In Sri Lanka, the country’s Supreme Court has ruled against United Dendro Energy who attempted to set up a gliricidia plantation for biofuel production without getting permissions, located in a protected area known to be home to elephants during dry periods. The Environmental Foundation Limited, Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka (WNPS) and […]
In Argentina, biodiesel producers expect a favorable result from its WTO complaint against the European Union’s anti-dumping tariffs by the end of this year, although the policy machinations to lift the tariffs including a series of likely appeals means they won’t probably begin trading freely again until the end of 2016. Biodiesel exports for 2015 […]
In China, local governments are looking to reverse the 2006 policy that banned corn-based ethanol in response to overwhelming stocks, with as much as 30 million metric tons of corn potentially too moldy for human consumption. Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning are regions where up to 1 million tons of installed ethanol production capacity could be […]
In Washington, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Environmental Protection Agency posted notice that it intends on investigating the lifecycle impacts of the Renewable Fuel Standard. The Renewable Fuels Association commented: “For years RFA has been asking the EPA to update their analysis of the RFS’s impacts on greenhouse gas emissions so we welcome […]
In Tennessee, the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and its overreliance on corn ethanol has created additional environmental problems in its 10-year history, resulting in unmet targets for cutting air pollution, water contamination and soil erosion, concludes a new study released by University of Tennessee researchers. In fact, the authors – Drs. Daniel G. De […]
In Brazil, the National Council on Energy Policy CNPE has issued a ruling that opens the door for voluntary biodiesel blending of up to 20% for captive fleets and in public pumps, going as high as 30% in railroad transport, agricultural and industrial uses, which is significantly higher than the current 7% blending mandate. The […]
In California, on Oct. 4 California Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 1032 into law, correcting a tax problem and clearing the way for a significant increase in the volumes of biodiesel blended in the state. The bill, introduced by Assembly Member Rudy Salas and sponsored by the California Biodiesel Alliance, amended Section 60501 of the […]
In Washington, a push by several US Senators to encourage the EPA to increase demand for biodiesel under the RFS is supported by the American Soybean Association, who believes the biodiesel industry could easily supply up to 300 million gallons in extra supply annually. The EPA only estimated an additional 100 million gallons of additional […]
In Florida, the Florida Department of Transportation is updating the Florida Transportation Plan, the statewide long-range transportation plan for all of Florida and a policy plan identifying policies for planning and implementing Florida’s Strategic Intermodal System, the statewide high-priority network of transportation facilities critical to Florida’s economic competitiveness. The Clean Fuels Coalition advises: “Three elements are contained in the FTP: […]
In Washington, the National Corn Growers Association and the National Farmers Union released a white paper highlighting that “net cash income for American farmers and ranchers is forecast to decline by 26 percent in 2015 from peak levels in 2013.” The authors added, “That devastating forecast is worse than originally projected, and it represents the […]
