by John M. Urbanchuk (ENTRIX/The Hill) In his July 27 blog posting “The economics of U.S. ethanol policy” Professor Bruce Babcock of Iowa State University reports the results of new research suggesting that allowing the current 45-cent-per-gallon ethanol blender’s tax credit
Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS and RFS2)
Back TO HOMEEPA Releases Data on Canola Biodiesel Pathway
By Luke Geiver (Biodiesel Magazine) The U.S. EPA has released a Notice of Data Availability (NODA) for its recent modeling of the canola oil biodiesel pathway. As of March 26, when the EPA officially announced the final rule for the
July 23, 2010 Read Full Article
Biofuels Industry Blames Washington for Holding Back Cellulosic Ethanol
by Stacy Feldman (SolveClimate) Industry rips failing DOE loan program on the heels of EPA's decision to slash cellulosic biofuel mandate. ...EPA announced it expects 5 to 17.1 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol to be blended into the nation's fuels in 2011,
July 21, 2010 Read Full Article
EPA Proposes Cellulosic Ethanol Short of U.S. Goals
(San Francisco Chronicle/Bloomberg) The Environmental Protection Agency proposed requiring less cellulosic ethanol to be blended into gasoline next year than sought under U.S. law because production of the alternative fuel hasn't reached commercial scale. ...Cellulosic ethanol, made from switchgrass, wood chips
July 13, 2010 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) in 2011
(Renewable Fuels Association) ...Of note, EPA has revised down cellulosic ethanol use from original RFS targets for the second year in a row. While this may be prudent for EPA based on market conditions, it does send a chilling effect
July 13, 2010 Read Full Article
EPA Proposes 2011 Renewable Fuel Standards
(US EPA) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) July 12, 2010, proposed the 2011 percentage standards for the four fuels categories under the agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard program, known as RFS2. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) established the annual renewable
July 13, 2010 Read Full Article
Regional Inequities in Votes, Dollars and Jobs May Imperil USDA’s Plan for Achieving RFS2
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...It has been pointed out repeatedly by advanced biofuels developers that the public sector must craft long-term, stable national policies to support and incentivize new capacity, with the return on investment coming in the form
July 06, 2010 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuel Standards -- RFS2
by B.A. (Ben) Thorp and Masood Akhtar (Ahead of the Curve, TAPPI) ...The first question to ask is, why do I need to know any of this? Reasons can range from increasing one's knowledge to helping guide personal investment to evaluating
May 14, 2010 Read Full Article
American Soybean Association Advises NRC that Soy Oil Can Fulfill Demand for Food, Feed and Fuel
(American Soybean Association) The American Soybean Association (ASA) provided comments today to the National Research Council (NRC) Committee on Economic and Environmental Impacts of Increasing Biofuels Production. ASA told the Committee that biodiesel made from soybean oil can play a vital
May 07, 2010 Read Full Article
The Renewable Fuel Standard and Cellulosic Biofuels: Prospects and Challenges
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On March 18, 2010, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing on the state of the cellulosic biofuel industry and its prospects for producing the volumes required by the federal Renewable Fuel Standard
May 06, 2010 Read Full Article
Growth Energy: Oil Companies Should Not Dismiss Intent of Congress to Increase Renewable Fuel in 2010
Growth Energy, the coalition of US ethanol supporters, announced today that it has filed papers to intervene on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a lawsuit filed against EPA by the petroleum industry challenging a key part
April 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Petroleum Industry Files Suit Over Renewable Fuel Standard
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) ...Both the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (NPRA) filed the lawsuit Monday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia challenging the EPA rule, officially published
April 05, 2010 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Credit Program Extension Supports Renewable Fuels Standard
To promote more clean energy production the Alberta government is expanding and extending an incentive program for producers of bioenergy products. Funding under the Bioenergy Producer Credit Program is extended for five years until 2016. The program will help Alberta meet
March 26, 2010 Read Full Article
Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Changes to Renewable Fuel Standard Program; Final Rule
Under the Clean Air Act Section 211(o), as amended by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), the Environmental Protection Agency is required to promulgate regulations implementing changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard program. The revised statutory requirements specify
March 26, 2010 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuels Association Publishes "What All Ethanol Producers Need to Know" about New RFS2 Registration
With full implementation of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) now in full swing, ethanol producers will be required to register with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In an effort to provide them with information they will need before registering,
March 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Ethanol Support Lags Ambitions
by Naureen S. Malik (Dow Jones Newswires) Makers of cellulosic ethanol warn that ambitious U.S. government goals to significantly boost production of the technologically advanced fuel over the next 12 years won't be met without stronger backing from Washington. ...industry executives
March 02, 2010 Read Full Article
Clean Fuels Clearinghouse Publishes White Paper and Basic Briefings on RFS and RINs
by Clayton McMartin(Clean Fuels Clearinghouse) To say the RFS2 rule is complex would be a huge understatement. In reality this rule is much more complex than RFS1. Recognizing this, and the fact that thousands of companies throughout the industry will need
March 01, 2010 Read Full Article
Put Transportation Biofuel Commercial Deployment Where It Belongs: USDOT
by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) Contemplating the continued inability of the US to meet the biofuels and advanced biofuels production and sales expectations codified in the Renewable Fuels Standard, the Advanced Biofuels USA board passed a resolution to introduce
February 25, 2010 Read Full Article
Would Things Be Different without RFS1or2? Not Really.
by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) Since the provisions of the RFS were written into the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 without a realistic funding provision, RFS and RFS2 are, as a practical matter, “Sense of
February 25, 2010 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Responds to Cornell Paper
In response to a paper published by two Cornell University professors – a paper that is critical of the Environmental Protection Agency’s calculations that grain ethanol emits far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than conventional gasoline – Growth Energy released the
February 25, 2010 Read Full Article
EPA Greenhouse Gas Accounting Is Flawed and Inaccurate, Cornell Experts Say
A recent EPA announcement that corn-based ethanol achieves a 21 percent greenhouse gas reduction compared to gasoline is based on false accounting assumptions and could actually lead to more fossil fuel consumption, according to Cornell University economists whose research will
February 25, 2010 Read Full Article
Vilsack: Administration Wants to Expand Biofuels
(DTN Ethanol Center) President Barack Obama will continue championing biofuels as a job creator, said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack when he spoke to members of the Governors' Biofuels Coalition on Monday. Vilsack is hopeful for a positive decision on
February 24, 2010 Read Full Article
RINs Improved as Part of RFS2
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA has come up with a new system for renewable identification number (RINs) that should be easier to use as well as cut down on the possibility of human error. ...Tony Miller,
February 22, 2010 Read Full Article
RFS2 a Hot Topic at Conference in Orlando
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...(S)aid Sarah Dunham of the EPA, the EPA received real data during the comment period that helped shape the rule, including indirect land use change (ILUC). “I can safely say that this is the
February 18, 2010 Read Full Article
New Renewable Fuel Standard A Mixed Blessing For Agriculture
by Lisa Hare (Yankton Press & Dakotan) The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent final ruling on the national Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was met with mixed responses by farm state politicians and organizational leaders. “This is a good news/bad news announcement
February 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Splash Blending Advantageous for Marketers Under RFS2
(OPIS) ...Multi-state non-refining retailers such as Quik Trip, WaWa and RaceTrac will remain -- for now anyway -- the least encumbered and most advantaged part of the supply chain where biofuel regulation is concerned. Splash blenders, who don't produce or
February 16, 2010 Read Full Article
NY Times Applauds EPA Inclusion of ILUC in RFS2
(OPIS) The New York Times is praising U.S. EPA for including the international indirect land use change (ILUC) calculation in its lifecycle greenhouse gas reduction threshold as part of the finalized expanded renewable fuels standard (RFS2), issued last week. ...In response,
February 16, 2010 Read Full Article
Roundup of Reaction to Obama Administration's New Biofuels Policies, EPA, USDA Rules
(Biofuels Digest) Roundup of reaction to the new Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) and related announcements. Included are: Nathanael Greene, NRDC’s director of renewable energy policy; Bob Dineen, CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association; Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel
February 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Peterson Comments on Obama Administration Biofuels Announcement
Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin C. Peterson (MN) issued the following statement on Renewable Fuel Standard regulations announced by the Obama Administration today. "Typical of most decisions made in Washington, there is some good and some bad in the Renewable Fuel Standard
February 03, 2010 Read Full Article
Obama Announces Steps to Boost Biofuels, Clean Coal, Releases RFS2
President Barack Obama announced a series of steps his Administration is taking as part of its comprehensive strategy to enhance American energy independence while building a foundation for a new clean energy economy, and its promise of new industries and
February 03, 2010 Read Full Article
EPA Indicates E15 Blending OK is Likely, But Delays Ruling to Mid-2010
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the EPA announced that it will delay its determination on E15 ethanol blending until the middle of next year, citing that only 2 of 19 DOE tests are complete at this stage. EPA
December 04, 2009 Read Full Article
US May Reduce Cellulosic Mandate for 2010
(FarmOnline; North Queensland Register) Not enough cellulosic ethanol may be produced to fill the United States proposed 100 million gallon mandate for 2010, prompting a rethink from officials. At a recent conference, Environmental Protection Agency Office of Transportation and Air Quality
November 13, 2009 Read Full Article
Biofuels Producers Warn They Are Going to Fall Far Short of Federal Mandates
by Jessica Leber (New York Times Climatewire) The emerging cellulosic biofuel industry, stung by frozen credit markets, ineffective federal loan programs and lagging federal policies, will fall far short of mandated production volumes over the next few years. U.S. EPA is
October 10, 2009 Read Full Article
EPA Announces Peer Review Findings on the Lifecycle Analysis for the Proposed Rule to Implement the Expanded Renewable Fuel Standard Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (''EPA'') announces the availability of documents pertaining to the expert peer review record completed on the Renewable Fuel Standard Program (RFS2) Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Analysis. On May 5, 2009, EPA announced proposed revisions to
August 12, 2009 Read Full Article
10 Midwest Governors Urge EPA to Allow E-15 Gasoline Blends
In a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Governors from Indiana, South Dakota, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin urged increasing the percent of ethanol that can be blended with gasoline from 10% to 15% as
July 17, 2009 Read Full Article
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Wants to Refine the Renewable Fuel Standard
by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) (Politico) ...(W)e envisioned a biofuels industry that would move beyond corn ethanol. Scientists, the environmental community and some cutting-edge entrepreneurs were confident that biofuels could come from a wide array of feedstocks and use an
July 17, 2009 Read Full Article
EPA Extends Renewable Fuel Standard Comment Period to September 25
EPA is extending the comment period for the proposed rule "Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard Program." Under the Federal Register Notice, published May 26, 2009. the public comment period was set to end
July 06, 2009 Read Full Article
Maryland’s Biofuels Industry Needs More Incentives to Spur In-State Production And Use
(Task Force on Renewable Alternative Fuels Final Report) The Task Force on Renewable Alternative Fuels (Chapter 540 of 2007), chaired by Secretary of Agriculture Roger Richardson and staffed by the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), consisted of two legislative members, the