In China, Reuters and the China Daily both report that the Secretary General of the National Development and Reform Commission has called US President Trump’s accusations that the country isn’t buying US farm products as baseless, pointing to more than 4 million metric tons of soybeans contracted or delivered since the G20 Summit in Osaka, […]
In Brazil, Bloomberg reports that there is an internal fight between the agriculture ministry who wants to see import tariffs on US-origin ethanol remain in place while those from the economy ministry are open to removing them in favor of a wider trade agreement that would help the country overall. The current tariff regime against […]
In Washington, D.C., Senator Joni Erst, R-Iowa, and Senator Mike Rounds, R-SD, told the Roll Call that the surface transportation bill that would help pay for charging and refilling stations for zero- or low-emissions vehicles should also support more stations for biofuels like ethanol. And if doesn’t, then do away with the program entirely. The […]
In China, Reuters that extensive negotiation between China and the US is expected to take place over the next month before the next round of face-to-face talks in September as the two countries look to break the trade deadlock, including specific discussions on opening the Chinese market up to US ethanol again. In person talks […]
In Washington, an agriculture and biofuels coalition has petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to lift a stay it placed on a joint 2018 petition asking the court to protect the renewable fuels industry from undue harm caused by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The petition, filed late Tuesday […]
In Washington, Reuters reports that the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency told a closed-door hearing last week that hardship waivers have not created demand destruction for ethanol. Despite President Trump ordering the Cabinet to review the hardship waiver program and how waivers are granted, the EPA administrator does not appear interested to alter how […]
In Washington, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a public hearing to be held in Ypsilanti, MI on July 31, 2019 for the proposed rule “Renewable Fuel Standard Program: Standards for 2020 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2021.” The hearing will be held at the following location: Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest, 1275 […]
In Washington, D.C., U.S. Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) renewed their efforts to get rid of the corn ethanol mandate in the RFS. According to Senator Toomey’s statement, they “are working together to end an egregious form of corporate welfare that hurts the environment and drives up the cost of everything from […]
In the UK, the government us seeking evidence to help it develop standards for biodegradable, compostable and bio-based plastics, and an understanding of its environmental impacts through an open public consultation that closes October 14. The government wants to identify gaps and provide expert advice on: a) the overall sustainability of bio-based and biodegradable plastic […]
In Washington, contrary to assertions by the EPA, the Energy Department confirmed in a letter to Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that the EPA has issued so-called “economic hardship” exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to small refineries, often owned by billion-dollar oil companies, even when the Energy Department found that the refineries faced little […]
