In California, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit issued an order expediting briefing in the California Air Resources Board’s appeal of a Federal District Court decision invalidating the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). In the meantime, the Court stayed an injunction against enforcing the LCFS. On December 29, 2011, the District […]
In Washington, the House of Representative’s Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy held a hearing last Thursday about the Domestic Fuels Protection Act of 2012 (H.R. 4345) that would protect fuel suppliers and car manufacturers from liability if a driver chooses to use E15 but the Consumers Union opposes the bill saying that all the […]
In Washington, as the RFA advocates for the Domestic Fuels Protection Act, President and CEO Bob Dinneen has submitted written testimony to the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Environment and Economy in support. “[T]he current regulatory structure provides no pathway to certify existing equipment for anything other than fossil fuels, even when test […]
In Washington, Minnesota Senator Klobuchar has written a letter to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley to investigate the possibility of using alcohol sourced bio-jet fuel in all USAF aviation assets. Northland’s NewsCenter quotes the Senator as stating, “We’d like to see them have renewable fuels as part of their mix, so that we are less […]
In China, the government has slashed corn ethanol subsidies to 500 yuan from 1,276 yuan per ton last year as it works to reduce production from corn, saving it for animal feed. The USDA says Chinese corn imports may quadruple during 2011/12 as a result of increased demand and reduced corn supply. Between 4 million […]
In Washington, the US Department of Energy will present a live webcast titled Educational Opportunities in Bioenergy on Monday, April 23, from 2:00–3:30 p.m. EDT. During the webinar, experts from DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory will showcase specific bioenergy research programs and exciting educational opportunities available for undergraduate, graduate, and […]
In Florida, a controversial Florida state bill supporting renewable fuels development went into law without Governor Rick Scott’s signature. Scott resisted pressure from conservatives to veto HB 7117 after heavy lobbying from Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who said that the state needs the bill to stimulate the development of bio-based industry in the state. The […]
In Washington, the USDA released its eighth round of new BioPreferred categories and their minimum biobased content. This regulatory action added more than 1,500 biobased products to the 8,900 biobased products already eligible for preferred Federal procurement. The new categories are Blast Media with 94% minimum biobased content, Floor Covererings (non-carpet) at 91%, Wood and […]
In Zimbabwe, the government says that it has no immediate plans to introduce ethanol blending policies, so Green Fuel should export its product in order to get the maximum benefit. The energy minister says enacting a blending policy would be akin to creating policy to support an individual. He said that merely by giving the […]
In Bulgaria, the government is considering dropping its biodiesel-blending requirement in an effort to reduce diesel prices. But eliminating biodiesel, fuel could be 3.3 cents cheaper per liter. The government already temporarily halted biodiesel last year in an attempt to reduce prices, but for this year it is also looking at other options including reducing […]
