In Washington, Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager announced payments to 189 companies to support the production and expansion of advanced biofuels. The payments total more than $15.7 million. The funding is being provided through USDA Rural Development’s Advanced Biofuel Payment Program, which was established in the 2008 Farm Bill. Under this program, payments […]
In Washington, the Agriculture Energy Coalition joined 235 farming, livestock, rural development, nutrition, conservation and renewable energy organizations in sending a letter to leaders of the House of Representatives requesting passage of a new five-year Farm Bill before the end of the 112th Congress. AgEC co-director Lloyd Ritter said “Expiration of the 2008 Farm Bill […]
In Washington, the EPA says it is completing its review of the Renewable Fuel Standard and will soon issue a decision on whether or not it will issue a waiver for the ethanol mandate. The decision is due Tuesday but it may be delayed.
In Oregon, Hillsboro city council will pick up a discussion on Nov. 20 looking at homegrown biodiesel and possibly setting a limit on the amount of biodiesel and the amount of key ingredients allowed on a household basis. The meeting about the proposed legislation was pushed back due to a lack of quorum at an […]
In Washington, rumors abound that US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu may step aside shortly for a new Secretary – with President Obama seeking a number of cabinet-level changes to inject fresh faces and thinking into his Administration as he heads into his second presidential term. Are the rumors true? Only time will tell – […]
In New Jersey, Senator Frank Lautenberg, D, has applauded Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev, for his stance on climate change: “As we work with New Jersey families, business and communities to rebuild, after yet another devastating extreme weather event, it’s clearer than ever that climate change poses a direct and dangerous threat to our nation,” said Lautenberg, a member of […]
In Michigan, a research team led by Michigan State’s Bruce Dale, writing in the November 2012 issue of Biomass & Bioenergy, that they believe that a lifecycle analysis approach to ILUC requires replacing the nutritional functions of the crops grown on the land, not the crops themselves. This functional approach to ILUC reduces the calculated […]
In Thailand, the new policy mandating 5% blending of palm oil-based biodiesel came into effect on Nov. 1. The move to B5 from B4, which requires additional supply of 200,000 liters per day, was delayed due to lack of availability of locally-produced palm oil due to poor weather conditions but the supply issue has since […]
In New York, New York City has followed Pennsylvania’s lead and has temporarily suspended its 2% biodiesel blend for heating following Hurricane Sandy. The suspension goes through Dec. 2. The mandate only just began on Oct. 1.
In Zimbabwe, if the government approves a 20% ethanol blending mandate as expected, Green Fuel will need to raise about $40 million to fund an expansion that would allow it to satisfy increased demand. The roughly 2,000 employees who were put on half-time salaries in February when the plant shut down after reaching its maximum […]
