Biomass Week - July 4, 2014

EPA publishes methane reduction proposal for new landfills On June 30, the EPA published proposed rule to update its air standards for new municipal solid waste landfills. A separate advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeks public input on whether to update emissions guidelines for existing landfills. READ MORE SHARE
EPA finalizes RFS rules establishing new pathways, QAP On July 2, the U.S. EPA published two final rules pertaining to the renewable fuel standard (RFS) program. The first establishes new fuel pathways, while the second finalizes the voluntary quality assurance plan for the RFS. READ MORE SHARE
	Supreme Court declines petition to review California's LCFS On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up a challenge to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal's September 2013 ruling on California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard. That ruling found that the LCFS program is constitutional. READ MORE SHARE
Trellis Earth restarts Cereplast plant with fresh business plan Trellis Earth Products Inc. has acquired the assets of bioplastics company Cereplast Inc., which filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. The bioplastic production facility in Indiana will restart immediately with an improved business plan. READ MORE SHARE
CR&R breaks ground on California AD facility CR&R Environmental Services, a recycle and waste collection company in Southern California, entered into the construction phase of its anaerobic digestion (AD) facility in Perris, California. READ MORE SHARE
CE&P gets $3.1 million tax credit for job creation California Ethanol & Power LLC in southern California landed a tax credit from the California Competes Tax Credit Committee worth $3.1 million through 2018, if the company successfully meets the milestones in the contract. READ MORE SHARE
Minnesota casino contemplates biomass heat The White Earth Nation of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is contemplating installation a biomass power system for its Shooting Star Casino and Event Center in Mahnomen, Minnesota. READ MORE SHARE
New technology to demonstrate cost-effective biogas use A $1.6 million grant from the California Energy Commission is supporting a project at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to develop a combustion system that that can switch between biogas, propane and natural gas in real time. READ MORE SHARE
Researchers use supercomputer to improve catalysts for biofuel Scientists from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are using the National Science Foundation-supported Stampede supercomputer to improve biofuel production by determining how certain enzymes break down cellulose. READ MORE SHARE
N.J. bill would benefit landfill gas-to-energy projects A bill recently introduced in the New Jersey legislature aims to establish a Class I renewable energy certificate multiplier program for landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the state with the goal of offsetting economic loss from engine damage. READ MORE SHARE
Joule announces EPA clearance for modified cyanobacteria Joule Unlimited Inc. has announced that the U.S. EPA favorably reviewed its microbial commercial activity notice (MCAN) for Joule's first commercial ethanol-producing catalyst. READ MORE SHARE
New video highlights the importance of biofuels to the military Our nation's continued oil use is posing a dangerous threat to our nation's armed forces and security, but engineers and national security experts are working together to make oil savings solutions a reality, according to a new video. READ MORE SHARE
Nondomestic RHI qualifies 800 MW biomass capacity from launch The U.K. Department of Energy and Climate change has released Renewable Heating Incentive and Renewable Heat Premium Payment data for May. The program provides financial incentives to increase the production and use of renewable heat. READ MORE SHARE
Researchers report heather could be UK energy source Harvesting energy from heather could cut greenhouse gas emissions and help the UK meet its bioenergy targets, according to new research by experts at Durham and Manchester Universities. READ MORE SHARE
EBRD finances biogas project in Ukraine The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is organizing a financing program of up to EUR 7.1 million ($9.7 million) to construct and bring into operation a 2.25 MW biogas plant, adjacent to Rokytne sugar mill in the Kiev region. READ MORE SHARE
GE to acquire UK-based biogas-to-energy business GE recently announced that it has agreed to acquire Monsal, a private U.K.-based water, waste, advanced anaerobic digestion and integrated biogas-to-energy business. The acquisition of Monsal will enhance GE's wastewater treatment product offerings. READ MORE SHARE
N.C. biogas facility holds ribbon cutting ceremony The official ribbon cutting ceremony took place June 27 at the Storms Hog Power facility at the Storms Hog Farm near Bladenboro, North Carolina. The 600-kW facility is North Carolina's largest swine waste-to-energy system operating at full capacity. READ MORE SHARE
Biofuel industry criticizes CBO's RFS report The Congressional Budget Office has published a report on the renewable fuel standard (RFS) that is focused on compliance issues in 2014 and beyond. The biofuels industry has spoken out to criticize the study. READ MORE SHARE
Water-cleanup catalysts tackle biomass upgrading Rice University researchers have found palladium-gold nanocatalysts can convert glycerol, a waste byproduct of biodiesel production, into high-value chemicals. The research team is led by chemical engineer Michael Wong. READ MORE SHARE
Proterro receives patent for photobioreactor The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued Patent No. 8,728,783 to Proterro Inc., protecting the company's proprietary photobioreactor, a novel element in Proterro's patented sugar-making process. READ MORE SHARE