by Taylor W. Anderson (The Bulletin) Climate scientist: policies that encourage biofuels must account for indirect emissions -- Before starting to implement Oregon’s low-carbon fuel standard , the state must first deal with some math that is both complicated and
Regulations-State
Back TO HOMECARB Re-Adopts State’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Ann Bailey (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The California Air Resources Board has re-adopted a Low Carbon Fuel Standard requiring a 10 percent reduction in the carbon intensity of transportation fuels by 2020. “Unlike the EPA, California's Air Resources Board has consistently
September 30, 2015 Read Full Article
California Air Regulators Readopt Fuel Standard to Fight Climate Change
by Tony Barboza (Los Angeles Times) Clifornia air quality officials on Friday approved updates to a key climate change rule that will force reductions in carbon pollution from gasoline and diesel fuel over the next five years. The vote Friday by
September 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Butamax, Gevo Settle, Will Work Together on Market Development
(Gevo/Butamax/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Gevo Inc. and Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC, a joint venture between BP and DuPont, announced that they have entered into worldwide patent cross-license and settlement agreements, ending a patent dispute related to technologies for the production of
August 24, 2015 Read Full Article
Tensions over U.S. Electric Vehicle Mandates Spill into the Open
by Joseph White (PlanetArk) A long-simmering dispute between automakers and U.S. regulators over policies to promote electric vehicles spilled into the open on Tuesday, in the high stakes struggle over the future of automotive technology. The heads of two major lobby groups
August 05, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Minutes with… Cory-Ann Wind, Lead Staff Oregon Clean Fuels Program, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... ODEQ is the regulatory agency that oversees the Oregon Clean Fuels Program, Oregon’s version of the low carbon fuel standards. The program’s goal is to reduce the carbon intensity of Oregon’s transportation fuels by
May 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Transportation Budget Cuts Alternative Fuel Mandate
by Karen Kasler (WOSU) The transportation budget signed last week includes a change for the state’s vehicle fleet: The budget cuts out a requirement on alternative fuels that had been in place for most of a decade. In July 2006 alternative fuels
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
The LCFS Re-Adoption and Its Possible Repercussions
by John Sens (Biodiesel Magazine/EcoEngineers) ... Some important items that have resulted from this re-adoption process are: -Setting compliance curve to meet 10 percent GHG reduction by 2020. -Cost containment measures, including a price ceiling of $200 per CI credit. -A two-tiered system for
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
California Air Resources Board Holds Workshop on LCFS Re-Adoption
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, the California Air Resources Board held a workshop on the Low Carbon Fuel Standard re-adoption process. The CARB workshop presentation is now posted online, ... CARB’s revision of indirect land-use change (ILUC) modeling resulted in reduced penalties for
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
California GHG Reporting Obligations Extend to Ethanol
by Graham Noyes.(Ethanol Producer Magazine/Keyes, Fox & Wiedman LLP) California has embarked upon the most aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction program in the world. As a result of California’s Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions program (the MRR), biofuel producers,
March 02, 2015 Read Full Article
4 Things You Should Know about Oregon's Low-Carbon Fuel Standard
by Ian K. Kullgren (The Oregonian/OregonLive) ... The law aims to position Oregon as a leader in the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by setting an increasingly cleaner standard for gasoline distributors over the next decade. ... 1) The low-carbon fuel standard
February 18, 2015 Read Full Article
Washington Solicits Comments on Potential Clean Fuel Standard
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Washington Department of Ecology recently published a discussion document to jumpstart dialogue on a potential rulemaking for a state clean fuel standard. According to information released by the department, it was directed by
February 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Five Myths about Gas Taxes
by Paul Bledsoe (The Washington Post) A dramatic 40 percent drop in oil prices since June has prompted new discussion aboutraising the long-static federal gasoline tax and has many states considering gas tax hikes as well. At the federal level, Congress
December 22, 2014 Read Full Article
Indirect Land Use Change: ARB Needs Evidence, Not Theory
by Steve Shaffer (Capitol Weekly) ... More than two millennia later, Sacramento has its own version of the Flat Earth Society—the California Air Resources Board (ARB). Only this time, the debate isn’t over the shape of the Earth; it’s over
December 12, 2014 Read Full Article
New Ethanol Gas Pumps Open in Fort Myers
by Brittany Weiner (ABC-7) Lee County is now home to one of the first ethanol gas stations in Florida. The higher-octane gas is cheaper and better for the environment, but we found local mechanics who say buyers beware. Gas at $2.15
December 04, 2014 Read Full Article
California Soliciting Comments on LCFS Rule Overhaul
by Isabel Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, the Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS) is being overhauled, and the California Air Resources Board (ARB) is requesting input during the rulemaking comment period by November 17th. Two of the issues most important
November 10, 2014 Read Full Article
Scientists Urge CARB to Revisit LCFS Land Use Change Penalties
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) According to the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) and other media organizations, 14 scientists and researchers submitted a letter to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on March 6 urging the agency to meaningfully reduce its
March 11, 2014 Read Full Article
California Air Resources Board to Hold Hearing on Biodiesel March 20
(California Air Resources Board) ARB's diesel fuel regulations are geared toward controlling criteria pollutant emissions from hydrocarbon-based fuels and are not intended to provide a market pathway for alternative diesel fuels (ADF), such as biodiesel. With the advent of the policies
March 08, 2014 Read Full Article
The Problem with Corn Oil Biodiesel
by Shashi Menon (EcoEngineers/Biodiesel Magazine) Over the past two years, the use of nonfood-grade (NFG) corn oil for biodiesel production has grown tremendously. Corn oil biodiesel is eligible for a D4 RIN under the renewable fuel standard (RFS), and California's low
February 05, 2014 Read Full Article
ARB Delays New Biodiesel Rules To Address South Coast NOx Concerns
(Inside EPA) State air board officials this week postponed until March the possible adoption of new rules for biodiesel and other "alternative diesel" fuel blends, in order to consider last-minute concerns raised by South Coast air district officials that the
December 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Report Addresses Compliance Costs of California's LCFS
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) A recent report authored by two University of California, Davis researchers examines the economics of the California low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) program. According to information released by the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies,
December 27, 2013 Read Full Article
IRFA Summit to Address Benefits of Biodiesel Use, Expansion
(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association/Biodiesel Magazine) The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association announced speakers that will address expansion of the biodiesel market through policy initiatives and broader distribution networks at the 8th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit and Trade Show taking place at
December 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Company Hopes to Tap into Sugar Cane, Sorghum for Fuel-Grade Ethanol
by James Palen (The Daily Transcript/San Diego Source) ... Brawley-based California Ethanol + Power is bringing the matter closer to home. The company has yet to build its first facility, but by possibly the first quarter of 2014, it looks to break ground on
November 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Lewinsky’s Dress Syndrome and the EPA Biofuels Debacle
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) So, the EPA hands down cruel cutbacks in renewable fuel targets as the Administration reels under Obamacare pressure. What happened to biofuels, why is “everyone’s friend” biodiesel getting the shaft, what’s next? And what is
November 25, 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
Minnesota Department of Agricultlure Says State Is Ready to Implement B10 Mandate
(Minnesota Soybean Growers Association/Biodiesel Magazine) The Minnesota Soybean Growers Association has voiced its support for a recommendation by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to move the state to a 10 percent biodiesel inclusion rate in every gallon of diesel sold
October 02, 2013 Read Full Article
How to Ensure Biofuel Crops Don’t Become Weeds
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) A Virginia Tech researcher, along with several others, have offered a way to ensure that plants grown for biofuels do not become an invasive weed. According to Jacob Barney, an assistance professor of plant pathology, physiology
March 07, 2013 Read Full Article
Chevron VP: Forget Cellulosic Biofuel, Build Better Cars
by David R. Baker (San Francisco Chronicle) The oil industry is mounting a concerted push to roll back biofuel mandates, both in Washington and Sacramento. At the federal level, oil lobbyists have joined with environmentalists and ranchers — a Coalition of the Unlikely — to
February 08, 2013 Read Full Article
The First Lady of E15
by Tim Portz (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Kristy Moore recalls her beginnings in the ethanol industry, her fondness for American agriculture and the long road to bringing E15 to market. The story of the approval of E15 for use in model year 2001
January 30, 2013 Read Full Article
RFA Urges CARB to Revise Carbon Intensity Values under the LCFS
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Renewable Fuels Association is urging the California Air Resources Board to revise indirect land use change (ILUC) penalties assigned to certain biofuels under the state’s low carbon fuel standard (LCFS). In a letter RFA President
January 24, 2013 Read Full Article
Choice at the Pump E15 Is Currently Cleared for Sale in a Handful of States, with Work Ongoing to Bring It to the Rest of the U.S.
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Scott Zaremba, owner of Zarco 66 convenience stores, didn’t just open the first E15 retail pump in the nation. Not long after offering 15 percent ethanol at the first station in Lawrence, Kan., he expanded
January 17, 2013 Read Full Article
Oregon to Implement Phase One of Clean Fuels Program
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On Dec. 7, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission elected to begin implementation of the state’s Clean Fuels Program. A spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality confirmed the commission voted four to one to
December 17, 2012 Read Full Article
New Algae-Based Biodiesel Meets State Fuel Quality Standards
by Kristin Macey (CDFA Division of Measurement Standards/Imperial Valley News) The Department of Food and Agriculture’s Division of Measurement Standards (DMS) has tested samples of a new 20 percent biodiesel blend fuel made from algae and is happy to report
December 14, 2012 Read Full Article
The Information Source for Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles
(US Department of Energy) The Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) provides information, data, and tools to help fleets and other transportation decisions makers find ways to reduce petroleum consumption through the use of alternative and renewable fuels, advanced vehicles, and
November 27, 2012 Read Full Article
California Greenhouse Gas Rules Face Major Court Test
by Howard Mintz (Mercury News) Having fended off a challenge to groundbreaking emissions standards for new cars, California now finds itself in a legal tug-of-war to preserve some of its unprecedented regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of fuels. The 9th
October 16, 2012 Read Full Article
$1-2/gal Price Hikes, Refinery Closures Seen Under California LCFS
(Opisnet.com) While already suffering through the highest pump prices in the continental U.S., Californians could face even higher gasoline and diesel costs when new low carbon fuel regulations gain traction Jan. 1, warn fuel experts. Price hikes of as much
October 03, 2012 Read Full Article
'Miracle' Crop Could Invade Like Kudzu
By John Murawski (News and Observer/Bradenton.com/Bradenton Herald) It's billed as a champion energy crop that yields three times as much ethanol per acre as corn, a fast-growing field grass that's ideal for making clean auto fuel without displacing scarce crop
September 30, 2012 Read Full Article
UC Riverside Developing Biofuel Formulations for California
by Sean Nealon (UCR Today) Research supports several California measures that aim to increase the use of renewable fuels and reduce greenhouse gases Researchers at the University of California, Riverside’s College of Engineering – Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) are
August 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Kitchen Grease Haulers Now Required to Register with Maryland Department of Agriculture
(Southern Maryland Online) Kitchen grease may not seem high on the list of valuable items a thief might steal, but the practice has become so widespread and potentially dangerous that the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has launched an online
August 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Massachusetts Sets Strict Regulations for Biomass: Will This Influence Further Restrictions?
by Meg Cichon (Renewable Energy World) The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources released a new set of strict standards for biomass in early May that have the potential to cut subsidies for developing plants. According to these new requirements, all
May 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Is Kansas Ready to Bump to E15 at the Pump?
by Steve Everly (Kansas City Star) Ethanol industry pushes for the state to step up from the E10 blend now offered. But automakers warn of engine damage, voided warranties. ...E10 will still be available, and selling E15 won’t be mandatory, but
March 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Words from the Wise: A Study by a Group of Forest Scientists Confirms Forest-Derived Bioenergy Results in No Net Carbon Release
by Anna Austin (Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine) A recently released study authored by nine scientists from multiple organizations and universities, including the U.S. Forest Service, may be poised to clear up some confusion. With no motive other than to
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Reaching the E15 Summit: Getting the Waiver Was Easy, Compared to the Work Required to Fulfill Requirements for E15 Implementation
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...The industry believed it had the scientific backing to support the use of higher ethanol blends in all vehicles and said allowing higher blends into the market would create jobs, lessen dependence on foreign
December 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Poet Has Green Plan for Water
by Anna Jauhola (The Daily Republic) In a continuing effort to operate as green as possible, Poet Biorefining is the first ethanol plant in the state to apply to use storm water in the facility rather than discharging it. Through an