In India, the sugar industry has sought intervention from the Petroleum Minister to get oil companies to speed up the tendering process for ethanol because molasses supplies are getting unwieldy. Mills are waiting until the tender process is finalized before they start producing ethanol.
In the UK, Chatham House has released a new report saying that the country should rely less on ethanol to fulfill the Renewable Fuel Transport Obligation and instead use cheaper fuels produced from waste such as used cooking oils. The organization says the RTFO should have separate quotas for ethanol and biodiesel use or have […]
In Thailand, the country’s deputy prime minister/finance minister wants all new buses to run on ethanol which would help to stabilize prices for ethanol and cassava. The country currently has a huge surplus of ethanol that it has a hard time exporting in sufficient quantity to support prices locally. He is on a tour of […]
In Washington, United States Senators Mark Pryor (D-AR) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Representatives Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) and Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), have introduced the Forest Products Fairness Act of 2013. They authored the legislation so that American-made, home-grown forest products can qualify for the USDA’s BioPreferred program. “The Forest Products Fairness Act of 2013 is […]
In Maryland, United Steelworkers Union (USW) says that proposed state legislation to end the state’s biofuel credit could increase pollution and fuel costs, suppress development of renewable fuels and lead to massive job loss. Maryland House Bill 1102 and Senate Bill 684, if passed, would redefine renewable energy to exclude “black liquor”—a byproduct of the […]
In Sri Lanka, the government has banned ethanol imports as of March 1 in a further attempt to keep afloat the two sugar mills it appropriated last year. The mills produce ethanol from molasses and the government has already invested heavily in resuscitating them.
In Brazil, Bloomberg reports that the government is include lower payments on taxes paid on ethanol and the possibility of converting the amount paid into credit. Currently producers pay about 6 cents in taxes per liter of ethanol. The policy hasn’t yet been made public and is said to be in the hands of President […]
In Washington, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has spoken out in favor of RFS reform, according to an article from The Hill. Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Murkowski released an energy road map on Monday, and indicated that she believed the RFS “didn’t work the way we had hoped it would.” […]
In Minnesota, the state legislature is looking at a bill that would see not only isobutanol blended in gasoline but is also looking at a policy that would promote, though not mandate, up to 30% biofuels blending in the state by 2025. To facilitate isobutanol blending, the bill would change existing legislation that included “ethanol” […]
In Washington D.C., the House Science Committee is discussing whether to increase the amount of ethanol used in U.S. vehicles. The committee oversees environmental issues and will hear from various witnesses, including the head of the American Automobile Association, AAA, which is against E15 due to possible engine damage as well as a perceived lack […]
