In Malaysia, Reuters reports that the country sees Norway’s ban on palm oil for biodiesel beginning in 2020 as a major roadblock to concluding multilateral trade negotiations between Malaysia and the European Free Trade Area, which includes the European Union plus Switzerland and Norway. The Malaysia-EFTA trade pact last held negotiations in May 2017 but […]
In California, ExxonMobil submitted a formal comment supporting the need for strong methane policy in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) plan to roll back existing methane regulations. This action came two weeks after the company received a letter sent on behalf of 61 investors representing $1.9 trillion in assets under management. The […]
In Minnesota, the Star Tribune newspaper reports that the new $25 million program under the recently-signed Farm Bill that encourages farmers to experiment with low-till and no-till farming methods came about as a result of the American Coalition for Ethanol working together with the National Corn Growers Association and the Natural Resources Defense Council working […]
In India, the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council says waste-to-energy is a key priority for the PM as a way to reduce energy poverty and increase environmental sustainability through value-based waste management. The country is beginning to collaborate with countries like Japan whose best practices can help […]
In Malaysia, Bernama news agency reports that in response to France’s ban on palm oil as a feedstock for biofuels from 2020, the country is gathering Indonesia and Colombia in February to discuss how to tackle the reduced palm oil demand that will result from the French Parliament’s policy shift. The primary industries minister believes […]
In Washington, Reuters reports that refiners applied for a whopping 22 hardship waivers in 2018 as of mid-December, although the figure is below the record-breaking 29 application received by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2017. Just 15 applications were received by the EPA in November. The agency is currently reviewing its application approval process in […]
In Washington, D.C., House GOP Republicans are trying to get a requirement added in that cars built from 2023 tun only on gasoline with a minimum 95 octane and get rid of the federal mandate that ethanol be blended into the fuel supply. “We have to put consumers and the environment first, not our own […]
In Texas, researchers at Rice University evaluated the readiness level of current U.S. policies, programs and regulatory incentives regarding the benefits of biochar. The paper offers these policy recommendations: • Improve policies that allow for the monetization of environmental benefits and avoided costs • Recognize soil as a resource through national preservation policy • Develop a […]
In Indonesia, the Jakarta Post reports that despite implementation of a B20 mandate in September, oil imports even rose in November by more than 26% over October despite the aim of the policy being to lower fossil fuel imports. Total fossil fuel imports for the year through November were nearly 6% higher on the year. […]
In Indonesia, the Jakarta Post reports that the energy ministry has fined 11 companies a total of $24.83 million for failing to implement the B20 mandate in September after being given a month to comply with the higher blending ratio. The value of the fine for each company was determined by how long it took […]
