In Washington, the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) has announced a new pilot program of insurance for camelina beginning with the 2012 crop year.The new pilot program will be available in selected counties in Montana and North Dakota for the 2012 crop year, with a sales closing date of February 1, 2012. The camelina plan […]
In Belgium, the Globalization Institute warns that the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive’s discrimination towards feedstocks from outside the EU—such as sugarcane and palm oil—and the lack of transparency in criteria for different raw materials will lead to a WTO conflict between EU and countries such as Brazil, the United States, or Asian nations.
In Oklahoma, two legislators have introduced a bill to outlaw the production and transportation of castor beans. Castor beans contain 50 percent or more oil and are increasingly used for producing biofuels. However, they also contain high levels of rincin, a potent toxin that induces a slow, agonizing death marked by vomiting and diarrhea. Oklahoma […]
In Washington, the Sierra Club has been lobbying against Agrisol’s $100 million purchase of 325,000 hectares of land in Tanzania on the basis of human rights violations. The purchase, which opponents claim would displace up to 160,000 refugees from Burundi, will “help stabilize local food supplies, create jobs and economic opportunity for local populations, and […]
In California, about 55 students will begin classes in March of 2012, with each student receiving the equivalent of a $7,000 grant from the State of California. The students, who will attend classes at UC San Diego Extension and Mira Costa College, are the second cohort of students in a program funded by a two-year, […]
In India, the government says that it is preparing to release the final price at which oil companies must buy ethanol from sugar mills with the decision going to cabinet by the end of November. The temporary price of about 50 cents per liter has been criticized by industry as being too low. So far […]
In Mozambique, the World Wildlife Fund has urged countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to put in place sound policy and legal mechanisms to foster responsible investments in biofuels. Without good policy in place, there could be environmental, economic and social risks due to poor coordination of biofuels activities between government institutions the […]
In India, the country’s renewable energy minister is pushing for the private sector to invest in co-generation from agricultural waste, especially sugar mills but also pulp and paper factories, distilleries and food processing facilities. He says there is potential to produce 1,300MW of electricity from waste while that could reach 2,000MW by 2017. At least […]
In France, Tony Tyler, Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association, outlined six steps for governments to promote the successful commercialization of sustainable biofuels: (1) foster research into new feedstock sources and refining processes, (2) de-risk public and private investments in aviation biofuels, (3) provide incentives for airlines to use biofuels from […]
In Washington, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said that he did not feel political pressure to issue a loan guarantee to Solyndra, and took personal responsibility for what he said was a decision made on the merits. “Certainly knowing what I know now, we’d say `no,’” Chu […]
