Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that more than 200,000 tons of biomass were removed from federal lands through the Biomass Crop Assistance Program.This summer, 19 energy facilities in 10 states participated in BCAP.
On Dec. 16, the U.S. Senate passed a short-term tax extenders package that aims to retroactively extend several tax incentives that expired at the end of 2013 and throughout this year through the end of 2014.
Ottawa-based Iogen Corp. announced its first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant is producing ethanol in Brazil. The first 200,000 liters (53,000 gallons) has been distributed by Brazilian ethanol producer Raizen to its network of gas stations.
Renewable fuels like ethanol are part of the solution to global warming, writes Mike Bryan, of BBI International. Although some believe it is a hoax, science is not on their side.
The U.K. Department for Transport has announced plans to award GBP 25 million ($39.37 million) to support the development of up to three advanced biofuel demonstration plants through a two-phase competition.
The Renewable Fuels Association has submitted comments to the Food and Drug Administration last on its supplemental rulemaking proposal outlining best practices for the regulation of animal food under the Food Safety Modernization Act.
Turkey is effectively no longer accepting imports of U.S. corn coproducts following the stepped-up enforcement of existing biosafety laws that restrict which genetically modified (GM) corn varieties may enter the country's grain supply.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that greater protection is now available from the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program for crops that traditionally have been ineligible for federal crop insurance, including energy crops.
Bob Dinneeen writes the Renewable Fuels Association annual in and out list after a year in which the EPA announced it was delaying the publication of the annual RVO rule for 2014.
On Dec. 10, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Energy Policy, HealthCare and Entitlements held a hearing focused on the U.S. EPA's implementation of the renewable fuels standard (RFS).
It is of critical importance that the U.S. EPA moves forward, not backward in meeting the goals of the RFS as it reworks the 2014 renewable volume obligation rule, writes Tom Buis of Growth Energy.
The fate of an ordinance that would require gas stations in Chicago to carry E15 is still unknown. Passed by the city council's finance committee on Monday, a vote by the full council was deferred Dec. 10 for at least a month.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt has asked a federal appeals court to block new U.S. EPA regulations that discourage the use of ethanol by requiring states to adopt conclusions about ethanol emissions not backed by scientific facts.
Supply and demand numbers for U.S. feed grains were mostly unchanged in the Dec. 10 World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates report, with a small increase in projected corn food, seed and industrial use reducing ending stocks slightly.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the December issue of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, reporting new records for average weekly and monthly ethanol production. The EIA also increased its 2015 production forecast.
As COP 2014 is fully underway in Peru, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance has reiterated that biofuels are presently one of the most commercially viable ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in the medium-term.
Leaders of Sustainable Biofuels, an industry coalition to promote advanced biofuels, met on Dec. 4 at the European Parliament. LSB, chaired by UPM's Marko Janhunen, is advocating for a strong EU-wide subtarget for advanced biofuels.
Authentic grassroots advocacy has more power than any lobbyist, writes Brian Jennings of ACE. Big Oil lobbyists were ready to celebrate the rewriting of the RFS but "power by people" won the day.
On Dec. 8, the Chicago City Council Committee on Finance passed an ordinance that would require filling stations within the city to supply E15. The measure now moves to the full city council for a hearing on Dec. 10.
University of Illinois economists Scott Irwin and Darrel Good recently addressed the potential impact of falling gas prices on ethanol and corn demand in a Dec. 4 FarmDocDaily post, theorizing that the risk of adverse impacts has been over-stated.
The European ethanol industry faces policy uncertainty with the expiration of the current biofuels policy in 2020, writes Robert Wright, the new secretary general of ePURE.
The Renewable Fuels Association has submitted written comments to the California Air Resource Board encouraging it to adjust its current indirect land use change (ILUC) analysis to better reflect real-world land use patterns.
A new report prepared by economic research firm The Brattle Group showed that the proposed Department of Transportation rule on rail tank cars could cost the economy as much as $60 billion. The ethanol industry is expected to be impacted.
The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to pass a short-term tax extenders package that aims to retroactively extend several tax incentives that expired at the end of 2013 and during the current year for one year, through the end of 2014.
The U.S. Department of Energy has announced up to $7 million for two projects aimed at developing and demonstrating ways to reduce the cost of delivering bioenergy feedstocks to biorefineries.
On Dec. 2, the USDA announced it is making more than $5.6 million grant payments to 220 producers under the Advanced Biofuel Payment Program. An additional $4 million in grants are being awarded though three programs supporting bioenergy initiatives.
Trestle Energy LLC has received approval from the British Columbia Ministry of Energy and Mines for three fuel pathways that drive down the carbon intensity of corn ethanol. The approach focuses on leveraging the agricultural sector.
The Renewable Fuels Association will co-host free Ethanol Safety Seminars Dec. 10-12 at the Portland Fire and Rescue Training Center in Portland, Oregon. The events primarily target first responders and safety officials, but are open to the public.
A report recently filed with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's Global Agricultural Information Network highlights the impact of the Columbia Trade Promotion Agreement on U.S. ethanol exports. The agreement went into force in May 2012.
During last month's Export Exchange program in Seattle and associated pre- and post-tours, Council staff discovered that some end-users in Southeast Asia are still learning how to adjust to the newer, low-oil distillers dried grains with solubles.
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