In Indonesia, the government is again coming to the rescue of the palm oil industry by potentially introducing tax breaks for producers, allowing it to offset the budgetary requirements that would be needed by a new 15% biodiesel blend proposed last week, up from the current 10%. The 2015 budget won’t reach to covering the […]
In the UK, parliamentarians are in agreement that political will, rather than money or technology, is holding back the UK’s renewable energy sector. Senior officials from each of the four key political parties agreed that for widespread renewable adoption, emphasis needs to be on raising awareness of the benefits of renewable energy amongst the public, […]
In California, the state’s Energy Commission has approved $21 million in grants for energy innovation and efficiency programs at its monthly business meeting. Almost a dozen innovative projects – including one to convert forest residues to electricity and another to turn dairy manure into biogas – were funded through four key grant and loan programs.
In Washington, the Advanced Biofuels Association splintered away from the rest of the industry during the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference when its head said the RFS needed to be reformed–a move that has shocked the industry. The ABA wants the loophole closed that allows oil companies to opt-out of blending advanced biofuels as well as […]
In Nebraska, by relaxing a federal ethanol mandate, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could have counteracted the impact of the 2012 drought on corn prices, a new study by University of Nebraska-Lincoln agricultural economists concludes. The study provides a guidepost for action by federal policymakers in the event of future drought, said co-author Azzeddine Azzam, […]
In Iowa, GOP presidential contenders have begun canvassing the state where not surprisingly ethanol is becoming a hot button issue. Jeb Bush said he supported the RFS but believes the policy should be phased out over the coming years. Scott Walker, on the other hand, flip-flopped his notorious anti-RFS stance and said instead that he […]
In the US, ethanol production averaged 931,000 barrels per day (b/d)—or 39.10 million gallons daily, down 16,000 b/d from the week before. This represents the lowest rate of output in 17 weeks. The four-week average for ethanol production stood at 951,000 b/d for an annualized rate of 14.58 billion gallons. Gasoline demand for the week […]
In Oregon, the state’s House of Representatives has sent the low carbon fuel standard to Gov. Kate Brown for signature but it’s not clear if she will sign it or not, despite having spoken favorably of the bill. Biofuel demand is expected to increase if the LCFS comes into effect because fuels must reduce GHG […]
In Thailand, the national ethanol producers association is urging the government to maintain the price gap between ethanol and gasoline despite falling oil prices. The association warned that if the government didn’t artificially maintain the gap, it could take up to six years for ethanol demand to return to current levels. On Monday, ministers will […]
In Indonesia, the country’s energy and minerals ministry has altered the pricing benchmark used in tenders to supply biodiesel to the state-owned oil company Pertamina to crude palm oil prices rather than diesel prices in an attempt to further boost biodiesel consumption. The new benchmark is in effect for tenders as of March 1.
