In Belgium, the European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the modification of the existing aid scheme to support electricity production from renewable sources and efficient co-generation in Estonia. The measure will help Estonia reach its renewable energy targets and will contribute to the new European objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, […]
In Washington, Reuters reports the Environmental Protection Agency aims to release its draft proposal for 2021 RVO by December 31 with the final rule approved by June 2021. Brownfield Ag News reports that an EPA official said those dates published on the agency’s agenda website were not carved in stone and it would be difficult […]
In Brazil, Reuters reports that negotiations between Brazil and the US on continued duty-free quota access of US ethanol broke down over the weekend with the 20% duty reverting back as of December 14 when the policy extension was set to expire. Brazil wanted additional access to the US sugar market which the US sugar […]
In Iowa, Iowa Biodiesel Board Executive Director Grant Kimberley applauded President-elect Joe Biden’s decision to choose former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, a strong advocate of biofuels, to serve as Secretary of Agriculture. Iowa Biodiesel Board Executive Director Grant Kimberley issued the following statement: “We applaud President-elect Joe Biden’s decision to choose Tom Vilsack as U.S. […]
In Washington, Reuters reports that the Trump Administration through the Department of Justice has told the Supreme Court in a brief filed Tuesday it should not hear a case brought by oil refiners seeking to have the 10th Circuit Court ruling regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s way of approving small refinery exemptions. With the biofuels […]
In Iowa, the Des Moines Register reports that Iowans from both side of the aisle are excited at the possibility that President-Elect Joe Biden will appoint the state’s former governor Tom to once again take up the post of Secretary of Agriculture after serving in the same post under President Barack Obama. Vilsack was a […]
Also in Washington, U.S. Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01) introduced the Renewable Chemicals Act, legislation that will create an allocated tax credit for production of qualifying renewable chemicals from biomass or investment in production facilities. Applicants for the tax credit would be evaluated on job creation, innovation, environmental benefits, commercial viability, and […]
In Washington, Growth Energy, Renewable Fuels Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Biodiesel Board, American Coalition for Ethanol, and National Farmers Union filed a brief challenging EPA’s August 2019 decision to exempt 31 small refineries from their obligations to comply with the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2018. Collectively known as the Biofuels Coalition for this […]
In Washington, Politico reports there’s just about a week left before the US and Brazil’s self-imposed deadline to agree a trade deal that involves the extension of the quota-based trade deal for US ethanol into the Brazilian market. Brazil is willing to extend the agreement that saw an emergency extension in September to help stave […]
In India, Business Today reports that the country’s Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said an estimated investment of $66 billion is lined up in developing natural gas infrastructure, which includes pipelines, city gas distribution, and LNG regasification terminals and that the government is pushing for generating gas from municipal and agri waste and 5000 compressed biogas […]
