In Washington, the Government Accountability Office lists the 45-cent-per-gallon tax credit among wasteful programs that could be slashed or eliminated to help address the nation’s fiscal problems. The tax credit, due to expire at the end of the year, will cost the government $5.4 billion this year, and the lost revenue will grow to $6.75 […]
In Washington, a coalition of 90 organizations urged Congress to let the refundable Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) expire and to resist calls for spending on infrastructure for conventional biofuels. The coalition says: “Congress has the opportunity to end the $6 billion a year subsidy to gasoline refiners who blend corn ethanol into gasoline. […]
In Washington, former US President Bill Clinton made headlines by claiming that biofuels cause food riots. However, according to his actual quote from the Associated Press, “I think the best thing to say is we have to become energy independent, but we don’t want to do it at the cost of food riots.” More on […]
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that he will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to encourage the continued development of bio-based products for energy consumption, animal feed, chemicals and other uses. Vilsack will sign the MOU with the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition, which was originally formed to provide leadership on ethanol policy development but has […]
In Washington, Growth energy executives Tom Buis, Wes Clark and Jim Nussle went on the offensive regarding the impact of the Middle Eastern political crisis, and ethanol-related legislation. As background, Brent crude reached $119 per barrel briefly in trading today, before settling back to $114. “Now is not the time to block ethanol,” said Growth […]
In Washington, the ethanol industry has lost one of its key allies in the battle to keep subsidy programs alive while Congress attempts to cut the deficit. Sen. Chuck Grassley said he would vote for a deficit-cutting bill even it includes two House-passed provisions that are intended to slow the ethanol industry’s growth – the […]
In Washington, the Defense Venture Catalyst Initiative (DeVenCI) will conduct a workshop April 25-26, 2011 in McLean, VA to help discover emerging technologies relevant to the United States Navy’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy. The workshop will provide selected innovative companies who do not normally conduct business with the Department of Defense with an opportunity […]
In Washington, the dust has settled on the announcement by the Renewable Fuels Association that it is starting an Advanced Ethanol Council. Here’s some brief Q&A on the background: Q. What is the main goal of the Advanced Ethanol Council? A. In a few words, production and tax credits. One of the most powerful drivers […]
In Washington, reaction from the passage of the Sullivan and Flake Amendments to the US House budget resolution, which blocks the U.S. EPA from implementing its approved waiver for E15 ethanol blends in America’s fuel supply and prohibiting construction of blender pumps and ethanol storage facilities. “The Sullivan provision picks politics over science. EPA’s consideration […]
In Washington, Bracken Hendricks and Jorge Madrid, of the Center for American Progress, published an essay in Grist arguing that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was “the single most important piece of clean energy legislation in our nation’s history”. Highlights: ARRA’s clean energy provisions saved or created 63,000 jobs and are expected to […]
