In Sri Lanka, two confiscated containers totaling 62,000 metric tons of ethanol over the weekend at Colombo port have led to calls for a probe by an MP whose name as has been attached to the illegal shipment. Several other politicians have also been linked to the shipment, while others accuse the confiscation itself of […]
In Washington, Green Car Congress has published a summary of tough times for the US Renewable Fuel Standard, highlighting: an January order in Federal Appeals Court for the EPA to review its cellulosic biofuels requirement; House Bill 875 calling for the suspension of E15 ethanol for 18 months while more testing is carried out; and […]
In Washington, 30 governors in the Governor’s Biofuels Coalition have issued a letter to all Members of Congress urging them to stay the course on the federal Renewable Fuels Standard. The Iowa Biodiesel Board praised the move as a bold statement of refusal to back down to the unrelenting false accusations leveled by opponents of […]
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 […]
