrated by legislative inaction on climate, Gov. Jay
August 03, 2015 Read Full Article
NE Ethanol Board Working to Make Ozone Rules Workable
(WNAX) Nebraska Ethanol Board leaders are working with various city officials in the region to find ways to make EPA’s proposed Ozone regulations more workable. Nebraska Ethanol Board Administrator Todd Sneller says there’s a great opportunity for ag and biofuels
July 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Republican Voters Split on Climate Change Opinions
by Timothy Cama (The Hill) Republican voters are split on many issues surrounding climate change, and more than half want carbon dioxide regulated as a pollutant. The finding came from an analysis the Yale University Project on Climate Change Communications released Monday,
January 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Pressure Builds on EPA to Back down on Ethanol Emissions, as Society of Automotive Engineers Issues Stunning Rebuke
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, what has been described within the industry as “The growing movement to call out the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its ethanol emissions testing procedures” picked up support today as a new study
November 06, 2014 Read Full Article
Using Biodiesel in Urban Transit Buses Could Reduce Harmful Emissions
(Yahoo! News/PR Newswire) Do transit buses operating on biodiesel emit more or less particulate matter and gases than those using conventional diesel? TheMineta National Transit Research Consortium (MNTRC) has released its latest peer-reviewed study based on laboratory and field experiments.
October 29, 2014 Read Full Article
Lakeview Biofuel Plant Proposal Raises Air Quality Concerns
by Cassandra Profita (KUOW.org) A project proposed in Lakeview, Oregon, would turn woody biomass from logging into biofuels for Southwest Airlines, the U.S. Navy and Marines. The biofuel would have fewer greenhouse gas emissions than traditional jet fuel and diesel, but
October 01, 2014 Read Full Article
New Study: E15 Would Reduce Smog & Cancer Risk
(ClearTheAirChicago.com) Using E15 gas rather than regular gas will reduce cancer-causing pollutants and smog in Chicago’s air, says a new report that reviews and aggregates the results of independent research by the Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, California
September 08, 2014 Read Full Article
Clean Diesel and Diesel Electric Hybrids Add Green Cred and Street Cred to the Daily Commute
(Diesel Technology Forum) ... Today 21 percent of all diesel buses in operation are diesel electric hybrids. These buses improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. By allowing for a smaller diesel engine to work alongside a hybrid powertrain, which in turn
August 22, 2014 Read Full Article
EPA Report Shows Progress in Reducing Urban Air Toxics Across the United States
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) ... The 2007 Mobile Source Air Toxics rule is projected to reduce toxics emitted from highway vehicles and nonroad equipment, which are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health and environmental effects, by 330,000 tons in
August 22, 2014 Read Full Article
EPA Funds Cook Stoves Research to Ameliorate Air Quality and Mitigate Climate Change
By Olatomiwa Bifarin* (Advanced Biofuel USA) If the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) systematic analysis study of 2010 is anything to go by, then by the time you are done reading this article about 35 people would probably be dead
May 30, 2014 Read Full Article
Big Oil, Bad Air: Fracking the Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas
(The Center for Public Integrity, InsideClimate News and The Weather Channel) ...With more than 50 wells drilled within 2½ miles of their home, the days when the Buehrings could sit on the deck that Shelby built and lull away an
February 18, 2014 Read Full Article
Levels of Global-Warming Gas Methane Exceed Government Estimates, New Study Contends
by Lenny Bernstein (The Washington Post) The amount of the heat-trapping gas methane in the atmosphere is considerably greater than government estimates, a problem significantly fueled by leaks from the U.S. natural gas system, according to a study released Thursday. The leak rate probably
February 14, 2014 Read Full Article
Ethanol and Air Quality: Influence of Fuel Ethanol Content on Emissions and Fuel Economy of Flexible Fuel Vehicles
by Carolyn P. Hubbard , James E. Anderson , and Timothy J. Wallington (Environmental Science and Technology) Engine-out and tailpipe emissions of NOx, CO, nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC), nonmethane organic gases (NMOG), total hydrocarbons (THC), methane, ethene, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, ethanol, N2O,
December 26, 2013 Read Full Article
“Fueling Our Future” Funds Available to Increase Use of Higher Blends of Ethanol and Biodiesel
(Iowa Department of Agriculture) Applications due Feb. 7, 2014 for retailers interested in participating Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today encouraged Iowa petroleum retailers interested in participating in the “Fueling our Future” pilot project to consider
December 10, 2013 Read Full Article
Colorado Governor Proposes Strict Limits on Greenhouse Gas Leaks From Drilling
by Michael Wines (The New York Times) Gov. John W. Hickenlooper of Colorado proposed on Monday tough new limits on leaks of methane and other gases from well sites and storage tanks. Supporters called the limits, which would exceed existing
November 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Douglas Durante: Florida's Ethanol Program Needs to Stay the Course
(Tallahassee.com) Having spent some time on the ground in Tallahassee and talking with several legislators over the past few years, it is clear the ethanol program the state has developed is not understood and certainly not appreciated for what is
May 08, 2013 Read Full Article
New EPA Fuel, Emission Standards A Benefit for Ethanol
(Farm Futures) National Corn Growers Association says more stringent emissions standards create a place for ethanol's higher octane levels to shine ...The tier 3 standards increase the level of stringency with which vehicle emissions are regulated with the goal of decreasing
April 09, 2013 Read Full Article
EPA Proposes Achievable Cleaner Fuels and Cars Standard, Slashing Air Pollution and Providing Extensive Health Benefits
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Based on extensive input from auto manufacturers, refiners, and states, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed sensible standards for cars and gasoline that will significantly reduce harmful pollution, prevent thousands of premature deaths and
March 29, 2013 Read Full Article
California, No Longer the State Where the Future Happens First
by James L. Stewart (Biofuels Digest/BioEnergy Producers Association) For the past decade, repressive provisions in statute have discouraged developers of conversion technologies from operating in California. Among its statutory roadblocks, the state has a scientifically inaccurate definition of gasification, which, if
October 31, 2012 Read Full Article
EPA Proposed Rule “National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter”: Urban Air Initiative Comments
(Urban Air Initiative) From a letter to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, August 30, 2012: Urban Air Initiative (UAI) appreciates this opportunity to comment on the Agency’s proposal to address one of our most dangerous and costly health threats,
August 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuels and City Air: A Marginal Effect
by Robert F. Service (Science) If drivers switch from gasoline to biofuels, will it lessen the air pollution that shrouds cities around the world? Studies of auto emissions have indicated it might. But the first citywide air quality study of its
April 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Palm Oil Mills Target Zero Emission
By Meng Yew Choong (The Star) Palm oil milling is far from benign, but the industry is frantically conducting research to realise low-emission technologies. The zero-discharge plant is one such bold concept. THE extraction of palm oil involves a number of
March 22, 2012 Read Full Article
The Bio-Based Economy: A Renewed and Renewable Vision for 2012
by Brent Erickson (Biofuels Digest/BIO) ...To be clear, the bioeconomy is the total economic activity from all sectors of the biotechnology industry – pharmaceuticals, food and agriculture and industrial biotechnology. With biotechnology we can help, heal, fuel and feed the
January 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plants Add to Pollution
by Cody Winchester and Megan Luther (Argus Leader) Industry tops in state for toxic emissions ...For the past five years in South Dakota, ethanol plants have been the leading emitters of carcinogens — toxins thought or known to cause cancer — having
December 27, 2011 Read Full Article
Amtrak: Biodiesel Trial Results Encouraging
(Railway Age) Amtrak says that it found the use of a renewable biodiesel fuel blend to power its daily Heartland Flyer train “resulted in no more wear on the locomotive than traditional diesel fuels and no reduction in performance or
November 02, 2011 Read Full Article
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Ethanol Cuts Dependence, Pollution
by John R. Block (The Washington Times) As Secretary of Agriculture during the Reagan administration, I helped the American ethanol industry take off. Imagine my surprise to read an editorial in The Washington Times (“Corn-fueled politics,” Oct. 17) contending that American
October 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Technique Measures Ethanol Isotopes from Vehicle, Plant Emissions
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Researchers at the University of Miami Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science recently developed a technique to measure ethanol isotopes and discovered that the ethanol found in urban air and vehicle exhaust has
August 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Holden Seeks US Rules for Flex-Fuel Test
by Ron Hammerton (GoAuto) Canberra to talk on emissions test rules that threaten to leave E85 out in the cold GM HOLDEN will ask the Australian government to adopt the American cold-start emissions testing regime for E85 ethanol-powered vehicles instead of
June 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Leading the Way on Cleaning Up Diesel Exhaust
(National Biodiesel Board) Renewable, Advanced Biofuel significantly reduces harmful emissions In advance of a congressional hearing on diesel emissions Thursday (May 12, 2011), the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is highlighting the significant health and air quality improvements from blending biodiesel with
May 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Lawsuit Opposes Permit for Michigan Ethanol Plant
(Bloomberg/AP) Environmentalists sued Michigan regulators Tuesday over an air quality permit issued for a planned refinery in the Upper Peninsula that will produce ethanol fuel from wood chips. The Sierra Club lawsuit contends the Department of Natural Resources and Environment violated federal
December 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Advanced Engine-Control System Reduces Biodiesel Fuel Consumption and Emissions
Researchers from Purdue University and Cummins Inc. have developed an advanced "closed-loop control" approach for preventing diesel engines from emitting greater amounts of smog-causing nitrogen oxides when running on biodiesel fuels. Operating truck engines on a blend of biodiesel and ordinary