Category: Policy

Trade groups urge legislators to extend advanced biofuel incentives

Trade groups urge legislators to extend advanced biofuel incentives

March 24, 2014 |

In Washington, a group of biofuel trade organizations have sent a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) encouraging extension of critical advanced biofuel tax incentives — the Second Generation Biofuel Producer Tax Credit, the Special Depreciation Allowance for Second Generation Biofuel Plant Property, the Biodiesel and […]

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Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy to petition Supreme Court over California LCFS

Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy to petition Supreme Court over California LCFS

March 23, 2014 |

In Washington, the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy are petitioning the Supreme Court to make a final determination regarding California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which the plaintiffs claim is constitutionally flawed, as it discriminates against out-of-state commerce and seeks to regulate conduct in other states. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently reversed the […]

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Switzerland looks to add strict sustainability criteria to biofuels

Switzerland looks to add strict sustainability criteria to biofuels

March 20, 2014 |

In Switzerland, a proposed law would require biofuel producers to prove that the biofuel they produce did not have a negative impact on the feedstock’s country of origin’s food security, nor that land rights were inhibited or that unsustainable forestry practices were used.

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Minnesota to boost to B10 on July 1 after derailing attempt

Minnesota to boost to B10 on July 1 after derailing attempt

March 19, 2014 |

In Minnesota, a state Senate committee knocked down a proposal that would have delayed a 2008 law requiring blending of 10% biodiesel from soybean oil. The law is set to come into force on July 1 but the senator who put forward the bill claimed cars and trucks could only handle B5, not B10. Currently, […]

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Malaysia’s B5 blending will be nationwide by July 1

Malaysia’s B5 blending will be nationwide by July 1

March 18, 2014 |

In Malaysia, the B5 blending policy is expected to finally be fully implemented by July 1, with all 3,877 gas stations selling the palm oil-based fuel. Implementation of the policy will boost domestic consumption to 500,000 metric tons annually. The blend was implemented in the Central Region and then Southern Region over the course of […]

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Minnesota legislators propose incentives for advanced biofuels and chemicals

Minnesota legislators propose incentives for advanced biofuels and chemicals

March 17, 2014 |

In Minnesota, state legislators proposed H.F. 2456 and S.F. 2101 that would create a loan program for capital equipment for renewable chemicals and advanced biofuel as well as provide incentives for the production of those fuels and chemicals. The loan program would fall under the remit of the state agricultural commissioner. At least 80% of […]

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USDA investments created 75,000 jobs in 2013

USDA investments created 75,000 jobs in 2013

March 16, 2014 |

In Washington, the $33 billion in USDA investments created 75,000 jobs in 2013. Since the start of the Obama Administration, USDA business programs have provided more than 18,000 guaranteed loans, direct loans and grants to help more than 74,000 businesses create or save more than 375,000 jobs. USDA is increasingly becoming the lender of choice […]

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California Energy Commission grants $4.6 million to power ethanol plant

California Energy Commission grants $4.6 million to power ethanol plant

March 13, 2014 |

In California, the state’s energy commission has awarded $4.6 million to Pixley Biogas who will set up an anaerobic digester using dairy waste with the power then used to run the neighboring Calgren Renewable Fuels Biorefinery. The biorefinery produces ethanol in Pixley.

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CEO of Ethanol Europe says zero-ILUC policy needed in Europe

CEO of Ethanol Europe says zero-ILUC policy needed in Europe

March 12, 2014 |

In Hungary, the CEO of Ethanol Europe Renewables says Europe’s Renewable Energy Directive has killed off private sector investment in biofuels, and that only a clear and stable policy that guarantees certainty in the European market until 2030 will reverse that trend. He argues that what is needed is a zero-ILUC policy that focuses on […]

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Hawaii authorities look at allowing old pipeline for use to transport biodiesel

Hawaii authorities look at allowing old pipeline for use to transport biodiesel

March 11, 2014 |

In Hawaii, the state’s Board of Land and Natural Resources will evaluate a proposal from Hoku Kai Biofuels to use a 10-inch pipe to transport biodiesel from the Hilo harbor to storage tanks, a system that was initially constructed in the 1960s to transport asphalt products to the former Shell Oil location near the harbor […]

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