In Belgium, the European Commission is preparing to widen punitive taxes on the US for biodiesel dumping and plans to extend the tariffs to Canada as well. Some biodiesel blends from Canada and all biodiesel blends from the US will face an additional $566.4 per metric ton. The policy still requires signoff from the EU’s […]
In South Dakota, money now used to give production incentive payments to ethanol plants will be redirected in the next five years to increase ethanol use by motorists and replenish a state economic development loan fund. The money saved would be redirected to economic development loans and grants for blender pumps and other efforts in […]
In Canada, Saskatchewan’s 2011 Budget will now boast a five-year $26 million program that will provide a 13 cent-per-litre grant to biodiesel producers effective April 1 2011 and a 2% renewable biodiesel mandate that comes into effect on July 1 2012. “Saskatchewan’s 2011 budget will be welcome news to farmers and biodiesel producers alike,” said […]
In Nebraska, legislators in the state’s lower house have approved bill that would lift labeling requirements on Nebraska gas with less than 11 percent ethanol has cleared its first legislative vote, but could change when lawmakers consider the measure again. More on the story.
Proposed Senate Bill S.559: Securing America’s Future with Energy and Sustainable Technologies Act Comment on the Bill from an Advanced Biofuels Perspective By Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) US Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) recently introduced Senate Bill S.599, the “Securing America’s Future with Energy and Sustainable Technologies Act” or SAFESTA. […]
In Brazil, President Obama and newly inaugurated Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff expanded a Memorandum of Understanding on Biofuels, and agreed “that the two countries have converging interests in energy-related matters, including in oil, natural gas, biofuels and other renewables. President Obama stated that the United States seeks to be a Strategic Energy Partner of Brazil. […]
In Washington, Rachel Gantz of OPIS is reporting that leaders of the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, the American Coalition for Ethanol and the National Corn Growers Association have agreed to a three-year sunsetting of the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC). They propose to replace the VEETC, in year four, with a variable credit […]
In Canada, unused funds from the 2007 EcoEnergy program are likely to be redistributed after the federal budget is announced on March 22. The funds were never used because the facilities they were awarded too never got off the ground. Two biodiesel projects in Vegreville and Lloydminster that together could supply half of the country’s […]
In Washington, the USDA has called the heads of nearly every major biofuels association into a “friendly, open” discussion, but on an urgent timetable, to discuss opportunities to find common ground and synchronize biofuels industry policy. The March 21 meeting, which will be led by USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager and senior […]
In Washington, President Barack Obama’s economic advisors say they don’t expect progress to be made on the question of ethanol import tariffs during his trip to Brazil later this week. Though the Brazilians are likely to raise the issue, the US doesn’t appear ready to make concessions yet. Overall discussions on biofuel cooperation will be […]
