In Maryland, United Steelworkers Union (USW) says that proposed state legislation to end the state’s biofuel credit could increase pollution and fuel costs, suppress development of renewable fuels and lead to massive job loss. Maryland House Bill 1102 and Senate Bill 684, if passed, would redefine renewable energy to exclude “black liquor”—a byproduct of the […]
In Sri Lanka, the government has banned ethanol imports as of March 1 in a further attempt to keep afloat the two sugar mills it appropriated last year. The mills produce ethanol from molasses and the government has already invested heavily in resuscitating them.
In Brazil, Bloomberg reports that the government is include lower payments on taxes paid on ethanol and the possibility of converting the amount paid into credit. Currently producers pay about 6 cents in taxes per liter of ethanol. The policy hasn’t yet been made public and is said to be in the hands of President […]
In Washington, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has spoken out in favor of RFS reform, according to an article from The Hill. Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Murkowski released an energy road map on Monday, and indicated that she believed the RFS “didn’t work the way we had hoped it would.” […]
In Minnesota, the state legislature is looking at a bill that would see not only isobutanol blended in gasoline but is also looking at a policy that would promote, though not mandate, up to 30% biofuels blending in the state by 2025. To facilitate isobutanol blending, the bill would change existing legislation that included “ethanol” […]
In Washington D.C., the House Science Committee is discussing whether to increase the amount of ethanol used in U.S. vehicles. The committee oversees environmental issues and will hear from various witnesses, including the head of the American Automobile Association, AAA, which is against E15 due to possible engine damage as well as a perceived lack […]
In the UK, a report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance says that US blenders can use up to 20% of their blending requirements this year in the form of RINs from previous production rather than buying new production due to a huge RIN bank of 2.5 billion numbers. Blenders must use 13.8 billion gallons of […]
In Canada, Ottawa’s government is formally shutting down the biofuels subsidy program that will have provided more than CAD $1.5B in subsidies to grain-based ethanol and biodiesel producers across the country. The letter announcing the decision cited the lack of production as the reason for the cuts: Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said that the […]
In Washington, Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner has introduced legislation to limit the EPA’s ability to mandate that refiners blend more cellulosic biofuel than is actually available. This bill will require the EPA to set the mandate for cellulosic biofuel, in part, based on evidence of how much cellulosic biofuel was available the previous year. “If EPA […]
In Florida, House Bill 4001 that seeks to repeal ethanol blending passed out of the state House’s Energy & Utilities Subcommittee by a single vote. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Shalimar, tried to push through similar legislation last year but was only able to get ethanol-free gasoline made available for boats, small motors and […]
