In Minnesota, the Algal Biomass Organization announced its support for the Renewable Fuel Parity Act of 2011, formally introduced yesterday by US Senators Tom Udall (D-NM) and Mike Crapo (R-ID). The bill would give algae-based biofuels tax parity while leveling the playing field for all advanced biofuels by expanding the Clean Air Act’s definition of […]
In the EU, the European Environment Agency Scientific Committee, according to a report in the International Herald Tribune, has issued an opinion that biofuels carbon savings should only be counted if they represent incremental savings over what would have been absorbed by existing cropland, forests and grasslands. The scientists said that the EU has been […]
In Fiji, the government is seeking to encourage investment in its local biofuel industry. According to Fiji’s Department of Energy, the country currently produces 1.5 million liters of biofuel, but needs to increase production to 60 million liters. Fiji’s transportation industry requires 300 million liters of fuel per year. The government has already approved biofuel […]
In California, the state’s Energy Commission unanimously adopted its third annual transportation energy Investment Plan to help change the types of vehicles Californians drive and the fuels they use. The latest Investment Plan for the Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program prioritizes $100 million in state funds to leverage funding and […]
In Mozambique, the government expects to announce by the end of the year who will be the new investor in charge of the former Procana sugarcane ethanol project in Massingir district, in the southern province of Gaza. The government held a tender earlier in the year to find the new investor and negotiations are continuing. […]
In the EU, Reuters is reporting that the European Commission has agreed to delay implementation of indirect land use change (ILUC) penalties until 2018. Reuters reports that the com promise is intended to safeguard the EU farm sector as well as the large, existing investments in biofuels, which has become a $20B+ business in the […]
In Florida, State Rep. Matt Gaetz has proposed the repeal of the Florida Renewable Fuel Standard Act. If the bill he introduced in early August becomes law, gasoline distributors would no longer be required to sell fuel containing nine to 10 percent ethanol. Gaetz wants to scrap the law implemented on Dec. 31, 2010 as […]
In Washington, Jonathan D. Cahn, Marian M. Hagler and Guly Sabahi have joined SNR Denton’s Washington, DC, office as partners in its Corporate practice. Cahn will assume a leadership role as US head of Emerging Markets Energy Strategies.
In Canada, citizens concerned with balancing the need for sustainable energy, and the need for sustainable food supplies are putting pressure on policy makers to cut red tape and increase investment and productivity in agriculture. According to Food & Consumer Product of Canada, food industry regulations have not been significantly updated since 1953 and do […]
In Tennessee, Governor Bill Haslam and U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander are promoting switchgrass for ethanol production, as a DuPont venture gets ready to begin production next year. Switchgrass is widely grown in East Tennessee and can offer several benefits to the region and country including reducing the strain on corn production, which creates higher prices. […]
