In Brazil, Archer Consulting expects that the government’s move to boost ethanol blending back to 25% by June won’t do much to encourage investment in the local industry. Demand will increase by 449 million gallons annually with the higher blend. Ethanol production will remain stagnant until the government stops setting a fixed price for gasoline.
In Washington, D.C., a recent Huffington Post article slammed the presidential candidates’ failure to discuss climate change in the 3rd debate, which focused on foreign policy. Of biofuels, the article discussed a letter sent to the Obama administration from 200 scientists who are protesting the use of invasive grasses for advanced biofuel feedstock. According to […]
In the UK, Green Air Online is reporting that the UK government is equivocating on whether to include international aviation emissions, and aviation emissions as a whole, in the national carbon budgets. “A possible scenario could be for the government to accept inclusion of international aviation emissions in principle but wait on developments with the […]
In Florida, a new study from Cardno Entrix claims that even though livestock producers are pushing for the EPA to reduce the RFS mandate claiming that animal feed prices are soaring because of biofuel mandates, if the mandates are lower feed prices could still rise because of higher prices due to reduced supplies of soy […]
In Spain, the government has reversed its order limiting biodiesel imports to only those of European origin following a circular sent last week by the European Commission reminding EU member states about import regulations from third countries. The move follows saber rattling by Argentina at the World Trade Organization who says that it will still […]
In Florida, Governor Rick Scott is urging the federal government to temporarily eliminate the fuel requirement for corn ethanol in an attempt to rescue the state’s cattle industry. The governor sent a letter to the US Environmental Protection Agency explaining that drastically reduced corn supplies following this year’s drought are causing cattle feed prices to […]
In Washington, Businessweek asserted that Gevo, Syntroleum, and Solazyme are on the “inside track” to scoring supply contracts with the Department of Defense, given their already existing research relationships. The article also indicated that Cobalt Technologies and Sustainable Oils have similar research projects that may also place them in the running. “Winning one of the […]
In California, Attorneys for the California Air Resources Board and a coalition of environmental groups asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco to reverse a December 2011 Court ruling that found the law violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution by discriminating against out-of-state fuel producers and regulating […]
In Brussels, anger over the European Commission’s plans to limit crop-based biofuels to 5% is leading European ethanol industry players to threaten lawsuits. With a 5% cap, Rob Vierhout, secretary-general of the European ethanol association, ePURE, states that ethanol will not be able to compete with biodiesel, given the reliance of European cars on diesel. […]
In Brussels, the European Commission’s latest Renewable Energy Directive draft revisions will limit the use of crop-based biofuels to 5 percent of total EU transport energy demand by 2020, essentially halving its original goal. Revisions also show that fuel suppliers will not be held accountable for emissions from indirect land use change. The so-called “ILUC […]
