In Washington, Digest sources continue to point toward a release of USDA loan guarantees this week – Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is pressing his team to finalize conditional offers prior to the new Congress convening on Capitol Hill. USDA loan guarantee funds were previously zeroed out in an omnibus spending bill which died right […]
In South Korea, Reuters reports that the Government announced on 12/29 that the current voluntary blending of B2 biodiesel would become mandatory as of 2012. A statement released by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy noted, “We are introducing a required bio-diesel mix rate system from 2012, as tax benefits on bio-diesel will expire by the […]
In Singapore, Wilmar says the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive is purely ‘green protectionism’ and the US is just as bad. The way that Greenpeace and other NGOs portray the palm oil industry is ‘just sickening’ and ‘outrageous.’ The company feels that the US will eventually approve PME as an advanced biofuel under the RFS2 but […]
In China, legislation has been proposed in the National People’s Congress to regulate the import, export, development and research of genetically modified food crops. The NPC is expected to pass a draft grain security law in 20011, as well, following up on reports of illegal GMO rice being sold in the country. Last year, the […]
In China, the central government has lifted the biodiesel consumption tax that will lower biodiesel costs by up to $135 per metric ton. The policy will be retroactive to Jan. 1 2009 and taxes already paid will be refunded. As a result, shares in Gushan (a Biofuels Digest Index stock) were up 39.06 percent, as […]
In Washington, Renewable Fuels Association CEO Bob Dineen responded to a series aired by NPR on the ethanol industry. “Where in this series is the comparison to Big Oil? You can’t talk, weigh, or dismiss an alternative without talking about the problem it is trying to solve. So where, perhaps in the final piece, will […]
In Brussels, the EU Commision adopted a report on indirect land use change related to biofuels and bioliquids. The Commission’s report acknowledges that indirect land use change can reduce greenhouse gas emissions savings associated with biofuels, but also identifies a number of uncertainties associated with the available models. The Commission will conduct an impact assessment, […]
In Washington, Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Mike Castle (R-Del.) introduced the “Oil Independence for a Stronger America Act of 2010,” which will help the United States achieve energy security goals and create jobs. Proposed legislation would create or extend a diverse array of federal programs necessary to help advanced biofuel producers secure financing for […]
In Washington, in a unanimous opinion, the District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the petition by National Petrochemical Refiners Association and the American Petroleum Institute challenging the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) was denied in full. Joining in the decision were Circuit Judges Ginsburg and Garland. “The NBB is obviously pleased with the […]
In Washington, Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) has introduced the “Domestic Fuel for Enhancing National Security Act of 2010,” which would authorize the Department of Defense to engage in long-term contracts for aviation biofuels. Recently, the Department of the Navy has established goals to cut petroleum use in the commercial fleet in half by 2015 and […]
