In the Philippines, a legislator is calling for a probe into the 2006 Biofuels Act mandating B1 and E5 after allegations internationally that biofuels are impeding food security. The proposed resolution would mandate the House Committee on Energy to undergo the investigation.
In India, the government has set up an oversight committee including finance, agriculture and food ministries to ensure a smoother relationship between the sugar industry and oil marketing companies regarding ethanol trade. Problems are still lingering from the first ethanol tender with both sides accusing the other of reneging on contracts.
In Hawaii, the state’s public utilities commission has approved a power purchase agreement between Hawaiian Electric Light Company and Hu Honua Bioenergy, who has built a 21.5MW power plant on a former sugarcane plantation using eucalyptus as feedstock. HELCO will pay 25.3 cents per kWh during 20 years.
In Washington, Iowa senator Tom Harkin says the EPA has agreed to “take another look” at blending mandates for next year after 16 Senators asked the agency to not jeopardize the farm economy by cutting the RFS. The EPA administrator met with the senators last Wednesday to discuss the proposed rule that is currently in […]
In New York, Sweetwater has received a $2.5 million funding grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to build five facilities in New York. The first facility is to supply sugar to Naturally Scientific US (NSUS), which has signed a $250 million, 15-year contract for Sweetwater’s sugars. The second facility […]
In Washington, Platts is reporting that 54 members of the House of Representatives from 24 states have sent a letter to the EPA administrator and the White House asking for biodiesel blending to be increased in 2014 rather than hold steady at 1.28 billion gallons. Industry says that it can produce 1.7 billion gallons of […]
In Washington, Iowa senator Chuck Grassley said he expected the biodiesel tax credit to be extended next year but expected the current credit to expire beforehand. The National Biodiesel Board warned that allowing the credits to expire would introduce additional risk into the market but Grassley said the Senate’s finance committee chairman already had tax […]
In Washington, Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52) has introduced H.R. 3758, the “Second Generation Biofuels Extension Act of 2013.” This legislation would extend the Second Generation Biofuel Producer Credit and the Special Allowance for Second Generation Biofuel Plant Property. He also introduced H.R. 3757, “Igniting American Research Act,” that would extend and increase the tax credit […]
In Washington, The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announced the results of the Dec. 3 invitation to sell the remainder of its recently acquired sugar inventory for non-food uses. CCC successfully sold its entire remaining inventory, 79,750 short tons, for $8.2 million. Quality Feeds Ltd. bought 90 million pounds of cane sugar […]
In Washington, Senators Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md. and David Vitter, R-La. are working on legislation that would reduce the amount of corn ethanol required under the RFS while boosting the amount of advanced biofuels. On the other hand, Senators Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla. are working on legislation that would eliminate the quota […]
