Advanced BioFuels USA

(U.S. Department of Agriculture)  Funding Will Add 40 million Gallons of Biofuels to the Market Annually — United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Xochitl Torres Small today announced that USDA is awarding a $1.6 million biofuel infrastructure grant to Royal Farms to expand the availability of higher-blend renewable biofuels for people in rural Delaware and Maryland.

USDA is making the award under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program. The investment will increase the availability of biofuels derived from U.S. agricultural products by 40 million gallons annually and will prioritize climate-smart solutions that will help people in rural communities build back better.

“People across rural America are seizing economic opportunities through investments in clean energy for people across rural America, and USDA, under the leadership of President Biden, Vice President Harris and Secretary Vilsack, proudly supports that work. Today’s announcement also moves the country closer to President Biden’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” Torres Small said. “The biofuels and biobased products sectors have demonstrated that efforts to combat climate change go hand in hand with strong economic development, especially in rural communities. With support from Congressman Trone, fuel options like biofuels provide new market opportunities for producers and small businesses, reduce energy costs for consumers, and support good-paying jobs for people throughout rural Maryland.”

Royal Farms will use the grant to install 110 dispensers at 17 fueling stations in Hanover, Hyattsville, Upper Marlboro, Pikesville, Frederick, Catonsville, White Marsh, Baltimore, Glen Burnie, Windsor Mill, Capitol Heights and Odenton in Maryland and in Bear, Del.

Background:

The Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program is intended to increase significantly the availability of higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel by expanding the infrastructure for renewable fuels derived from U.S. agricultural products.

Through this program, USDA helps transportation fueling and biodiesel distribution facilities offer higher ethanol and biodiesel blends to customers by sharing the costs to install fuel pumps, equipment and infrastructure.

For additional information, visit rd.usda.gov/hbiip or contact HigherBlendsGrant-access@usda.gov.

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate- smart, food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.   READ MORE

USDA pandemic assistance to be awarded this month; 2 cos. to get $4.5M of $5.6M in new HBIIP funds (Biobased Diesel Daily)

Excerpt from Biobased Diesel Daily: USDA also stated that it was awarding $5.6 million under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program to projects in seven states including California, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and South Dakota. A majority of that funding, $4.5 million of the $5.6 million, is going to two companies.

Specifically, in Illinois, Power Mart Express Corp., doing business as PME, is receiving $2.9 million to increase ethanol sales. In Maryland and Delaware, Royal Farms is getting $1.6 million to install 110 dispensers at 17 fueling stations for “renewable biofuel” with no specifics about whether any of the 17 stations will dispense higher blends of biobased diesel fuels.

Clean Fuels Alliance America applauded the biofuel announcements. “With current diesel fuel shortages and high prices for foreign oil, homegrown biodiesel and renewable diesel are crucial to keep the economy moving,” said Kurt Kovarik, vice president of federal affairs for Clean Fuels. “U.S. biodiesel and renewable diesel producers are working hard to provide Americans a better, cleaner replacement for fuel made from imported crude oil. On behalf of Clean Fuels’ members, I applaud the president’s announcement and the administration’s steps to build lasting energy security with homegrown biofuels. We welcome the administration’s strategy to support growth for homegrown biofuels that are critical to expanding Americans’ options for affordable fuel in the short-term and to building real energy independence in the long-term. We greatly appreciate EPA’s commitment to approving new RFS pathway petitions for renewable fuels that can provide greenhouse gas benefits as well as reduce reliance on foreign oil.”

Clean Fuels shared that, to date, USDA’s HBIIP grants have supported more than two dozen biodiesel projects that will increase consumer access to better, cleaner fuel by nearly 1 billion gallons per year. A forthcoming study from World Agricultural Economic and Environmental Services shows that without the supply of U.S.-produced biodiesel and renewable diesel to meet heavy-duty transportation fuel demand, diesel prices would be 4 percent higher on average over the past several years. In 2021, the U.S. market for biodiesel and renewable diesel reached 3.2 billion gallons.  READ MORE