Biomass Week - May 16, 2018

EPA delivers proposed rule for 2019 RFS RVOs to OMB On May 11, the U.S. EPA delivered its proposed rule to set 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard blending obligations to the White House Office of Management and Budget. OMB review marks a final step before the proposal is released for public comment. READ MORE SHARE
AEC urges House to oppose elimination of Farm Bill’s energy title On May 14, the Agriculture Energy Coalition sent a letter to the House of Representatives opposing the elimination of a stand-alone energy title and exclusion of mandatory funding for energy programs in the 2018 Farm Bill. READ MORE SHARE
	EIA: 600,000 tons of densified biomass fuel sold in January The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently announced that U.S. manufacturers of densified biomass fuel reported producing 620,000 tons and selling 600,000 tons of fuel products in January. READ MORE SHARE
Grassley discusses E15 timing, Pruitt In a press conference May 15, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, discussed the timeline for year-round E15 sales and threatened to call on EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to resign if he doesn’t carry out President Trump’s commitment to the RFS. READ MORE SHARE
UK college opens bioenergy training center U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May recently helped celebrate the opening of a new bioenergy training center at the U.K.-based Berkshire College of Agriculture. The new energy center will provide training in in biofuel engineering and related skills. READ MORE SHARE
Gevo to focus on ethanol production, improvements at Luverne Gevo Inc. recently released first quarter 2018 financial results, reporting that the company currently sees ethanol as a pathway to profitability. The company’s near-term plans include making improvements its plant in Luverne, Minnesota. READ MORE SHARE
EIA: Biomass power capacity to increase in 2018 The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the May edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, predicting that nonhydropower renewables will provide more than 10 percent of electricity generation this year, up slightly from last year. READ MORE SHARE
Senators seek answers on CVR waiver from Pruitt, Icahn On May 8, a group of senators sent letters to U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and CVR Energy Chairman Carl Icahn to request information on reports that the EPA granted CVR an economic hardship waiver under the Renewable Fuel Standard. READ MORE SHARE
BioAmber files for bankruptcy BioAmber Inc. announced May 4 that it has filed a voluntary petition for relief under chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. The company's two Canadian subsidiaries are taking similar action under Canada's bankruptcy laws. READ MORE SHARE
Total Corbion PLA develops full stereocomplex PLA Total Corbion PLA has announced the launch of a novel technology that can create full stereocomplex PLA in a broad range of industrial applications. The technology enables PLA applications to withstand temperatures close to 200 degrees Celsius. READ MORE SHARE
North American RNG industry advocates on Capitol Hill Stakeholders from across the North American renewable natural gas (RNG) industry descended on Capitol Hill May 15 for more than 65 meetings with U.S. Federal lawmakers to communicate the importance of continuing to develop RNG biofuels. READ MORE SHARE
APS Issues RFP for forest bioenergy resources Arizona Public Service Co. is seeking competitive proposals for projects that utilize biomass feedstocks from high-risk forest lands in Northern Arizona to generate capacity and energy, pipeline quality biogas, or other suitable products. READ MORE SHARE
Partnership to help supply biojet to Sea-Tac Airport The Port of Seattle announced May 1 that 13 airlines have agreed to collaborate on a work plan for providing all airlines at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with access to sustainable aviation fuel. READ MORE SHARE
CEC chooses DP CleanTech for biomass power plant in China In April 2018, CEC signed a third biomass project contract with DP CleanTech whereby DP will provide its most advanced complete biomass solution to CEC. The 30 MW project will be in Nanyang Economic Development Zone, Baixiang County, Hebei province. READ MORE SHARE
DOE funds 2 biofuel projects through BRDI On May 9, the U.S. Department of Energy announced up to $3 million in funding for advanced biofuels, bioenergy, and biobased products available through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI). READ MORE SHARE
Air Products acquires Shell’s gasification technology Air Products has acquired gasification technology from Shell. The acquisition includes Shell’s associated patent portfolios for solids (coal and biomass) gasification and sharing of patent rights for residue and biomass gasification. READ MORE SHARE
Neste sells 1 billionth gallon of renewable fuel in North America Neste U.S. Inc. recently marked its 1 billionth gallon of Neste MY Renewable Diesel sold in North America, which has effectively helped reduce more than 7 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in the Earth’s atmosphere. READ MORE SHARE
BIO report profiles 100 renewable chemical technology companies The Biotechnology Innovation Organization recently released a new report, “Renewable Chemical Platforms Building the Biobased Economy,” to document the rapid expansion of renewable chemical platforms and applications around the world. READ MORE SHARE
Report analyzes biomass supply, demand in Asia to 2030 Asia’s demand for biomass is growing rapidly. Wood pellet imports into South Korea and Japan have grown exponentially in the past few years. In 2017 South Korea imported 2.4 million tons (Mt) of wood pellets, 20 times more than was imported in 2012. READ MORE SHARE