In Iowa, Hillary Clinton has expressed support for maintaining the RFS. During her 2008 presidential campaign she pushed for boosting biofuel production to 60 billion gallons by 2030 and repealing incentives for the oil industry. She voted against the RFS in 2006 as a Senator from New York.
In Nebraska, Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) introduced legislation to broaden consumer fuel choice by expanding the existing waiver of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations related to the Reid vapor pressure of motor vehicle fuel to include E15 gasoline in addition to E10. EPA regulations currently inhibit E15 fuel sales during the summer months. E10 fuel […]
In Belgium, the European Parliament’s environmental committee has approved the text on biofuels reform negotiated between itself, the European Council and the European Commission. The legislation that seeks to cap first generation biofuel use at 7% will be voted upon during the next plenary session of the Parliament on April 29 in Strasbourg, France.
In the UK, Abengoa’s CEO has said that European bureaucracy has created a “zombie industry” of renewable energy companies, neither alive nor dead, as they wait for policy to come into place or for decisions on projects to get made. He referred to the biofuels industry, and the long-awaited decisions on ILUC, as well as […]
In the US, ethanol production last week averaged 936,000 barrels per day, down 16,000 b/d from the week before. The four-week average for ethanol production stood at 947,000 b/d for an annualized rate of 14.52 billion gallons. Expressed as a percentage of daily gasoline demand, daily ethanol production was 10.87%.Gasoline demand for the week averaged […]
In India, Andhra Pradesh is preparing to approve five-year licenses for Oil Marketing Companies to produce and buy ethanol in the state for blending. Currently the state only blends 3% ethanol but will increase to the nationally mandated 5% by the end of the year and 10% within the next two years.
In Belgium, the European Commission has extended its investigation into possible ethanol price rigging with unannounced inspections at Abengoa and Tereos’ facilities. Lantmaennen Agroetanol AB and Alcogroup’s Alcodis were raided last year and Platts, BP Plc, Statoil ASA, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Argos Energies were raided in 2013, which kicked off the investigation. Abengoa […]
In Thailand, the energy ministry is reviewing its plans to promote ethanol consumption in light of lower petrol prices. The policy had been to consume 9 billion liters annually by 2021, up from 3.5 billion liters now, but cheaper gasoline will make the aims difficult to achieve. Promoting E85 has been ruled out because it […]
In India, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas will buy ethanol directly from sugar mills at the floor price established late last year. Ethanol to supply the 5% mandate has been sourced via tender directly by the Oil Marketing Companies but mills haven’t been successful in closing supply contracts in a timely manner.
In Washington, the centrist think tank Third Way issued a “16 Minute Read” titled: “Cellulosic Ethanol is Getting a Big Boost from Corn, for Now.” , finding that ” Still, only a handful of companies have been able to squeak past technical and economic challenges to open commercial-scale plants. If these companies can replicate the success of […]
