In Japan, Reuters reports that the national trade and industry ministry has pushed back the requirement for palm oil used in biomass power plants to have Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil certification until 2021 rather than the previously planned March 31, 2019 deadline. The extension came as part of bilateral cooperation negotiations with Indonesia. Japan […]
In Washington, the Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator has thrown the spotlight on the Department of Energy, blaming them for delays in approving hardship waiver applications from 2018. The approvals were meant to be announced by the end of March but the DOE is yet to send the EPA its input. The administrator expects the delays […]
In Estonia, the ERE national news agency reports that E10 and B7 mandates came into place on April 1 in compliance with the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive but pumps have already seen an increase in price. Ethanol with 10% blending as of April 1 compared to 5% since May 2018 saw a nine cent […]
In Michigan, the debate between the oil industry and rural farming continued on Friday during the Environmental Protection Agency public hearing to discuss proposed ethanol policy changes including year-round E15, small refinery exemptions, and RIN reform. RFA, Growth Energy, Fueling Jobs Coalition, American Petroleum Institute and several others had lots to say about the proposed […]
In Indonesia, the Jakarta Post reports that the European Union’s ban against palm oil for use in biodiesel due to its indirect land use change calculations is the driver for Indonesia to race towards implementation of a B30 mandate, helping to absorb some of the surplus oil that would typically go to Europe. Introduction of […]
In Washington, Bloomberg reports that the Trump Administration quickly wound up research into the viability of year-round E15 sales after the president promised last summer that the fuel would be approved in time for the 2019 summer driving season. The Environmental Protection Agency backed away from doing an environmental impact assessment of the proposed policy […]
In Washington, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), its member companies, and stakeholder organizations delivered a letter to House leaders, urging them to make a multiyear extension of the biodiesel and renewable diesel tax incentive an urgent priority. In February 2018, Congress retroactively extended the tax incentive for 2017, leaving it expired for 2018 and beyond. […]
In Washington, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor has called on the U.S. Department of Transportation to help expedite rail delivery of biofuels amid historic flooding. The recent flooding has not only had devastating impacts on residents but has delayed the transportation of critical supplies of biofuel, which in turn, could impact consumer fuel costs. In […]
In Indonesia, Ambassador of the EU to Indonesia Vincent Guérend said in a statement on Friday that no specific biofuel or feedstock is targeted, all vegetable oils are treated equally, and palm oil is not identified as a bad biofuel, according to Antara News. “Biofuels are an important element of the EU’s renewable energy policy. […]
In Bolivia, Spain’s EFE news agency reports that the government has deregulated the use of GM soy on 250,000 acres as well as $2 billion funding for funding and infrastructure so farmers may grow feedstock in the Santa Cruz region as feedstock for biodiesel production. Droughts and floods have caused more than $168 million in […]
