Biomass Week - January 9, 2015

EPA provides update on Clean Power Plan rulemaking On Dec. 7, the U.S. EPA held a media call to provide the public with an update of its plans for the Clean Power Plan and carbon pollution standards for new, modified and reconstructed power plants in the new year. READ MORE SHARE
Oregon vote approves second phase of Clean Fuels Program On Jan. 7, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission voted 4-1 to approve rules for the second phase of the Oregon Clean Fuels Program, which requires a 10 percent reduction of greenhouse gases from transportation fuels over a 10-year period. READ MORE SHARE
	EPA accepting comments on preliminary biomass sorghum analysis The U.S. EPA is accepting public comments on its preliminary analysis of the lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the growth and transport of biomass sorghum for use as biofuel feedstock through Jan. 30. READ MORE SHARE
California Energy Commission awards biogas project $5 million In mid-December, Colony Energy Partners Tulare LLC was awarded a $5 million grant from the California Energy Commission to construct an estimated $25 to $30 million biogas project in Tulare, California. READ MORE SHARE
E2: Advanced biofuel production likely to double in 3 years Advanced biofuel capacity topped 800 million gallons in 2014, up from the previous year and almost double the capacity in 2011, according to the E2 Advance Biofuel Market Report 2014 released by Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2). READ MORE SHARE
Gevo issues plant update, transfers common stock listing Gevo Inc. has issued an update of operations at its Luverne, Minnesota, plant, reporting that the facility produced more than 50,000 gallons of biobased isobutanol in December. The company also announced the transfer of its common stock listing. READ MORE SHARE
KiOR cancels bankruptcy auction Documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware show KiOR's bankruptcy auction, scheduled for Jan. 9, has been cancelled. Meanwhile, the state of Mississippi has asked the court to convert the bankruptcy to Chapter 7. READ MORE SHARE
Michigan House passes bill addressing pyrolysis, MSW A bill passed by the Michigan House of Representatives aims to amend the state's renewable energy regulations to allow pyrolysis technologies and fuel manufactured from certain waste sources to quality as renewable energy sources. READ MORE SHARE
EPA seeks nominations for technical subcommittee The U.S. EPA is requesting nominations for its Mobile Sources Technical Review Subcommittee, which provides the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee with input on technical aspects of programs related to mobile source air pollution and its control. READ MORE SHARE
USDA solicits REAP applications The USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service has published a notice in the Federal Register announcing it is accepting applications for the Rural Energy for America Program. A final rule for REAP was published in late 2014. READ MORE SHARE
Clean Energy sells interest in biogas facility to Cambrian Energy Clean Energy Fuels Corp. has announced the sale of Clean Energy's majority interest in its McCommas Bluff biomethane production facility located in Dallas, Texas, to minority interest owner Cambrian Energy. READ MORE SHARE
Plant genetic advance could improve biofuel processing Plant geneticists from universities in Massachusetts and California have sorted out the gene regulatory networks that control cell wall thickening by the synthesis of the three polymers, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. READ MORE SHARE
Bacteria 'factories' churn out valuable chemicals Scientists at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have modified the genes of bacteria in a way that lets them program exactly what chemical they want the cells to produce, and how much, through the bacteria's metabolic processes. READ MORE SHARE
Biomethane project moves forward in British Columbia Iris Solutions has been selected as the preferred proponent by the city of Surrey, British Columbia, to finalize an agreement to design, build, partially finance, maintain and operate the Surrey Biofuels Processing Facility project. READ MORE SHARE
Lufthansa Group aircraft fly from Oslo on biokerosene From next year the Lufthansa Group will be fueling their aircraft at Oslo airport with a biokerosene mixture. The group recently became the first airline group to sign this kind of contract with the Norwegian oil company Statoil Aviation. READ MORE SHARE
Soil sensor technology uses biocomposites A technology developed at North Dakota State University creates precise in-the-ground measurement and monitoring of soil and crop conditions, which could provide opportunities for greater yields. The technology also has led to a new start-up company. READ MORE SHARE