In Panama, the public is criticizing the president due to recent revelations regarding his family’s direct involvement in the development of a large-scale sugarcane ethanol project. The country has an ethanol blending mandate in effect since September 2013. The president countered by encouraging everyone to invest in ethanol production as a way to vitalize the […]
In Washington, the Farm Bill provides $250 million to the USDA for the development and construction of commercial-scale biorefineries that produce advanced biofuels in Section 9003. Mandatory budget authority for Section 9003 totals $100 million for this year, and $50 million for 2015 and 2016, and discretionary funding can reach $75 million. The bill also […]
In Florida, ePure Secretary General Rob Vierhout was the target of heated debate during the National Ethanol Conference where he was accused of creating artificial trade barriers against US ethanol in the European market. RFA chief Bob Dinneen said the only ones benefiting from the ethanol tariffs in Europe were attorneys, claiming that eventually the […]
By Brent Erickson, Executive VP, Head, Industrial & Environmental Section, BIO It has been the winter of discontent for the biofuels industry, given EPA’s proposed RVO numbers for the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS). But in the midst of the winter chill the sun broke through the clouds and providence shined down on the biorefining industry […]
In Illinois, Gov. Pat Quinn is joining the chorus of those wanting the EPA to protect the RFS, saying that lowering the ethanol blend will have a negative impact on the state’s economy with especially strong impact on corn farmers. The state is one of the largest ethanol producers.
In Washington, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced a bill to extend the expired biodiesel tax incentive for three years. The $1-per-gallon incentive covers biodiesel, renewable diesel, and renewable aviation fuel. First implemented in 2005, it expired on Dec. 31, 2013. It also was allowed to lapse in 2012 and 2010. National […]
In Washington, Iowa Congressman Dave Loebsack announced he introduced legislation that would establish a grant program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to invest in renewable and alternative fuel infrastructure. The Renewable Fuel Utilization, Expansion and Leadership (Re-FUEL) Act (HR 4051) will help create new and retrofit existing infrastructure, including pumps for biofuels and […]
In Washington, a chief counsel advice memorandum from the IRS’s Office of Chief Counsel says taxpayers can also deduct from their income taxes the amount of excise tax reduction given to biodiesel under the biodiesel blender excise tax credit. Apparently rather than deducting from their excise tax deduction in their forms, they include it in […]
In Iowa, the Iowa NSF EPSCoR Energy Policy Workshop series aims at fostering cross-disciplinary work between Iowa State University engineers, economists, and scholars of other fields working on biorenewable issues with policy relevance. The next workshop will be held on Friday with presentations by an associate professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering at Iowa […]
In Washington, the $956 billion Farm Bill was signed into law last week at Michigan State University. The Title 9 energy programs received $881 million in mandatory funding, provides incentives for biochemicals and biobased product manufacturing for the first time, includes pellets in the definition of forest products, provides for a tiered application process to […]
