(EurActiv.com) A European Parliament report into the EU’s proposals for addressing the problem of indirect land use change (ILUC) in its biofuels policy will propose today (17 April) the application of unique ‘factors’ to account for differences in biofuels performance. These would
Transportation Fuels Policy
Back TO HOMEEU Biodiesel Terms Increasingly Complex
(Argus Media) Biodiesel trade terms are becoming increasingly complicated as buyers and sellers haggle over sustainability clauses, payments terms and water content. Much of the wrangling has appeared over Fame 0 biodiesel compliant with the EU renewable energy directive (RED), known
April 24, 2013 Read Full Article
EERE Transportation Energy Futures Study: Deep Reductions in Petroleum Use and Carbon Emissions
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The Environmental and Energy Studies Institute (EESI) and the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) held a briefing on the conclusions of the newly released EERE Transportation Energy Futures (TEF)
April 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuel Exec: Change to Fuel Mandate Would Hurt Iowa Cellulosic Plant
by Christopher Doering (Des Moines Register) A meaningful change to the country’s renewable fuel mandate would drastically curtail the market opportunity for a cellulosic ethanol plant being built in Emmetsburg by ethanol producer Poet and Dutch-based DSM Advanced Biofuels, a
April 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Leading Democrat Says US May Not Be Able to Meet Biofuel Targets
by Ayesha Rascoe (Reuters) * Wyden says committee will explore ethanol mandate * Energy committee to look at gasoline prices this Spring * Lawmakers introduced bill ending corn ethanol targets The chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Friday questioned
April 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels to Cost U.K. Motorists $707 Million, Chatham House Says
by Sally Blakewell (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Biofuels will cost U.K. motorists about 460 million pounds ($707 million) this year as the government increases their use in transport fuel, driving up food prices in poorer countries, Chatham House said. Britain’s program to expand
April 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Long List of Lobbies Oppose Renewable-Fuels Standard
by Amy Harder (National Journal) It’s hard to rival the diversity and sheer number of groups and companies with a vested interest in the renewable-fuels standard, from food and livestock businesses to those in the environmental and energy sectors. No official
April 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Dinneen to Forbes: Forbes Should Be Advocating For, Not Arguing Against, Increased Competition
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) To the Editor: What’s there about lower prices at the pump, less pollution and reduced reliance on imported oil that Robert Bradley, Jr., doesn’t like (“It’s Time to Repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard,” April 17)? Thanks
April 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Florida Legislature Poised to Pull the Plug on Florida’s Bioenergy Sector
(Business Wire/Florida Biofuels and Bioenergy Association) $1 Billion in Investment At Risk On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Florida Legislature will consider HB4001, which repeals the Renewable Fuels Standard set in 2008. With a federal mandate for 10 percent ethanol in gasoline, this legislation will
April 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Shell at ABLC: Don’t Blame Big Oil for Blend Wall
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) One of the great things about the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference is the diverse group of biofuels stakeholders with diverse points of view. Case in point, Shell Oil’s presence at the gathering, and the company’s Downstream
April 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Oil-and-Gas Lobby Talks Biofuel Rule with White House, EPA, Senior Lawmakers
by Zack Coleman (The Hill E2Wire) The head of a powerful oil industry lobbying group met with top White House officials and senior lawmakers Wednesday about stripping a federal biofuel rule. “We’re talking about the renewable fuel standard (RFS). It’s a hot
April 18, 2013 Read Full Article
International Energy Agency: Need Major Scale Up in Global Biofuels Production
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Today, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released their Tracking Clean Energy Progress report in New Delhi that details the increased role that biofuels will need to play in reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) as part of their Climate Change
April 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Bashing The Oil Industry at Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference: Offense and Defense in the Game of Whack-a-Mole
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Although conference convener, Biofuels Digest's Jim Lane, insisted that he "discouraged industry bashing," the first morning of this 3-day conference was replete with unveiled references to The Oil Industry, Oil Interests, Big Oil and
April 15, 2013 Read Full Article
BIO Comments on EPA’s 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Rules
(Biotechnology Industry Organization) The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) recently submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the proposed Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: 2013 Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS). The comments emphasized that continued stable implementation of the RFS provides
April 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Freeze It - A Proposal for Implementing RFS2 through 2015
by Scott Irwin and Darrel Good (FarmDocDaily) ...Here, we present a proposal for implementing the RFS2 through 2015 that recognizes the constraints implied by the E10 blend wall and will avert the impact of the issues identified in the previous
April 11, 2013 Read Full Article
Industry Reacts to RFS Reform Act Introduced in House
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The ethanol industry reacted swiftly to the so-called RFS Reform Act, legislation introduced April 10 in the U.S. House of Representatives, which they said would gut the renewable fuel standard (RFS). The bill, introduced by
April 11, 2013 Read Full Article
Double Counting, Half Measures: Advanced Biofuels Will Not Take Off with Existing Support Measures
(ePURE) The European Renewable Ethanol Industry, ePURE, together with Novozymes, find the double counting mechanism proposed by the European Commission is ineffective to kick-start the deployment of innovative advanced biofuels. Increasing the weighting of advanced biofuels to quadruple counting towards
April 11, 2013 Read Full Article
President’s FY2014 Budget Boosts DOE Vehicle Technology Spending 75% to $575M; $282M for Advanced Biofuels
(EV-olution.org) President Obama’s FY 2014 budget proposal submitted to Congress provides $28.4 billion in discretionary funds for the Department of Energy, an 8% increase above the 2012 enacted level. Among the direct transportation-related highlights of the department’s budget proposal are $575 million
April 11, 2013 Read Full Article
Crop-Based Biofuels: A Complex Issue
by Sam Fenwick (E2B Pulse) In this article, E2B explores the benefits of crop-based biofuels to the UK, the potential impact of a recent EU proposal and the wider issues associated with their adoption. In October 2012, the EU Commission published
April 11, 2013 Read Full Article
Florida Senate Bill Repealing Ethanol Requirement Rewritten with Only 'Nice Words'
by Bruce Ritchie (The Florida Current) A Senate bill that would repeal the 2008 requirement that gasoline in Florida contain about 10 percent ethanol was rewritten on Tuesday to remove the repeal. Bill supporters say the law requirement is a government mandate
April 10, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Seeks Toned-Down Renewable Fuel Goals
by Ben Goad (The Hill E2Wire) A key industry group is urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ratchet back this year’s volume requirements for biofuel production, arguing the proposed standards are unrealistic. In formal comments submitted Monday, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA)
April 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Global Biofuels Production Will Reach Nearly 62 Billion Gallons by 2023, Forecasts Navigant Research
(Yahoo!Finance/Navigant Research) After more than a decade of healthy growth for conventional biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel, the next wave of advanced biofuels is nearing commercialization. The pool of commercially available biomass-derived fuels is expanding to include advanced fuels derived
April 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels Given a New Lease on Life
by Andre Janse van Vuuren (City Press/Fin24) Dormant plans to establish a local biofuel sector – earmarked to create up to 50 000 jobs and save the country at least R8.9bn in foreign exchange payments – could be given a
April 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Low Carbon Fuel Standard: Consumer Choice Is Key to California Success
by Matt Horton (Mercury News) ...Yet at the fuel pump, consumers still have no power. We all know our dependence on fossil fuels weakens our economy and security while threatening our environment. We simply feel powerless to address it because
April 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Not Ready for Slime Time: Algae Present Challenges as Fuel Source
by Emily Pickrell (FuelFix) On Jan. 1, Congress made algae-based fuel production eligible for a $1.01-per-gallon cellulosic biofuel production federal tax credit. Cellulosic biofuels typically are made from woody, non-food material such as grasses or wood chips, in contrast to ethanol, which
April 08, 2013 Read Full Article
RFA to House Energy & Commerce Committee: Let RFS Work and Solutions to Blend Wall Will Be Found!
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today (April 5, 2013) responded to the questions posed by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy and Commerce in a white paper entitled, “Examining ‘Blend Wall’ Challenges”. The Committee is
April 08, 2013 Read Full Article
ePURE Calls for Modeling European Biofuels Policy after the RFS
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The European Renewable Ethanol Association, ePURE, has released results of a study that determined the double counting mechanism proposed by the European Commission to spur production of advanced biofuels is ineffective. Rather, the organization
April 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Cheap Petrobras Gas Hurts Ethanol Investments: Corporate Brazil
by Stephan Nielsen (Bloomberg) Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR4), the state- run oil company, is boosting money-losing gasoline imports at its fastest pace ever, holding down prices for alternative fuels and hindering investments in ethanol. ...President Dilma Rousseff’s policy to fight inflation
April 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Blending Margins, RFS2 Compliance, and the Price of Gasoline
by Scott Irwin and Darrel Good (FarmDocDaily) ...We concluded that the buying and selling of RINs within that supply chain results in something close to a zero-sum game in terms of profitability for the industry. The result is that high RINs
April 05, 2013 Read Full Article
IEA Says Cellulosic Biofuels Capacity Has Tripled since 2010: New Task 39 Global Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The International Energy Agency, through its Task 39 group, has published its 207-page report on the “Status of Advanced Biofuels Demonstration Facilities in 2012″. The report, in its pages, contains detailed project summaries as well as
April 05, 2013 Read Full Article
7 Steps to Meeting US Renewable Fuels Targets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We go through the renewable fuels math — and find that the nattering nabobs of negativism might have crowed too soon. ...Lately, the nattering nabobs appear to have landed at the American Petroleum Institute — which
April 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine : Bioethanol Production Will Boost the Alcohol and Sugar Industries
(www.4-Traders.com) This year the Government continues to develop alternative fuel sources, in particular, to increase the production of bioethanol. It is provided by the State Program of activation of the economic development for 2013-2014. To do this,a number of distilling
April 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol vs. Petroleum – NCGA Adds Facts to the Debate
by Gary Truitt (Hoosier Ag Today) Ethanol debates are heating up again on Capitol Hill – so the National Corn Growers Association is comparing the environmental impacts from ethanol and petroleum as transportation fuels. Ethanol – which is primarily made
April 02, 2013 Read Full Article
DOE Study: RFS Boosts US Economy
by Bob Dinneen (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Renewable Fuels Association) As Congress and the country debate the renewable fuel standard (RFS), Big Oil and Big Food are flooding the zone with bought-and-paid-for “studies” seeking to discredit American ethanol and the public policies
April 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels Too Basic to Justify Binding EU 2030 Target: Oettinger
(Platts) Biofuels are not advanced enough yet to justify a specific binding 2030 EU renewable transport target, EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said Wednesday. The EU has a binding 2020 target to source 20% of its final energy demand from renewables.
April 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Renewables Are Now a Major Contributor to UK Energy
by Robin Whitlock (Renewable Energy Magazine) ...There was a reduction in the consumption of liquid biofuels available for transport, down to 2.6 percent of UK motor fuel and this needs to be addressed in the policy framework in order for the
April 02, 2013 Read Full Article
The Future of Biofuels in 10 Charts and Maps
by Jeremy Martin (Union of Concerned Scientists) ... The good news is that biofuel production can responsibly continue to grow if we switch from corn to biomass as a source material or feedstock. Our recent analysis confirms that biomass is available within the United States at
March 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Congress’s Affair With Ethanol: Love Gone Wrong?
by Bill Chameides (The Green Grok/Duke University) ...As a libation, ethanol’s been around for a long, long time. As a fuel, it dates back to 1826 when it was first used in an internal combustion engine. Ethanol was also the fuel
March 29, 2013 Read Full Article
WBA: Enough Land for More Food, Feed, Biofuels
by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine) There is enough land available to produce more food, more feed and more biofuels, which are not the cause of global malnutrition problems, according to the World Bioenergy Association. WBA makes this declaration in a recently
March 29, 2013 Read Full Article
SCS Expands Biofuel Certification Services into Southeast Asia
( SCS Global Services/PR NewsWire) SCS Global Services has announced the expansion of its biofuel certification services in Southeast Asia. The veteran third-party environmental certification body will now conduct audits under the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) program, which will allow biofuel
March 28, 2013 Read Full Article
European Commission Publishes Progress Report on RED
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On March 27 the European Commission published its first Renewable Energy Progress Report under the Renewable Energy Directive, showing that the EU as a whole is on its trajectory towards the 2020 RED targets.
March 28, 2013 Read Full Article
US Refiners May Boost Renewables Spending if RFS Targets Not Lowered: Moody's
by Beth Evans (Platts) Ratings agency Moody's expects US refiners to increase investments in renewables blending and infrastructure if federal renewables targets are not lowered. "In the absence of any EPA waivers to meeting the renewable fuel requirements, we expect refiners
March 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Zimbabwe: Chisumbanje Ethanol Plant Reopens
by Tendai Mugabe (AllAfrica.com) Green Fuel resumed operations at its ethanol plant here yesterday, raising prospects that the country could soon start the mandatory blending of fuel that has been on the cards for sometime. There was jubilation as workers who
March 28, 2013 Read Full Article
ACE’s New Infographic Highlights How The RFS Is An American Success Story
(HoosierAgToday) For the second year in a row the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has created an ‘infographic’ promoting the benefits of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Entitled “An American Success Story,” the new infographic pinpoints how the RFS is
March 27, 2013 Read Full Article
ARPA-E Launches $20M Project REMOTE – Bioconversion of Natural Gas to Liquid Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ARPA-E aims to drive liquid fuel production from abundant, affordable methane — and sees biobased technology as the path forward. In Washington, ARPA-E released its long-awaited funding opportunity announcement for Project REMOTE – Reducing Emissions using
March 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Automakers Ask Supreme Court to Take up Ethanol Challenge
by David Shephardson (Detroit News) Major automakers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to approve a higher blend of ethanol for vehicles from 2001 and newer. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers —
March 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Letter to President Obama on Climate Change: From the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
(Center for Climate and Security) The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, or PCAS, recently released a set of recommendations for President Obama on addressing climate change. The top-line recommendations include: Focus on national preparedness for climate change, which can help decrease
March 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Ministers Block EU Proposal to Limit Some Biofuels
(EurActiv) Several European ministers are blocking the EU’s proposal to curb the use of conventional biofuels, while some dispute claims the demand for crop-based oils drives deforestation and food insecurity in other parts of the world. A majority of EU environment
March 26, 2013 Read Full Article
You Don’t Say?
by Ron Lamberty (American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...The subhead of the article was “The U.S. will be the world's leading energy producer, if we allow it.” That was a remarkably incomplete description. A more accurate subhead would have been,
March 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Council for Agricultural Science and Technology Paper Says 2050 Food, Fuel Needs Can Be Met
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The world will be capable of meeting its needs for food, fuel and fiber in 40 years, according to a paper from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, “Food, Fuel, and Plant
March 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Senators Ask McCarthy to Outline Response to RIN Price Increase
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Sens. David Vitter, R-La., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, have sent a letter to U.S. EPA administrator nominee Gina McCarthy, asking her to outline “how she will protect American citizens from rising gas prices due
March 25, 2013 Read Full Article
The RIN Fact Sheet: Understanding the EPA's Flexible System for Obligated Parties to Meet the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)
(Clean Fuels Development Coalition) Background: The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was established under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and later modified through the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The RFS requires that specified volumes of renewable fuel
March 25, 2013 Read Full Article
The Bayou State Will Benefit from a Beefed-up Biofuels Sector
Dr. Mike Strain (Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry/25 x '25) ... However, many do not realize that Louisiana’s strong agriculture and forestry industries have also primed us to be a national leader in new forms of energy: like advanced
March 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Environmentalists Shouldn't Side with Big Oil against Biofuels
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) There’s a fight for the future of American motor fuels – renewable fuels versus fossil fuels. Environmentalists shouldn’t have much trouble deciding which side they’re on. After all, the major source of greenhouse gas emissions
March 25, 2013 Read Full Article
US Congress Committee Examines RFS, Plans Hearings on Renewable Mandate
(Platts) A third key congressional committee has entered the debate over the Renewable Fuel Standard, calling for comment on a series of questions and issuing a "white paper" detailing concerns about the biofuels mandate and some of the proposed solutions
March 22, 2013 Read Full Article
I Have a Ream: Biofuels Digest’s 60-Second Guide to this Week’s DC Overload
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week in Washington, it has been one for the record books, emailwise and biofuelswise. Reams and reams of emails attest to the seriousness of the stakes — as NGOs, trade associations and Congress paper
March 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Upton, Waxman Launch Debate on Biofuels Mandate
by Amy Harder (National Journal) ...Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and ranking member Henry Waxman, D-Calif., released the first in a series of white papers on Wednesday seeking input on how—or whether—Congress should change the mandate for production
March 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Senate Rejects Amendment Gutting Military Biofuels Program by 40-59 Vote
by Zack Coleman (The Hill E2Wire) An amendment to a $984 billion Senate government funding bill that would have stripped funds from the Defense Department's drop-in biofuels program failed by a 40-59 vote on Wednesday. Sen. Pat Toomey's (R-Pa.) amendment aimed
March 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Big Oil Calls for End of Renewable Fuel Standard
by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register) Major oil companies called on Congress Wednesday to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard, the six-year-old federal law mandating biofuels use that is the base of demand for both ethanol and biodiesel. The American Petroleum Institute, which
March 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Responds to API’s Latest RFS Attack
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. ethanol industry is responding to the oil industry’s latest attack on the renewable fuel standard (RFS). On March 20, the American Petroleum Institute released the results of a new study conducted by
March 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Big Oil's 100-Year Incentive Birthday Bash Hosted by...Biofuels?
by Meg Cichon (Renewable Energy World) Happy birthday, Big Oil! A group gathered in Washington D.C. this week to celebrate 100 years of tax subsidies for the oil industry – but attendees certainly weren’t oil-industry insiders – quite the opposite, in
March 20, 2013 Read Full Article
EU Biofuel Policies: DBFZ Explains, Comments on EC Proposals
(UFOP/Biodiesel Magazine) The German Research Center for Biomass (DBFZ) was commissioned by the German oilseed promotional council (UFOP) to explain the proposals by the European Commission regarding the amendment of the Renewable Energies Directive and the Fuel Quality Directive in
March 20, 2013 Read Full Article
Petroleum Use, Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Automobiles Could Drop 80 Percent by 2050; Efficiency, Alternative Fuels, and Strong Government Policies Will Be Needed
(National Academies of Science) A new National Research Council report finds that by the year 2050, the U.S. may be able to reduce petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent for light-duty vehicles -- cars and small trucks -- via
March 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Energy Security Trust Counterproductive Says Advanced Biofuels USA Preferring a True Carbon Tax and Apollo Program Scale Efforts
Advanced Biofuels USA, an internationally respected nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting the understanding, development and use of advanced biofuels as an energy security, economic development, military flexibility and climate change/pollution control solution finds the Obama Administration’s proposal for an
March 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Operation Deathanol, RINs, and the Selling of the Fossil Fuels Story
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Read any stories about renewable fuels lately in mainstream media? Bet they’re bad ones. Here we look at the latest chapter in the “death to all renewables” propaganda war. If you are a reader of the
March 19, 2013 Read Full Article
U.S. Biofuels & Ethanol Mandate: More Vulnerable Than Ever Now?
by John Voelcker (Green Car Reports) ...Now two bills recently introduced into Congress seek to delay or ban altogether the sale of E15 gasoline, which contains 15 percent ethanol rather than the 10-percent maximum standard since 1978. As Hemmings Motor News noted last
March 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels Digest’s 10-Minute Guide to the Obama Administration’s New Energy Policy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Major push from Obama on energy. From DOE: “Liquid fuels demand can be sufficiently reduced so that biomass can meet all liquid fuel needs.” What’s up? ...“I’m proposing that we take some of our oil and
March 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Time to Stop Subsidizing Status Quo
by Tom Buis (Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) It came as no surprise that the American Petroleum Institute recently called for a repeal of the renewable fuel standard (RFS), the most successful energy policy this nation has enacted in the past
March 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Camelina on the Move: Global Clean Energy Holdings Acquires Sustainable Oils
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Global Clean Energy Holdings announced that it has acquired Sustainable Oils, a leader in Camelina genetics and production. The acquisition includes 100% ownership interest of Sustainable Oils and the ownership of the key intellectual
March 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Governors Tell Congress to Support RFS
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The Governor’s Biofuels Coalition met in Sioux Falls Wednesday and sent a letter to members of Congress in support of the Renewable Fuels Standard. The letter from the 30 governors represented by the Coalition, led by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, urges
March 14, 2013 Read Full Article
HGCA Helps Reopen Market Opportunities for Arable Crops in the Biofuels Supply Chain
(Home Grown Cereals Authority) An HGCA-led review of regional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions figures has reopened market opportunities in the biofuels supply chain potentially worth several million pounds each year. Revised GHG figures, supplied by HGCA, have been approved by the
March 14, 2013 Read Full Article
BP Biofuels: Time for “The Really Hard Yards” in Biofuels Commercialization
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At World Biofuels Markets, BP CEO Phil New delivered a keynote speech which attempted to turn the industry’s attention towards “the hard yards” of operational excellence, saying that “it is arguable that the time to talk
March 14, 2013 Read Full Article
Heard on the Floor at World Biofuels Markets 2013
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Neste Oil confirmed that they are using 65% virgin oils, primarily palm oil, and 35% waste residues, but that they are seeking to increase that percent of waste supplied, Neste’s P for Renewable Fuels, Kaisa
March 13, 2013 Read Full Article
EPA Zeros Out 2012 Cellulosic RVO - Recognizes Phantom Fuels
(PR NewsWire/American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers) American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) President Charles T. Drevna issued the following statement following the withdrawal of its Petition for Waiver of the 2012 Cellulosic Biofuel Volumetric Requirements: "We appreciate the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) prompt
March 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Big Oil’s Self-Inflicted Blend Wall and Its Impact on RIN Pricing
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) Prices for conventional renewable fuel RINs (Renewable Identification Number)[1]have increased significantly in recent weeks. Oil companies and various media outlets have suggested the increase in RIN prices is due to the arrival of the
March 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Skyrocketing RIN Prices Signal Ethanol Blend Wall Imminent
(Platts) Prices of renewable fuel credits, needed by refiners to comply with the nation's Renewable Fuel Standard, have skyrocketed over the past few months, an indication to some that the dreaded "blend wall" is close. The price for the traded Renewable
March 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Carbon Tax from 2015, as New Biofuels Incentive Is Unveiled
by Terence Creamer (Polity.org.za) The South African government has confirmed that a carbon tax will be phased in from January 1, 2015, as part of South Africa’s efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change and encourage energy efficiency
March 06, 2013 Read Full Article
SE Asian Palm Oil Producers Target U.S. Biofuel Market
(The Star/Reuters) A blending tax credit for alternative fuels has helped re-open the way for shipments of palm biodiesel to the United States, giving top producers Indonesia and Malaysia an outlet for palm oil stocks at near-record levels. ...That overhang has
March 06, 2013 Read Full Article
REA Welcomes Ed Davey’s Support for Biofuels in Europe
by Robin Whitlock (Renewable Energy Magazine) ...The Renewable Energy Association (REA) has welcomed Energy Secretary Ed Davey’s stance on biofuels at the European Energy Council. Mr Davey said that the idea of a one-size-fits-all approach to the issue of indirect land use change
March 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Big Oil’s Big Smear?
by Brad Krohn (Biofuels Digest/United States EnviroFuels, LLC) Big Oil’s best kept secret from the American consumer is Brazil’s fuel ethanol mandate, which started during the 1970s as a result of the OPEC oil embargoes. In Brazil, where ethanol
March 04, 2013 Read Full Article
Encouraging Advanced Biofuels Development in a Low Carbon Economy
by Jeff Kessler (The Energy Collective) ...Unlike the current consumer technology industry, where new products can offer novel or superior services, transportation fuel options compete primarily on price and availability with limited room for product differentiation. Without substantial government support
March 01, 2013 Read Full Article
Defending Clean Energy Goals and Policies
(25 x '25) Renewable energy stakeholders were reminded again in recent weeks that misguided criticism and outright misinformation launched against the nation’s pursuit of a clean energy future must be turned back. ...An example of the latter is the recent publication
March 01, 2013 Read Full Article
Estimates Reduce Amount of Additional Land Available for Biofuel Production
(American Chemical Society) Amid efforts to expand production of biofuels, scientists are reporting new estimates that downgrade the amount of additional land available for growing fuel crops by almost 80 percent. Their report appears in the ACS journal Environmental
February 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Witnesses Bash E15 During One-Sided House Committee Hearing
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A Feb. 26 hearing featured testimony of three E15 critics, including a representative of the Coordinating Research Council, which has authored research reports concluding E15 could damage engine valves and fuel system components. Absent
February 27, 2013 Read Full Article
EIA: Cellulosic Biofuels Will Likely Remain Well below EISA Targets
(Green Car Congress) US Commercial-scale production of cellulosic biofuels reached about 20,000 gallons in late 2012, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). EIA estimates this output could grow to more than 5 million gallons this year, as operations ramp up
February 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Flying the Aussie BioSkies
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In the world of biofuels there is no sector as active as military and aviation biofuels in terms of willing customers. At the Low Carbon Fuel Conference, held over two days in conjunction with
February 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Minnesota Legislature: Bill Would Broaden Biofuels Additives in State
by Leslie Brooks Suzukamo (TwinCities.com) Minnesota legislators will get a chance Wednesday, Feb. 27, to look at a bill that would allow a different kind of corn-based biofuel besides ethanol to be mixed with gasoline. The bill also would set an
February 27, 2013 Read Full Article
The Battle to Counter Big Oil's Campaign
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Fuels America is redoubling its efforts to point the finger at the real beneficiaries should the RFS be weakened and E15 smeared and it's not consumers or the environment. Fuels America had a little fun
February 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Historical Studies Confirm the Existence of Indirect Emissions from Biofuels
(EurActiv.com) Biofuels made from food crops indirectly generate net emissions of greenhouse gases in the future, confirm the preliminary results of two studies on the history of the change in land use. If the peer does not affect the conclusions of
February 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Responds to Witness List for E15 Hearing
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology’s Subcommittee on Environment is scheduled to hold a hearing on mid-level ethanol blends on Feb. 26. The hearing will feature three witnesses: Robert
February 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Ottawa Ending Biofuels Subsidy over Unfulfilled Industry Promises
by Shawn McCarthy (Globe and Mail) The Conservative government is formally shutting down its controversial biofuels subsidy program, saying companies producing biodiesel have failed to meet ambitious production targets. In a letter sent Thursday, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver rejected calls
February 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Ministers Say 'Yes, But' to New Rules on Biofuels
(E-EnergyMarket.com) Energy ministers, meeting in Brussels on 22 February, have given a lukewarm reception to new rules proposed by the European Commission to limit the share of first-generation biofuels used in transport. The Irish Presidency of the EU asked ministers to
February 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Fuel Tax Credit Extensions Frequently Asked Questions
(Internal Revenue Service) The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 112-240) retroactively extends certain fuel tax credits that expired on Dec. 31, 2011. The retroactively extended fuel tax credits are the biodiesel mixture credit, biodiesel credit, alternative fuel
February 25, 2013 Read Full Article
EU Should Phase Out Support for Land-Based Biofuels, Lobbies Say
by Ewa Krukowska (Bloomberg) The European Union should phase out support for land-based biofuels that displace food production and indirectly boost emissions, eight lobbies said in a letter to the bloc’s energy ministers. The groups, including Transport and Environment, Greenpeace and Oxfam,
February 21, 2013 Read Full Article
AEC Responds to The Wall Street Journal Coverage
(Advanced Ethanol Council/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Wall Street Journal editorial board has once again demonstrated that it either does not understand why Congress decided to require oil companies to use cellulosic biofuels five years ago or it is not willing to tell the truth
February 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Weighing Obama's SOTUS Proposal: More Oil Drilling to Fund Clean Energy?
by Jim Snyder (Bloomberg/Renewable Energy World) President Barack Obama's proposal to fund clean-energy research with fees paid by oil and gas producers is renewing a debate over whether the promise of innovation tomorrow is worth expanding drilling today. Obama's "Energy Security Trust"
February 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Stop Them, If You've Heard This One Before
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...U.S. ethanol production proved to be the remedy to our imported oil addiction, driving America’s dependence down from 60 percent in 2005 to 41 percent last year. Incredibly, even that tired canard
February 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Fracking Success Hits Biofuels Investment
by Jason Krupp (EIN News) Petrol retailer Z Energy says world oil prices could plunge by almost half in the next five years, as United States oil and gas production booms because of "fracking". Fracking is the hydraulic fracturing of underground
February 15, 2013 Read Full Article
DOE Seeks Comment on Efforts to Improve Vehicle Performance, Fuel Economy
(US Department of Energy) The Energy Department on February 1 invited public comment on an upcoming solicitation totaling more than $50 million for new research projects that will develop advanced technologies to improve vehicle performance and increase fuel economy. The
February 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Big Steps in Biofuels: ACORE’s Renewable Energy Policy Forum ‘13
By Joshua Rathod (Advanced Biofuels USA) Thinking about the back and forth on EPA’s cellulosic fuel mandates in the last month, the press on the harmful effects of diverting food crops for fuel processing in certain cases, and the general
February 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Senator Dorgan: We Must Be Relentless
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Former North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan is truly an advocate for biofuels. While in office, Dorgan authored the first renewable fuel bill, requiring 8 billion gallons of biofuels. When President Bush took office, he asked
February 14, 2013 Read Full Article
White House Wants $2 billion to Give Cleaner Transport a Boost
by Patrick Rucker (Reuters) President Barack Obama wants Congress to create a $2 billion clean-energy transportation fund using fees paid by oil and gas producers on federal lands, the White House said Wednesday, expanding a plan announced in Obama's State of the
February 14, 2013 Read Full Article
The POTUS and His SOTUS: RT@moreofthesame TL;DR
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The SOTUS contained 18 references to energy — more than enough for the Digest to take a close look at what was said, what was not — and the likelihood of all (or any) of the President’s
February 13, 2013 Read Full Article
Soybeans Could Be Next Chapter of Biofuels Boom
by Tom Doran (AgNews) ...Under the current Renewable Fuels Standards, continued growth in corn-based ethanol use is uncertain do to several factors, including the 10 percent blend wall, slow implementation of higher blend, declining total gasoline demand and ethanol imports
February 12, 2013 Read Full Article
4 Big Reasons to Increase Ethanol Blends
by Maxx Chatsko (The Motley Fool) ...Here are four reasons action is desperately needed. 1. Economic catalyst When the RFS became law in 2005, it was easy for critics to muffle the optimism for a future ethanol industry. Some critics viewed government involvement in
February 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels from Waste Key to European Energy Ambitions
by Ben Messenger (Waste Management World) Advanced biofuels produced from waste feedstocks are a key component of EU climate and energy ambitions, and offer a huge opportunity to drive economic growth in Europe, according to the European Biofuels Technology Platform (EBTP). A bright future
February 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Murkowski Energy Plan Would Gut the RFS
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On Feb. 4, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources, released an energy blueprint that calls for a wide variety of changes to U.S. energy policy,
February 11, 2013 Read Full Article
The Renewable Fuel Standard Works
by Jeremy Martin and Jim Collins (Politico) The fuels of the future are here today, and we can thank Congress for enacting the Renewable Fuel Standard. This bedrock policy has brought us to the point where the first commercial facilities producing
February 11, 2013 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels Explore Alternatives to Consumption Crops
by Tracy Dang (ICIS.com) Exploring a future in advanced biofuels can be one way the US ethanol industry address the “food vs. fuel” debate, a consultant said on Thursday. “Even though it is a misconception that first-generation ethanol compromises the food supply,
February 11, 2013 Read Full Article
New Poll Shows Strong Support for Renewable Fuels Agenda
(Renewable Fuels Association) For the second year in a row, national polling presented today at the National Ethanol Conference proved Americans, by an overwhelming majority, support the key federal policy driving renewable fuel innovation in America today — the Renewable
February 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Well-to-Wheels Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Ethanol from Corn, Sugarcane and Cellulosic Biomass for US Use
by Michael Wang, Jeongwoo Han, Jennifer B Dunn, Hao Cai and Amgad Elgowainy (US Department of Energy/IOP Science) corn-based ethanol production occurring mostly in the US and sugarcane-based ethanol production occurring mostly in Brazil. Advances in technology and the resulting
February 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Industry Leaders to Support “Second Generation” Biofuels in All EU Transport Sectors
(Leaders of Sustainable Biofuels) Involvement of policy makers and other industries, R&D programmes, financing, communications programmes for a cost-competitive and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels The Chief Executive Officers of seven Leading European biofuel producers and European airlines launched today in
February 07, 2013 Read Full Article
EU Launches Clean Fuel Strategy
(European Commission) The European Commission today announced an ambitious package of measures to ensure the build-up of alternative fuel stations across Europe with common standards for their design and use. Policy initiatives so far have mostly addressed the actual fuels
February 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Analysis: Advanced Biofuel Companies Now In More Than Half Of U.S. States; Clean Fuel Standards Fueling Growth In Top States
(PR NewsWire/Yahoo! News) Top 5 States For Advanced Biofuel Companies: Calif., Ill., Colo., Texas and Iowa; New Web Site at www.FuelingGrowth.org Documents Impact of Growing Industry California is home to nearly 30 advanced biofuel companies, but dozens of other states from coast to
February 06, 2013 Read Full Article
A Path Not Yet Trod
by Douglas L. Faulkner (“The Cleantech Conservative”/BiofuelsDigest) ... That is, the cost of renewed tax breaks for the biofuels industry came at a great cost relative to the benefits gained. Being lumped in with Hollywood filmmakers, rum distillers, NASCAR track owners, Goldman
February 02, 2013 Read Full Article
2013 a Pivotal Year for the Renewable Fuel Standard
by Paul Winter (Biotechnology Industry Organization) Less than a decade ago, the nation’s energy experts projected imports of oil to continue to grow throughout the first third of the century. Both Congress and the President recognized that this was a
February 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Pentagon Nominee Hagel Endorses Ban on High-Carbon Defense Fuels
by Ben Geman (The Hill E2Wire) Former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), President Obama’s nominee for Defense secretary, is backing a controversial ban on military purchase of alternative fuels that have higher greenhouse gas emissions than conventional oil-based fuels. Hagel, in a written
February 02, 2013 Read Full Article
The 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard: Biofuels Digest’s 10-Minute Guide
by Jim Lane ( Biofuels Digest) ...In Washington, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its proposed 2013 Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS2). The proposal will be open for a 45-day public comment period and EPA will consider feedback from a range
February 01, 2013 Read Full Article
Energy Secretary Steven Chu Ignores Biofuels at DC Auto Show and in Resignation Remarks
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) In yesterday’s address on Policy Day at the Washington, DC Auto Show, Energy Secretary Steven Chu spoke passionately about the need for the US to reduce dependence on foreign oil. He listed the ways
February 01, 2013 Read Full Article
EU Releases Proposal on Deploying Alternative Fuel Infrastructure
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A recently released European Commission proposal on deploying alternative fuels infrastructure recognizes the importance of biofuels but does not go far enough, said ePURE, the European Renewable Ethanol Association. On Jan. 24 the European Commission
January 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Washington Auto Show Policy Day Brings Biofuels Conversation to Capitol Hill
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) “Affordable Mobility: A Roadmap to Energy Efficiency” framed a public discussion of automotive issues for Capitol Hill staff which ranged from fuel efficiency and the new CAFÉ (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards to increasing
January 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Sneller: Increased Domestic Oil Production Could Limit Growth of Renewable Fuels
by Robert Pore (The Independent) ...According to another speaker at the Agriculture Outlook Conference 2013, David Hightower, president of Hightower Report, ethanol has increased corn demand and added value to corn that wasn't there prior to the Renewable Fuels Standard, when
January 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Transforming Transportation 2013
By Josh Rathod (Advanced Biofuels USA) The Transforming Transportation ’13 conference, held at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC, proved to be an exciting event for sustainable industry everywhere. During one of the primary plenary sessions it was announced
January 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Court Strikes Down Cellulosic Biofuel Mandate - Finds EPA Exceeded Statutory Authority
(American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers/PR NewsWire/Yahoo!) In a decision that questions the motivation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit today vacated EPA's 2012 cellulosic biofuel mandate, concluding that its biased forecast was in 'excess of the agency's statutory authority.' "The
January 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Coalition Urges New Farm Bill for Energy
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The Agriculture Energy Coalition (AgEC) today urged Congress to begin work on a new five-year Farm Bill with strong mandatory funding for energy programs. The coalition notes that programs included in the farm bill Energy Title including
January 23, 2013 Read Full Article
In Inaugural Address, Obama Makes a Moral Case for Action on Climate Change
by Juliet Eilperin (The Washington Post) ...But in his remarks Monday after taking the oath of office, Obama chose to make a moral case — rather than an economic or national security one — for taking action. “We will respond to the
January 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Sustainable Development of Algal Biofuels in the United States
by Bradley Frieze (Advanced Biofuels USA) Dr. Jennie Hunter-Cevera and Dr. Mark Jones of the National Academy of Science Division on Earth and Life Studies gave a public webinar on November 27th, 2012 about the sustainable development of algal biofuels
January 04, 2013 Read Full Article
The Beltway Biochemist: Valerie Reed
by Tim Portz (Biomass Magazine) Valerie Reed, acting manager for the U.S. DOE Biomass Program, is leading a federal government initiative of nearly $200 million to expedite the commercialization of next-generation, biomass-based fuels and chemicals. With investments being made in
January 03, 2013 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels USA Volunteer Posts Fossil Fuel Subsidies Petition --- Add Your Voice
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Bradley Frieze, a student at Hood College in Frederick, MD and Advanced Biofuels USA volunteer has posted a petition to stop funding of oil subsidies. The petition is on MoveOn's SignOn web site. At Advanced
January 03, 2013 Read Full Article
US Congress Passes “Fiscal Cliff” Deal
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Four tax provisions were in the bill that directly impact biofuels. Cellulosic biofuels producer tax credit. ... The provision would extend this production tax credit for one additional year, for cellulosic biofuel produced through 2013. The proposal
January 02, 2013 Read Full Article
National Academies Press Publishes "Sustainable Development of Algal Biofuels"
(Committee on the Sustainable Development of Algal Biofuels; Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources; Board on Energy and Environmental Systems; Division on Earth and Life Studies; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; National Research Council) Biofuels made from algae are
December 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Iran Plans to Produce Biodiesel
(FARS News Agency) Head of Iran's Fuel Conservation Company (IFCO) Abbas Kazzemi announced that his company has set up a specialized workgroup in cooperation with Ministry of Agricultural Jihad to produce biodiesel. ..."With regard to increasing the number of diesel vehicles
December 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Gov't to Offer NIS 400m in Loans for Alternative Fuels
by Yuval Azoulai (Globes) The Office of the Chief Scientist is planning a NIS 1.5 billion program to create a new alternative fuels industry. The Office of the Chief Scientist has a new program of loans for industrial and financial companies to
December 27, 2012 Read Full Article
SEMA Joins Forces to Repeal E15 Ethanol Mandates
(Specialty Equipment Market Association) SEMA has joined with a number of other trade associations to sponsor “Smarter Fuel Future,” a website intended to raise awareness about the economic and environmental threats posed by the United States’ current biofuels policy. The
December 26, 2012 Read Full Article
The 50 Big Biofuels Questions for 2013: Your Say
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This past week, we asked you for your thoughts about the big policy issues facing biofuels in 2013. But we were (pleasantly) overwhelmed with your response, which ranged far beyond the policy topics of the ABLC
December 26, 2012 Read Full Article
Asia Special Biofuels Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There’s only one complete region for biofuels where abundant feedstock, lack of oil & gas production, rising energy demand and supportive government policy come together — and that is Asia. We’re never quite sure which factor
December 26, 2012 Read Full Article
Iowa View: Big Oil Thrives on an Unfair 'Century of Subsidies'
by Monte Shaw (Des Moines Register) ...The issue of fueling choice is in the news again because the American Petroleum Institute recently called for the complete repeal of the renewable fuel standard, one of the most successful U.S. energy policies
December 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Competing with China
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... Hart Energy’s Tammy Klein wrote a piece, published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, “Election is finally over; now let’s lock in an energy policy.” ...To blend all the ethanol required by the RFS by 2022
December 20, 2012 Read Full Article
EC Dismisses Claims It Aims to Cap First-Generation Biofuels Use
(Platts) The European Commission does not plan to "cap the production and consumption" of first-generation biofuels as it moves to overhaul its biofuels policies, but it will "cap the incentives" for their production, Hans van Steen of the EC's Directorate-General
December 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Refining Chiefs Expect More Regulations under Obama
by Simone Sebastian (FuelFix) ...A number of federal rules that seek to cut emissions and expand biofuel use were passed or discussed during Obama’s first term. Chief executive officers of Phillips 66 and Marathon Petroleum say that portends another four years of
December 19, 2012 Read Full Article
House Republicans Plan to Put Fuel Standard on Trial in Next Congress
by Zack Coleman (The Hill E2Wire) House Republicans plan to put the renewable fuel standard on trial next Congress, a House Energy and Commerce Committee aide told The Hill. Committee staff is gearing up for hearings on the subject, citing recent
December 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Kansas Fed Economist Says Markets, Not Mandates, Drive Ethanol
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Markets shape ethanol production, Nathan Kauffman, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, argues in the most recent issue of the Main Street Economist. In a seven-page analysis, Kauffman takes a
December 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Cleantech Conservative: 10 New Realities, Priorities for Biofuels in 2013
by Douglas Faulkner (Biofuels Digest) ...Throughout his campaign President Obama proclaimed himself an oil and gas supporter even while talking about federal “investments” in green energy. And, while much ink has already been spilled in this publication about this or
December 17, 2012 Read Full Article
USDA Grants Support Sustainable Bioenergy Production
(US Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $10 million in research grants to spur production of bioenergy and biobased products that will lead to the development of sustainable regional systems and help create jobs. Vilsack highlighted the
December 17, 2012 Read Full Article
EU Farmers and Biofuel Industry Mobilise against the EC Biofuel U-Turn
(AgiTrade) In a letter to the European Commission in early October 2012, Copa-Cogeca, the EU farmers’ and agricultural cooperatives’ organisation, affirmed its opposition to EC proposals to limit to 5% ‘the use of crop-based biofuels’ in meeting transportation energy needs and
December 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Half the Oil: A Plan to Cut Projected U.S. Oil Use in Half in 20 Years
(Union of Concerned Scientists) We have the practical solutions at hand to protect consumers, the climate, and our environment from the growing costs of our oil use. How? It all comes down to one simple fact: Using less is the real oil
December 14, 2012 Read Full Article
Brighter Horizon for Biofuels
by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Industry Organization/Biofuels Digest) The biofuel industry breathed a big sigh of relief last month when the EPA declined several governors’ petitions to waive the Renewable Fuel Standard. Then, after a herculean group effort, the industry and
December 11, 2012 Read Full Article
Unleash Clean Power
(Union of Concerned Scientists) Communities can benefit financially and environmentally from bioenergy produced from common sources such as vegetative waste materials, fast-growing grasses, and agricultural residues. And clean fuel and electricity produced from these sustainable, non-food sources are a key
December 11, 2012 Read Full Article
25x'25 REsource: Standard Definition of Biomass Needed
(25 x '25) ... In any strategy aimed at meeting America's soaring energy demand, biomass must be considered a principal among the several renewable, sustainable solutions that make up the fastest growing domestic energy sector since 2006. ...While there also has been
December 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Use in Gasoline Production Would Be the Same with or without RFS Waiver
by Daryll Ray and Harwood D. Schaffer (Southwest Farm Press/University of Tennessee) ...On November 16, 2012, the EPA denied the request of Governor Perdue and others. The short story is that while the EPA recognizes the impact of the drought