With a time-to-market advantage over EVs, ethanol benefits the 270 million cars on the road today while replacing benzene-based carcinogens in gas. With its low-carbon, high-octane requirement, the Next Generation Fuels Act takes ethanol higher.
The U.K. government on July 19 released its Jet Zero strategy. The initiative, in part, requires at least 10 percent SAF use by 2030. It also aims to kickstart a domestic SAF industry, supported by a new £165 million Advanced Fuels Fund.
With high gas prices lingering, the RFA is continuing to advocate for a larger role for ethanol in the United States fuel supply. Recent actions by the Biden administration, like continued access to E15 this summer, give producers cause for optimism.
Comparable to California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard, pro-biofuel policies in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia offer a vast region of opportunity for reduced-CI ethanol on the Pacific Coast.
From Minnesota to Nebraska, discussions around performance-based fuel standards are bringing a broad range of stakeholders together. Progress requires coalition building and compromise.
The first carbon capture and storage (CCS) project allowed under state primacy in the U.S. has commenced operations. Red Trail Energy LLC officially began CCS at its ethanol facility located near Richardton, North Dakota, on June 16.
The European Parliament's ITRE Committee members voted decisively in favor of increasing the ambition for GHG emissions reduction in transport while leaving Member States free to use crop-based biofuels in their transport energy mix.
The California Air Resources Board on July 15 released the results of a multi-year study on the emissions impact of E15. The study highlights the air quantity benefits that could be achieved by adopting the use of E15 within the state.
U.S. Grains Council Regional Director for Southeast Asia and Oceania Caleb Wurth showcased the significant role fuel ethanol plays in decarbonizing the transport sector and bolstering fuel security during a G20 workshop.
The U.S. ethanol industry delivered a very strong Q2, according to the latest quarterly report issued by CoBank's Knowledge Exchange on July 14. Ethanol profits and production remain robust despite record gas prices, according to the report.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration increased its forecasts for 2022 and 2023 fuel ethanol production in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, released July 13. The forecast for 2023 fuel ethanol consumption was also increased.
The European Parliament's ITRE Committee members voted on July 13 in favor of increasing the ambition for GHG emissions reduction in transport and allowing Member States to continue using a limited amount of crop-based biofuels.
The prices of RIN credits—a compliance mechanism used for the RFS program administered by the U.S. EPA—have remained high in 2022. So far this year, D4 RINs peaked on April 28 at $1.91 per gallon and D6 RINs peaked on June 7 at $1.68 per gallon.
Ahead of a USDA agricultural trade mission to the U.K., U.S. Grains Council staff met with government and industry officials in Paris and Brussels to assess the status of ethanol in the EU and to further share the benefits of U.S. ethanol.
Michael Lu, U.S. Grains Council's director in Taiwan, discussed the benefits of ethanol blended fuels at the International Trend of Net Zero and Low-Carbon Technology Development Forum, an event organized by the Taiwan EPA and EDF in June.
The European Commission on July 7 announced charges against Belgium-based Alcogroup SA, and Sweden-based Lantmännen ek för, along with their relevant subsidiaries, over alleged ethanol benchmarks cartel.
The European Parliament on July 7 voted 334 to 95 to adopt draft rules for the ReFuelEU initiative, which aims to require sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to account for at least 85 percent of EU aviation fuel by 2050.
The government of India on July 4 announced it is expanding the excise duty exemption on ethanol and biodiesel to encourage higher biofuel blends, according to a notice published by the Ministry of Finance.
U.S. operable production capacity for ethanol and renewable diesel expanded in April, while biodiesel capacity fell slightly, according to data released by the U.S. EIA on July 5. Feedstock consumption was up when compared to April 2021.
Following the EU Council of Ministers agreement on a General Approach for the revision of car and van CO2 standards, ePURE Director General David Carpintero called on the Commission to take into account the GHG benefits of ethanol.
The Michigan Senate on June 30 voted 24 to 14 in favor of legislation that aims to create a tax credit for retailers that choose to sell higher ethanol fuel blends, such as E15 and E85. The bill was then sent to the Michigan House of Representatives.
Representatives of the U.S. Grains Council in June conducted a trade mission to Ottawa, Canada, to encourage continued ethanol policy development at national and provincial levels to immediately decarbonize transportation.
The Canadian government on June 29 published final Clean Fuel Regulations, which will require fuel producers and suppliers to meet increasingly stringent carbon reduction goals for gasoline and diesel.
The International Air Transport Association called for governments to urgently put in place large-scale incentives to rapidly expand the use of SAF as aviation pursues its commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The USDA is accepting applications for a new pilot program created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support the development of biobased products that have lower carbon footprints and increase the use of renewable agricultural materials.
Biofuels have been proven to emit significantly lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than petroleum-based fuels, and recent scientific studies indicate that net-zero emission biofuels are not only possible, but achievable.
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on the Transport and Tourism Committee on June 27 voted 25 to six in favor of adopting a draft negotiating mandate on the ReFuelEU aviation rules, which sets a goal for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) use.
The USDA's Commodity Credit Corp. announced on June 29 that it does not expect to purchase and sell sugar under the Feedstock Flexibility Program for crop year 2021, which runs from Oct. 1, 2021 through Sept. 30, 2022.
Growth Energy submitted comments on June 24 to the California Air Resources Board on its draft 2022 Climate Change Scoping Plan, which lays out the path toward achieving the state's carbon reduction goals.
The U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration on June 16 published a notice renewing its Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee and soliciting nominations for membership.
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