In Washington, the House Armed Services Committee voted on the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015 (NDAA) and passed it out of committee, pending consideration by the full House of Representatives and the Senate. There are two provisions in the legislation related to biofuels: The Defense Department would be exempt from energy efficiency measures and […]
In Washington, D.C., a survey conducted by the National Biodiesel Board shows negative impacts on industry production due to policy uncertainties. The survey found that a vast majority of U.S. biofuel producers have either idled or scaled back production in 2014 in response to the expiration of the biodiesel tax incentive and potential volume cuts […]
In Washington, D.C., corn-based biofuel producers are fighting against a proposed ethanol mandate cut and a June deadline for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make a final decision. The ethanol industry claims that the proposed cut was coordinated by “Big Oil”, but could instead be linked to Philadelphia-area refinery owners, The Carlyle Group and […]
In Utah, new legislation meant to encourage the use of biodiesel has received little praise from the state’s biodiesel industry. Some producers have expressed concerns over the bill’s lack of substance and clear plans to promote biodiesel. Though H.R. 5 and S.B. 242 strongly highlight the state’s desire to increase biodiesel production and utilization, more […]
In Switzerland, the Intergovernmental World Nature Organization (WNO) has been founded by a number of developing and emerging countries concerned about the consequences of global warming. Their primary focus is to combine forces, previously spread across different organizations and thus ignoring the cross-linking of the global challenges. This is accompanied by the intention to conserve […]
In Indonesia, the government will also file an official complaint with the WTO against the European Union and its anti-dumping tariffs on biodiesel imports, following Argentina seeking and getting approval for the opening of a dispute settlement panel. Several biodiesel producers have also filed complaints directly with the European Court of Justice.
In Washington, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the EPA has “wide latitude” to decide on the blending mandates for biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard, rejecting the oil industry’s claims that the requirements were set too high and that RINs had become too expensive.
In Washington, the House’s agriculture sub-committee held a hearing last week about impacts of the RFS on livestock producers, with the USDA sticking up for the RFS saying that though corn prices did increase between 2005 and 2010, energy prices also increased significantly. Poultry producers testified saying that high corn prices are making poultry prices […]
In Brazil, the Brazilian Industrial Biotechnology Association (ABBI) was founded by Amyris, BASF, BioChemtex, BP, Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira, Dow, DSM, DuPont, GranBio, Novozymes, Raízen and Rhodia. The new trade association aims to to promote a dialogue with stakeholders and policymakers to improve Brazil’s biotechnology regulations and update current legislation in light of technological advances […]
In Washington, the EPA hasn’t yet submitted the final rule for the 2014 RFS mandate to the White House, despite rumors to the contrary. The EPA has submitted the RFS Pathways II and Amendments to the Renewable Fuel Standard to the White House Office of Management and Budget but the document doesn’t including the blending […]
