In Minnesota, the Star Tribune newspaper reports that the new $25 million program under the recently-signed Farm Bill that encourages farmers to experiment with low-till and no-till farming methods came about as a result of the American Coalition for Ethanol working together with the National Corn Growers Association and the Natural Resources Defense Council working […]
In India, the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council says waste-to-energy is a key priority for the PM as a way to reduce energy poverty and increase environmental sustainability through value-based waste management. The country is beginning to collaborate with countries like Japan whose best practices can help […]
In Malaysia, Bernama news agency reports that in response to France’s ban on palm oil as a feedstock for biofuels from 2020, the country is gathering Indonesia and Colombia in February to discuss how to tackle the reduced palm oil demand that will result from the French Parliament’s policy shift. The primary industries minister believes […]
In Washington, Reuters reports that refiners applied for a whopping 22 hardship waivers in 2018 as of mid-December, although the figure is below the record-breaking 29 application received by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2017. Just 15 applications were received by the EPA in November. The agency is currently reviewing its application approval process in […]
In Washington, D.C., House GOP Republicans are trying to get a requirement added in that cars built from 2023 tun only on gasoline with a minimum 95 octane and get rid of the federal mandate that ethanol be blended into the fuel supply. “We have to put consumers and the environment first, not our own […]
In Texas, researchers at Rice University evaluated the readiness level of current U.S. policies, programs and regulatory incentives regarding the benefits of biochar. The paper offers these policy recommendations: • Improve policies that allow for the monetization of environmental benefits and avoided costs • Recognize soil as a resource through national preservation policy • Develop a […]
In Indonesia, the Jakarta Post reports that despite implementation of a B20 mandate in September, oil imports even rose in November by more than 26% over October despite the aim of the policy being to lower fossil fuel imports. Total fossil fuel imports for the year through November were nearly 6% higher on the year. […]
In Indonesia, the Jakarta Post reports that the energy ministry has fined 11 companies a total of $24.83 million for failing to implement the B20 mandate in September after being given a month to comply with the higher blending ratio. The value of the fine for each company was determined by how long it took […]
In India, using agricultural waste, municipal solid waste, and cattle manure as feedstock, the Press Trust of India reports that the petroleum minister expects to see 5,000 bio-CNG plants online by 2023 producing 15 million metric tons of bio-CNG annually. The facilities are meant to sprout from the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation initiative that […]
In Brazil, Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association, UNICA, has been working with the government of Brazil to demonstrate the damages India’s subsidies caused to Brazilian exports during the last sugarcane harvest. In a meeting held last week, the Brazilian Foreign Trade Chamber (CAMEX) decided to initiate proceedings at the World Trade Organization (WTO) for challenging India’s […]
