In Washington, USDA Chief Economist Joe Glauber is set to retire after a 30-year federal career. Current USDA Deputy Chief Economist Dr. Robert Johansson has been named Acting Chief Economist. Johansson has served as USDA’s Deputy Chief Economist since 2012 and holds a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from the University of Minnesota. Johansson will assume […]
In the Philippines, the Dept. of Energy still expects the B5 policy to be implemented by the end 2015 as planned, up from B2 currently, as part of the country’s energy policy through 2020. The economic impact and technical aspects of the policy change are still under investigation, with the results of a study from […]
In Washington, the House Government Reform and Oversight Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Health Care, and Entitlements held a hearing last week on the “EPA’s management of the renewable fuel standard program.” Growth Energy, and BIO have released the following statements regarding EPA’s delays in administering the RFS. Additionally, the Algae Biomass Organization submitted comments to […]
In Illinois, Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel has deferred the vote on the proposed E15 availability mandate for the city, saying the proposal still needs tweaking so as not to negatively impact small businesses. The bill’s proponent, however, says it has already been weakened so smaller stations don’t have to comply, leaving just a quarter of […]
In the UK, the UK green fuels industry will take a significant step forward with the launch of a GBP25 million competition to build advanced biofuel plants. The Department for Transport funding is supported by significant private sector investment and will enable the construction of up to three demonstration biofuel plants, the first of their […]
In Kansas, the state’s Attorney General Derek Schmidt has asked a federal appeals court to block new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations that discourage the use of ethanol by requiring states to adopt conclusions about ethanol emissions not backed by scientific facts. The lawsuit, filed in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, asks the court […]
In Washington, the Iowa Biodiesel Board and Iowa Soybean Association organized a fly-in-to-lobby day in Washington, D.C. to reinstate the $1-per-gallon biodiesel blenders tax credit. The measure, which expired nearly a year ago, was reinstated in a retroactive package of tax incentives which the House recently passed. The bill will soon head to the Senate, […]
In Washington, the House of Representatives has voted 378-46 to approve a $44.7 billion package to extend the $1 per gallon tax credit for biodiesel, the $1/gallon credit for biomass-based diesel, and the 10 cents per gallon agri-biodiesel producer credit for a total cost of $1.3 billion from 2015-2024. The bill likewise would extend through […]
In Washington, the US Supreme Court has decided to not hear a an appeal of a June 13 Iowa Supreme Court decision against Grain Processing Corporation regarding complaints made by residents near its ethanol plant near Muscatine, Iowa. The residents sued the company for nuisance, trespass and negligence claims while seeking damages related to “diminished […]
In India, the oil marketing companies have canceled their buy tenders for 1.2 billion liters of ethanol, saying the falling price of oil has no longer made the ethanol offered by sugar mills viable. When the 1.56 billion liter tender was opened, oil was at $114 a barrel but that has now fallen to $72 […]
