In Washington, the Renewable Fuels Association has sent a letter to the Senate’s Committee on Environment and Public Works refuting claims made by anti-biofuel organizations including ActionAid that they say misrepresent recent studies on US biofuel policy. The RFA claims that the organizations may not have even read the reports from the National Academies of […]
In Washington, UNICA says it is disappointed about the introduction of H.R. 3552, legislation sponsored by four members of the U.S. House of Representatives to extend the import tax on foreign ethanol. “These trade barriers prevent U.S. consumers from abundant and potentially more economical choices from friendly nations like Brazil…The elimination of the import tariff […]
In Washington, UNICA says it is disappointed about the introduction of H.R. 3552, legislation sponsored by four members of the U.S. House of Representatives to extend the import tax on foreign ethanol. “These trade barriers prevent U.S. consumers from abundant and potentially more economical choices from friendly nations like Brazil…The elimination of the import tariff […]
In Zambia, the government is setting up biofuel depots throughout the country to store local biofuel feedstock. Next year the government will purchase seed crushers to allow local farmers to press their own oil for biofuel production which will then be blended at Indeni Petroleum Refinery. The government will buy all the national biofuel production […]
In Massachusetts, the Boston Globe released a scathing editorial regarding American energy policy. Discussing the case of Solyndra, the article suggested that the failure indicated that Congress has fallen short in its support for renewables. The article then argued that public investment into private companies is necessary for the industry to take off; Congress needs […]
In Iowa, presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann is pushing for a subsidy to offset the cost of converting traditional gasoline cars to flex-fuel cars in order to boost E85 consumption, rather than subsidies like the blenders credit. She says the cost is only about $80 per car but that’s likely just the equipment required for the […]
In Washington, the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) has announced a new pilot program of insurance for camelina beginning with the 2012 crop year.The new pilot program will be available in selected counties in Montana and North Dakota for the 2012 crop year, with a sales closing date of February 1, 2012. The camelina plan […]
In Belgium, the Globalization Institute warns that the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive’s discrimination towards feedstocks from outside the EU—such as sugarcane and palm oil—and the lack of transparency in criteria for different raw materials will lead to a WTO conflict between EU and countries such as Brazil, the United States, or Asian nations.
In Oklahoma, two legislators have introduced a bill to outlaw the production and transportation of castor beans. Castor beans contain 50 percent or more oil and are increasingly used for producing biofuels. However, they also contain high levels of rincin, a potent toxin that induces a slow, agonizing death marked by vomiting and diarrhea. Oklahoma […]
In Washington, the Sierra Club has been lobbying against Agrisol’s $100 million purchase of 325,000 hectares of land in Tanzania on the basis of human rights violations. The purchase, which opponents claim would displace up to 160,000 refugees from Burundi, will “help stabilize local food supplies, create jobs and economic opportunity for local populations, and […]
