The USDA and U.S. Department of Energy on Jan. 21 announced appointments to several senior posts, including USDA undersecretary for Rural Development and chief of staff for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE.
Nearly 18.26 billion RINs were generated under the RFS in 2020, down from 19.81 billion generated in 2019, according to data published by the U.S. EPA. Total RIN generation for December was at 1.69 billion, down from 1.79 billion in December 2019.
Velocys announced on Jan. 18 that Shell International Petroleum Co. Ltd. will no longer participate in the development of the Altalto Immingham project, a proposed 20 MMgy sustainable aviation fuel production facility under development in the U.K.
The Alternative Fuels & Chemicals Coalition has announced legislation recently signed by President Trump makes important changes to the U.S. Department of Energy's Title XVII Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program.
The U.S. EPA late on Jan. 19 published updated small refinery exemption (SRE) data showing that the agency has approved three new SRE petitions, one for Renewable Fuel Standard compliance year 2018 and two for compliance year 2019.
Aemetis Inc. announced Jan. 15 that its exclusively licensed technology for the production of below zero carbon renewable fuel was awarded U.S. Patent No. 10907184, enabling the launch of Aemetis “Carbon Zero� production plants.
Ameresco Inc. on Jan. 12 announced that it achieved mechanical completion at its McCarty Road landfill gas to renewable natural gas plant located in Houston, Texas. The project is expected to reach commercial operations in early 2021.
The USDA on Jan. 12 released a report and online dashboard that integrates the information collected by the agency as part of its Agriculture Innovation Agenda, an initiative that aims to help the U.S. agricultural industry meet future demands.
The U.S. Department of Energy is terminating the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee, but a newly established Fuels of the Future Advisory Board will have a standing subcommittee dedicated to biofuels.
The U.S. EPA announced on Jan. 15 it will open a 30-day comment period on several petitions it has received asking the agency to waive Renewable Fuel Standard blending requirements for 2019 and 2020.
A group of seven republication senators from the Midwest sent a letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler on Jan. 14 urging him to avoid making any decisions on SREs until the U.S. Supreme Court issues its ruling on the matter.
The U.S. EPA has announced its final anti-backsliding determination for renewable fuels and air quality. The agency has finalized its proposed determination no additional measures are necessary to mitigate adverse air impacts from the RFS.
The U.S. EPA is scheduled to publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register on Jan. 15 extending certain Renewable Fuel Standard deadlines for compliance years 2019 and 2020. A public comment period is open through March 11.
Iowa's second renewable natural gas (RNG) plant at Sioux City's Wastewater Treatment Plant is operational thanks to Bartlett & West and DMT Clear Gas Solutions. The project converts 800 SCFM of biogas to RNG for injection in the natural gas pipeline.
Honeywell on Jan. 12 announced that it has introduced a single-stage UOP Ecofining technology offering for the production of renewable diesel fuel. The new single-stage technology is a fast-to-market, low capital cost solution.
Members of the House Biofuels Caucus sent a letter to President Trump on Jan. 12 urging him to direct the U.S. EPA to immediately reject any pending SRE requests that do not meet criteria established by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Neste and Avfuel Corp. announce a strategic partnership to create an efficient, continuous supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the United States. Avfuel will be a branded SAF distributor for Neste.
A group of six democratic senators sent a letter President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 11 urging his administration to support U.S. farmers and the biofuels industry by restoring the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard.
Gevo Inc. announces the concept of net-zero Projects for the production of energy dense liquid hydrocarbons using renewable energy and Gevo's proprietary technology. The company plans to build its first net-zero project in South Dakota.
The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Jan. 8 it will review a Jan. 24, 2020 ruling by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals that, if implemented nationally, would reduce the number of obligated parties that are eligible to apply for SREs under the RFS.
On Jan. 7, a coalition of biofuels and ag trade groups filed its reply in support of its November 2020 motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia. The motion asks the court to enforce its 2017 decision on improper RFS waivers.
Dominion Energy and Smithfield Foods Inc. have completed the first renewable natural gas (RNG) project through their joint venture, Align Renewable Natural Gas. Located in Milford in southwestern Utah, the project is now producing RNG.
The U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS on Jan. 6 issued final regulations regarding the section 45Q tax credit for qualified carbon oxide sequestration. The Carbon Capture Coalition said the rule provides overdue regulatory and financial certainty.
Netherlands-based SkyNRG has announced it is leading a consortium that will build a 30,000-ton-per-year alcohol to jet (ATJ) facility in Europe. LanzaTech will supply its ATJ technology to the facility.
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Inc. on Dec. 22 announced the completion of a transoceanic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) test flight from Spain's Zaragoza Airport to Mexico City. The flight was powered by a 2.33 percent blend of SAF.
The Department of Energy on Jan. 6 released its “Energy for Space� strategy, which states that knowledge gained through advances in genomic science will enable the development of sustainable biomass for energy and agriculture in space environments.
Gevo Inc. has engaged Koch Project Solutions LLC to provide front end engineering, design and project execution management services for the expansion projects that Gevo is in the process of financing with Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
The Florida PSC has approved a new RNG Service tariff for Florida City Gas. FCG can now offer services to convert biogas into usable RNG, and receive and transport RNG through its distribution system on behalf of the biogas producer.
In a court filing on Jan. 5, the RFA and Growth Energy continued to call on the U.S. EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy to release the names and locations of refineries granted exemptions from their RFS blending obligations.
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been on a quest for the past few years to identify the most significant indicators for predicting how a fuel will perform in engines designed for light-duty vehicles.
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